Mazda museum to open in Germany, first outside of Japan

A museum dedicated to classic Mazdas is about to open in Augsburg, Germany. Operated by Auto Frey, a Mazda dealer in the Bavarian city, and with support from Mazda Germany, Frey’s Mazda Classic Car Museum promises to be the first and only such museum outside of Japan.

To Mazda enthusiasts, especially those in Europe, the collection is likely already familiar. Walter Frey, who established the dealership in 1978, is also an avid car collector. Long fascinated by Mazda’s rotary engine, Walter acquired his first Cosmo Sport in 1980 and has been growing his fleet ever since. With his sons Joachim and Markus, the Freys have amassed a collection of 120 cars representing every Mazda model since the 1930s.

The family is active in the Mazda enthusiast community as well, famously hosting the Cosmo Sport rally in Germany in 2009. Fourteen Cosmo Sports from Japan made their way to join five of their counterparts in Europe for the event. The Freys have now repurposed an old tram depot to share their passion and amazing collection with the public. Up to fifty cars from the collection will be exhibited in the museum at a time on a rotating basis, with spotlight on Mazda’s rotary powertrain. The museum opens on May 13th.

Images courtesy of Mazda.

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3 Responses to Mazda museum to open in Germany, first outside of Japan

  1. Iwakuni91 says:

    From left to right, MX-6, MX-3, 323F, 626(?), RX-7, and obviously the Cosmo in the middle. Mazda made/makes such pretty cars. Even if the designs don’t always stand the test of time, Mazda always made good handling, highly practical, spelt looking cars. Always saw a lot of 323F’s and A70 Supra Turbo’s when I was there in the mid and late 90’s near Regensburg. Kudos to Frey and the Munchens:)

  2. L10B says:

    It was a fantastic event!

    So honoured to be a guest of the Frey family.

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