MUSEUM OF AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY

The Salamanca Museum of Automotive History is located in the Plaza del Mercado Viejo, next to the Tormes River, in the section between the Roman Bridge and the Enrique Estevan Bridge. It occupies a building that was Salamanca's second electricity production plant.

THE BUILDINGS The MHAS is situated in one of the most emblematic areas of the city, on the right bank of the Tormes River and very close to the Roman Bridge. On the site it occupies, the old Romanesque church of San Nicolás de Bari was erected, which in the 16th century housed the first anatomical dissection classroom in Spain, linked to the University's Faculty of Medicine. Visible remains of this building can be seen in the lower levels of a nearby residential building.

The MHAS complex consists of two buildings. The first is a late 19th-century construction that, originally, functioned as a tannery for hide processing and was later transformed into Salamanca's second power station, known ever since as La Fábrica de Luz (The Light Factory). It comprises two attached naves covering an area of over 1,000 square meters. The left nave has been restored respecting its original structure, becoming a magnificent example of the industrial construction techniques of the era, visible at the end of the exhibition tour.

The second is a new-build structure with an innovative aesthetic, designed by architect José Elías Díez. It consists of three halls, each 1,150 square meters, where the permanent exhibition is installed.

THE MUSEUM The Salamanca Museum of Automotive History was one of the first museums in Spain dedicated to Automotive History. It arose from the collaboration between the owner of many of the automobiles exhibited in the museum - Demetrio Gómez Planche - and the Salamanca City Council. It was inaugurated in late September 2002 by the King and Queen of Spain, Juan Carlos I and Sofía.

The museum exhibits the collection of Demetrio Gómez Planche, a former technical architect who, with his family's help, gathered all kinds of automobiles, motorcycles, documents, and accessories related to the automotive world for over 40 years. Contributions from the General Directorate of Traffic, the Iveco-Pegaso Historical Center, and other public and private sources joined Gómez Planche's collection.

Its holdings include over 200 historic automobiles, some unique, as well as thousands of automotive-related accessories. Additionally, it boasts a library with more than 3,000 volumes and nearly 5,000,000 documents.

Among the 140 pieces on display — which rotate periodically among the nearly 240 that make up the collection — visitors can admire authentic gems of automotive history. Noteworthy is the tricycle patented in 1885 by the German engineer Karl Benz, considered the first vehicle propelled by an internal combustion engine. Also on display are an elegant 1922 Rolls‑Royce Silver Ghost, a Cadillac Fleetwood 75 that belonged to Francisco Franco, and, as the star piece of the collection, a 1930 Hispano‑Suiza preserved in its original condition, as it has never required restoration.

The Salamanca Museum of Automotive History (MHAS) reached a historic milestone in February 2026, becoming the first museum in Spain to obtain official accreditation as a Technical Service for Historic Vehicles under the international standard ISO17020. This technical recognition is an implicit "honorable mention" for the quality, professionalism, and specialization of its mechanical workshop, responsible for the restoration and maintenance of the collection's pieces.

Each room is organized so that visitors can learn about the history of the automobile in a chronological and thematic way, combining vehicles, objects, documentation, and interactive resources that make the experience engaging and educational for all ages.

Entrance – Meet the Gómez Planche family and discover personal objects and curiosities that inspired the creation of the museum. Room I · Prehistory of the Automobile – First inventions and experiments, from Hero's aeolipile to Cugnot's "Fire Carriage". Room II · Protohistory – The first automobiles with internal combustion engines: Benz's tricycle, Daimler's plans, and Renault's quadricycle. Room III · High Transition (1899–1935) – Historic and emblematic cars such as the Ford T, Hispano-Suiza, and Rolls-Royce; also Demetrio Gómez's coachbuilding workshop. Room IV · Low Transition (1935–1950) – Practical and economical cars adapted to the post-war era, with prominent Fiat models. Room V · Integrated Stage (1950–1970) – This stage reflects the modernization of the automobile, with more aerodynamic and comfortable designs. Notable vehicles include the Cadillac "El Dorado", Carmen Polo's cars (Citroën DS-23 "Shark" and Mercedes 450), Fernando Alonso's Formula 1 car, and Camilo José Cela's Jaguar.

