The Caramulo Museum opened Senna to the public on 18 July with around 30 Formula 1 cars on display for the first time in Portugal. The exhibition, called Magic Formula, runs at the museum in Tondela until 18 October.
Salvador Patrício Gouveia and Magic Formula
Salvador Patrício Gouveia said it is the largest exhibition the Caramulo Museum has ever mounted. He said the museum adapted the space dedicated to cars for the display and described the show as one that “attempts to portray at least five decades of F1 and drivers, and other formulas, but above all, with cars from the golden age”.
He also said: “It is the largest exhibition that the Caramulo Museum has ever mounted, dedicated to the passion of Formula 1 [F1]. It's called “Magic Formula”, because it really touches the hearts when we talk about Formula 1,””
Lotus 97T in Portugal
The exhibition includes the Lotus 97T, the car with which Ayrton Senna achieved his first Formula 1 victory at the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix at the Estoril Autodrome. Patrício Gouveia said of it: “It is a very significant car not only in the history of F1, but also in Portugal,”
Other cars on display include Nelson Piquet's Lotus 100T, Nigel Mansell's Williams FW14, Ayrton Senna's Williams FW16, Jean Alesi's Benetton B196, Jean Alesi's Jordan 199, Heinz-Harald Frentzen's Sauber C18 and Michael Schumacher's Ferrari F2005. The museum also says the display brings together original artefacts including costumes, helmets, trophies and gloves.
Private collections at Caramulo Museum
Patrício Gouveia said the collection came together from museums, collectors and Lotus itself. He said: “These are pieces from museums, from collectors, from Lotus itself. We travelled the world with great logistics, large insurance policies, and a lot of investment to guarantee this unique collection of models,”
That sourcing explains the mixed character of the show: some of the cars had already been in Portugal, but visitors had not seen them because they were in private collections. The exhibition also includes representations of Nicha Cabral, Pedro Matos Chaves, Pedro Lamy and Tiago Monteiro, with cars and other pieces tied to their careers.
For visitors, the opening window is fixed: 18 July at 10 am through 18 October. The display brings rare Formula 1 machinery and artefacts into public view in Portugal at one time, in one place, rather than leaving them split across private holdings and separate museums.
