Haaning Collection – A Family Affair
SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR
The nearest venues and the events organised close-by are usually the ones people have most difficulties visiting. One of those life paradoxes and proving true far too often, isn’t it? It is no different on my automotive journey. Whilst overseas concourses and rallies are planned far in advance with precise logistics taken care of months ahead, nearby car museums and collections are the ones that can be visited “on a less busy day” and “next weekend”. Then months or years pass by…
Same story goes for my visiting to the Haaning Collection found just on the outskirts of Copenhagen. The venue has been opened in August 2021 and attracts visitors to Bagsværd ever since. In line with the new trend, it is more than just a pristine car experience - they run a café, organise meetings and events, offer classic car storage and even provide an office space for small companies. But let’s admit it – you’re by now eager to explore their premises so… let’s take a stroll!
THE LARGEST DANISH FAMILY-OWNED COLLECTION
Danish automotive scene is doubtlessly on the rise in recent years but amongst many commercial endeavours Haaning Collection stands out as entirely owned by a family. Erik Haaning has spent more than sixty years investing in vehicles, with overarching focus on their importance to society, culture and history. This is clearly visible on the sightseeing path in the museum, where one can admire more than 120 cars, 40 motorcycles and 50 mopeds!
Visitors start with learning about the world’s first purpose-built car with internal combustion engine and interconnected interesting story of Carl and Bertha Benz. As there was only one Benz Patent Motorwagen, obviously, the one on display is a license-built copy used by Mercedes-Benz for their 100th anniversary. What a gem! Then, the pre-war story continues through an electric Detroit Model 75 Brougham and a later, well-known Ford Model A Victoria.
TICKING OFF ALL THE ERAS
After understanding the very beginnings of car productions, guests of the Haaning Collection travel in time through all the later eras. Exhibits are collated in coherent but cleverly separated groups. “After the war” is followed by “The Happy 60s”, then “70s” all the way to “The Present”. Standing for the first of the above tiers is one of the centrepieces at Haaning’s – a 1955 Pre-A Porsche 356 1500 Coupe, frequently displayed at various events around Copenhagen.
At this point, midway through the collection, I was already feeling like a child in a sweet shop! There was a section with American classics with pristine Chevrolet Bel Air and Corvette, a Talbot Lago T26 Record and a cute Renault Dauphine Gordini with a sticker that summed my feelings towards it very well – mon amour! What surprised me the most, however, was to see a Polish accent through a FSO Syrena 104 – allegedly the only one in Denmark. Here kudos to Haaning Collection for providing curious facts on this (and every other) car. Well done!
To praise not only vehicles but design in general there are plenty of memorabilia around, including both vintage prospects as well as everyday use objects such as… a B&O turntable Beogram 1000. Wish I could play that Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band behind it!
MY KIND OF CLASSICS
Those who read me often know well I am most hooked on the late 60s and 70s classics. Also here Haaning did a great job of satisfying my cravings. In addition to the Gordini, I simply fell in love with a stunning colour combination of the 1977 Lotus Esprit S1. Orange body over green-red chequered interior might just make for one of the best-looking car configurations I have seen. Ever!
Few steps earlier I bumped into an “old friend”. The 1967 Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2 was presented by the Collection at the 2022 Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix and now I had that extra time needed to admire its beautiful interior as well as Giotto Bizzarini’s V12 masterpiece. Who would have thought, but the last car that had me at hello was also a Lamborghini… a late 1984 Countach 5000S.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Countach, I really do! But the most beautiful ones to me are the early LP400 Periscopio versions – much lighter and free of the excessive (and proven as needless) wings. With its scissor doors lifted it attracted visitors of all ages and for a moment, my mind tricked me into seeing Valentino Balboni checking it out.
IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION – ALSO IN SCALE
If you thought the vast collection of real scale automobiles and other memorabilia was impressive, you have not yet seen “The Miniature Wall”. Covering 270 square metres and providing more than a kilometre of glass shelving it hosts a collection of eleven! thousand cars. Yes, you read it right and all numbers were triple checked!
In addition to admiring these, visitors can also race slot cars around a beautifully set-up Scalextric racetrack. I surely had fun trying to pose the two Porsche 911 996 Cup under the Dunlop sign! Also, if scale racing is not your cup of tea, you might as well jump into one of the two racing simulators. These provide with a realistic experience and teleport you onto a circuit, regardless of whether you are racing against a ghost or competing with a friend.
JUST GIVE IT A GO!
Haaning Collection is a wonderful place to be not only for automotive enthusiasts, but also forms a great idea for a family excursion or even a business meeting. Irrespective of what your idea is for visiting the venue – don’t be me! Stop putting it off and go there at your (real) earliest convenience. It’s well worth it and who knows? Maybe you will come across a themed exhibition, which they organise from time to time!
Text & Photos: Adam Pekala ©
