Depo Moto Art: Where industrial history meets chrome and passion

In a perfectly renovated former sugar factory (which later served as a depot for trolleybuses), you will find the Depo Moto Art today. Here, industrial history meets a world-class collection of cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.

As soon as you push open the heavy door to the hall, you dive into another world. It is this unmistakable scent of old oil and gasoline that immediately captivated me. In the huge room, your own footsteps echo on the floor while the light falls through the high lattice windows.

Of State Cars and Bavarian Classics

Although I am no proven expert on torque or cylinder heads, the sight truly thrilled me. The exhibition comprises about 40 automobiles, and each tells its own story.

What stuck with me in particular are the classics that you still know from old movies or stories: The timeless elegance of the old Ford models and the sporty look of the early BMWs make the heart of every fan beat faster.

My personal highlight, however, was a real splash of color among the giants: A bright red BMW Isetta. This “bubble car” with its distinctive front door looks almost like a toy next to the massive cars, but exudes an incredible charm of the economic miracle years. No wonder my parents loved this car back then!

The polished bodywork of the cars shines in the light. Taking a look inside, I discover in some cases old leather seats and dashboards that come from a time when computers didn’t even exist yet. Back then, no built-in sensor beeped when reversing, and you would look in vain for a radio in the car.

The Praga brand dominates the exhibition. As I stand in front of the huge, black pre-war state cars, spy novels from the 30s and old crime thrillers immediately come to mind. You almost think you can hear the crackling of the heavy leather when you imagine how the owners took their seats in the back and negotiated business. You can see everything here, from the luxurious convertible to the modern Praga R1 super sports car.

What I only found out after visiting the exhibition: The Praga vehicles come from the collection of Emil Příhoda. He has been collecting cars since 1957. Meanwhile, there are said to be over 90 vehicles that belong to the UNESCO World Heritage. 40 cars from his collection are located in Plzen.

Two Wheels That Wrote History

The motorcycle section with its 70 exhibits also fascinated me greatly. The motorcycle exhibition includes a part of the collection of Petr Hošťálek. One machine particularly caught my eye: A Hurikan from 1949. Athletes once tore across the racetracks with racing motorcycles like this. Wow! You can really speak of “brave men on their hot racing machines” here.

Those who like it a bit darker can admire the notorious Vincent HRD “Widowmaker” – the first production motorcycle to crack the 200 km/h mark and which was considered the most dangerous machine of its time. It wasn’t for nothing that the motorcycle was given the name “Widowmaker”.

Where Legends Rode: The Stanislav Cink Collection

A special gem of the new museum is the bicycle exhibition by Stanislav Cink. Here, you get very close to the successes.

Among other things on display is the racing bike that accompanied Jan Řehula on his way to his Olympic bronze medal in Sydney. Another highlight for technology fans is the world championship bike of Roman Kreuziger – a piece of real sports history within your grasp.

Military Vehicles – Time of Liberation

In 1945, Plzen was liberated by the American army. A fact that is hardly known to many visitors to the city and is examined in detail in the Patton Memorial, a truly interesting museum.

In the Depo Moto Art, there are some of the historical vehicles from this time and a bust of General Patton.

Visitor information

Address

Cukrovarská 13,
301 00 Plzen