Abarth Works Museum and VARO join forces!Calling Guy Moerenhout a car enthusiast would be an understatement. His entire life simply revolves around cars and racing. During his professional career, Guy owned a garage and, as a mechanic and tuner, prepared race cars for various rally teams. He was also an accomplished rally driver himself, a sport he still practices today as an active septuagenarian. "In 1971, I started collecting Abarth cars," Guy explains. "Abarth, because I fell in love with their unique character. The first Abarths were built with the best parts from other brands, carefully selected by founder Carlo Abarth. Later, Abarth never chose mass production. And the fact that the brand was founded in the year I was born, 1949, might have also fueled my fascination." Working museumGuy’s collection steadily grew, and thus the Abarth Works Museum was born. The museum features unique Abarths, as well as models from Fiat, Lada, Seat, and other brands somehow linked to Carlo Abarth or Guy Moerenhout. "Since 2007, the museum has been housed in Varo’s buildings in Lier," Guy explains. "With their brands Powerplus and Kreator, they have always been loyal sponsors of rally sports, and thanks to their support, the museum has grown into the second-largest tourist attraction in Lier. Every year, we welcome between 3,500 and 4,000 visitors. What makes our concept unique is that we are a working museum. Our cars aren’t just on display—we’re also constantly restoring and maintaining models. Visitors can follow that process. Eighty percent of our cars still run, and with some models, we still participate in historic races. Our cars aren’t roped off; visitors can literally touch them." |
Dear visitor, the museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and exceptionally on the following days: 23/08, 27/09, 30/09, 01/10, 15/10, 29/10, 19/11, 27/11.
