I don’t exactly remember how I first heard about the Kaáli Auto Museum. What I do know is that it immediately went on my must-visit list, but I wasn’t really sure how to get there without a car (which is probably the biggest contradiction in my life as a car and motorsport enthusiast—I don’t have a car). Then an opportunity came up to spend a few days in Veszprém, and from there, the museum became reachable by VOLÁN bus.
I booked a guided tour for Friday at 10:30 AM (the collection can only be visited with a guided tour and prior registration), and on the day, I arrived in Dörgicse nearly 45 minutes early. To pass the time, I explored some local sights—two church ruins and the rather interesting National Giant Barrel of Unity monument.
I’ve heard that Professor Kaáli himself sometimes attends these tours, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case during my visit. The tour began with vehicles from the socialist era, all so beautifully maintained and restored that they looked like they had just rolled out of the showroom—even though they were far from new.
It was mentioned during the tour that every vehicle in the collection is in working condition, and they are driven for a few kilometers from time to time to keep them operational. I found it impressive how sparklingly clean all the cars were—particularly because I’ve visited museums before (which I won’t name here but have critiqued in past articles) where the cars were covered in a thick layer of dust.
The second section was dedicated to motorcycles. Unfortunately, I can’t add much here since motorcycles aren’t really my thing. When it comes to cars and motorsport, I’m mostly interested in the human stories behind them. However, we did get a nice dose of storytelling here: Professor Kaáli’s father once rode a motorcycle around Lake Balaton with him and one of his siblings, openly hoping to pass on his love for motorcycling. Standing decades later among all those motorcycles, it’s clear that he succeeded. I believe that our own enthusiasm is the greatest way to inspire those around us, and he clearly did. In fact, the professor even recreated an old photo with his own children where his father had once sat on a bike with him and his siblings.
This section also housed the oldest car in the collection, which they actually start up during the 3-hour guided tours (and yes, it’s still in working condition!). These longer tours are held irregularly, and unfortunately, my visit didn’t coincide with one. So, I joined the shorter 1.5-hour tour, but now I’m definitely curious—which means I’ll just have to go back!
The final stop was divided into two parts. One section was a bit of a mix: race cars, the Kaáli family’s own family cars, and even a green Ford Model T were displayed. (This car could famously be ordered in any color—as long as it was black—except for the last two years of production when other colors became available.) I focused on the race cars here and was once again shocked by how much safety systems have evolved since the early days of racing when even seatbelts weren’t standard. Or rather, how they developed from nothing to the complex safety systems we know today. (Interestingly, they also mentioned Béla Barényi, whom I first learned about at the 365 Oldtimer Museum. He’s practically the father of automotive safety systems.)
The final section showcased rare and well-known luxury cars. My personal favorite was the Mustang (which is always my favorite, though I prefer it in blue, so my ultimate favorite at the exhibition was actually the Volkswagen Beetle, which I’ve been in love with since childhood). A special highlight was that they had the Mustang logo crafted by a metal artist—the only one of its kind in the world.
In this area, the cars were roughly organized by country, and in the American section, they even set up a diner-style corner, which I absolutely LOVED! (On that note, I highly recommend the i55 American Diner in Budapest if you’re into that vibe.)
That was pretty much my visit. The tour was very professional, though sentences starting with “as we all know about this car…” (and then continued with something I’d never heard of in my life) made me feel a bit incompetent. But I reminded myself that I love looking at old cars and I’m constantly learning about them, though after only 1.5 years of interest, I can’t expect miracles—especially since my main passion is still Formula 1 (and race tracks). I still learned a lot during this visit, and next time I’ll be more knowledgeable.
All in all, it was an amazing experience, and I had a great time. The collection is definitely worth visiting if you’re in the area. The entrance fee is 5,000 HUF for the 1.5-hour tour and double that for the 3-hour tour. It’s also a great program to ease F1 withdrawal symptoms during the winter break!
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