Franschhoek Motor Museum
The Franschhoek Motor Museum courtyard and one of the vehicle display buildings | |
| Established | 7 May 2007[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Franschhoek, Western Cape, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 33°52′47″S 19°00′11″E / 33.87986°S 19.00299°E |
| Type | Automobile museum |
| Founder | Johann Rupert |
| Owner | Johann Rupert |
| Nearest parking | Surface lot on site |
| Website | fmm |
The Franschhoek Motor Museum is an automotive museum that maintains a rotating collection of vehicles, motorcycles, and bicycles dating back over 100 years. It is owned by billionaire Johann Rupert.[2][3][4]
The museum is situated on the L’Ormarins Estate, a wine estate in Franschhoek, in the Western Cape province of South Africa, which is also home to Rupert Wines.[2][5]
The museum is located roughly 70 kilometers from Cape Town, a city which has been ranked as one of the top three globally for its car culture.[6]
History
The Franschhoek Motor Museum has its origins in the Heidelberg Museum, which was opened by Anton Rupert in 1974. In 1999, the museum was bought by British American Tobacco, and was closed by the company in 2003.[1]
In 2004, Johann Rupert, Anton's son, bought his father's car collection and moved it to the L’Ormarins Estate, a wine estate in Franschhoek.[1]
The Franschhoek Motor Museum opened to the public in May 2007.[1]
Collection
The museum is housed in four separate, dehumidified buildings, all facing a courtyard. Total floorspace is around 2,700 sqm. The collection has over 200 vehicles, 80 of which are on display at any given time.
Vehicles are displayed on rotation, so visitors have a different experience each time they go to the FMM. The collection has vehicles built in South Africa and overseas, and portrays the evolution of the automobile. It is categorized as follows:[7]
- Antique – built before 31 December 1904
- Veteran – built between 1 January 1905 and 31 December 1918
- Vintage – built between 1 January 1919 and 31 December 1930
- Post-Vintage – built between 1 January 1931 and 31 December 1945
- Post-45 – built between 1 January 1946 and 31 December 1960
- Post-60 – built after 1 January 1961
As of March 2026, the museum houses vehicles from 1877 through 2021.[7]
External links
- Geographic data related to Franschhoek Motor Museum at OpenStreetMap
References
- ^ a b c d "Franschhoek Motor Museum - History". Franschhoek Motor Museum. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ a b "The African Billionaires 2012". Forbes. 2012.
- ^ John Voelcker (14 June 2013). "South Africa's Franschhoek Motor Museum: The Best Cars Of A Century". Motor Authority. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ Tamlyn Ryan (13 May 2025). "The best Cape Winelands museums and cultural attractions". wine.co.za. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Rupert Wines - Homepage". Rupert Wines. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ Lulama Klassen (16 January 2026). "Cape Town races into global car culture top three". Cape Town ETC. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Franschhoek Motor Museum - Showroom". Franschhoek Motor Museum. Retrieved 15 March 2026.