The Salamanca Automotive History Museum houses one of the most complete and valuable collections in the country. More than 140 vehicles on permanent exhibition, along with thousands of parts, accessories, and objects related to the automotive world, allow visitors to trace the technical, aesthetic, and cultural evolution of this invention that transformed modern life.

The permanent collection is based on two fundamental pillars: the Gómez Planche collection, the origin of the museum, and the historical collection of the Directorate-General for Traffic, complemented by contributions from individuals, institutions, and national and international patrons.

ENTRANCE
Right at the beginning of the visit, the museum invites you to meet the Gómez Planche family, the soul of the project. Photographs, personal objects, and curious pieces—such as a silver Ferrari model made by a Salamanca jeweler—help to understand their passion for motoring. Among the most endearing elements is a yellow pedal car: the Three Kings' gift that Demetrio Gómez Planche received when he was only five years old.

ROOM I · PREHISTORY OF THE AUTOMOBILE
Before cars as we know them existed, there were centuries of ingenuity, experiments, and dreams of making a machine move on its own. This room shows that fascinating path prior to modern automotive.

• Heron of Alexandria's Aeolipile (2nd century BC): a small steam-powered machine which, though simple, is considered the first artifact capable of generating autonomous movement.

• Giovanni Fontana's Spinta dal Vento Machine (1420): a wind-powered vehicle, an example of how imagination sought alternatives to animal power.

• Leonardo da Vinci's Gear Vehicle: a display of Leonardo's visionary talent, who imagined mechanisms that would be centuries ahead of their time.

• Cugnot's “Fire Carriage” (1770): the first self-propelled vehicle in history. This marks the end of this stage prior to the birth of the modern automobile.

ROOM II · THE PROTOHISTORY Here the adventure of the automobile truly begins. Inventors began to replace steam with internal combustion engines, which ran on benzine, a product then bought in pharmacies. Although horse-drawn carriages still dominated the streets, the revolution was already underway. Featured pieces:

• Benz's Tricycle (1885), considered the first automobile in history.

• Plans for Daimler's vehicle, a precursor to what would later become Mercedes-Benz.

• Renault's Quadricycle (1898), the first car built by Louis Renault when he was only 21 years old.

ROOM III · HIGH TRANSITION (1899–1935)
This stage is one of the most exciting: the automobile stops being an experimental invention to become a real product. Manufacturers emerge throughout Europe and America, and affluent families begin to trade their carriages for cars.

The big leap comes with Henry Ford, who launched the Ford T in 1908 and, a few years later, introduced assembly line manufacturing. Thanks to this, cars became cheaper and reached many more people. The model exhibited in the museum was reconstructed piece by piece by Gómez Planche after locating its components in different scrapyards.

Other featured pieces:

• Hispano-Suiza Granada 60, a symbol of Spanish motoring.

• Historic vehicles such as Rolls-Royce, Don Jaime de Borbón's Amilcar racing car, models from Hispano-Suiza, Berliet, and the Citroën 5 used by Alfonso XII when he was a prince.

• Demetrio Gómez's body shop, where the first welding machine in Castile and León is preserved.

**** ROOM IV · LOW TRANSITION (1935–1950)****
World War II deeply marks this stage. The lack of materials and economic difficulties forced the manufacture of smaller, more practical, and affordable cars. Fiat models are a good example of how the industry adapted to complicated times.

ROOM V · INTEGRATED STAGE (1950–1970)
After the war, automotive design entered a stage of modernity: more integrated bodywork, aerodynamic lines, and greater comfort. Many of the vehicles exhibited in this room stand out not only for their design but also for the stories behind them. Among them:

• Cadillac “El Dorado,” used to welcome movie stars and bullfighters at the airport.
• Two of Carmen Polo's cars: a Citroën DS-23 “Shark” for the city and a Mercedes 450 for long journeys.
• A Fernando Alonso Formula 1 car.
• The Jaguar of Nobel Prize winner Camilo José Cela.