Toyota History Garage – The Dream Museum
By OR Staff, Photography by Joey Leh
Japan is a funny place. The level of dedication to motorsports is so strong; a pristine museum on par with the best in the US is casually sandwiched between a teenager clothing shop and a McDonald’s. And it’s free.
Located within the same Odaiba/Tokyo shopping plaza, just across from Toyota’s Megaweb car showcase, lays the History Garage. If you walk through the nondescript shopping plaza, and don’t get distracted by the perfume or clothing stores on the way, then you’ll soon see an entryway that bears the words “History Garage”.
You wouldn’t know if from the shopping plaza’s outward appearance, but inside those doors lies one of the most meticulously prepared and in-depth vintage and racecar museums.
The History Garage museum is designed to honor production cars from the 1950s through the 1970s, as well as past racing machines. Some of the racing cars on display, such as the Toyota F1 car, are only a few years old. Others, such as the Corolla WRC car and GT-One Le Mans car, are rare sights at any museum. The displays are constantly rotating; so multiple visits will let you see different cars.
The top floor of the museum is devoted to vintage and classic cars. Although the History Garage is run and funded by Toyota, you’ll often see plenty of non-Toyota cars (Datsun, Chevy, Lotus, etc.) pristinely restored and on display.
The upper floor is also completely modeled to provide backdrops for each car. You might find yourself in 1960s Europe one minute and then looking at a fully functional 1950s American diner just a few steps down. Showing extreme attention to detail, each display area is meticulously prepared and the display cars are as fresh as the day they rolled off of the assembly line.
Towards the back of the top floor rests Grease and Bonnie’s Bar. Bonnie’s bar is a quick café that has been modeled to appear like a 1950s American burger stop, although the majority of what they sell is Japanese favorites like katsu curry and pasta dishes. Just a few feet away from that is Grease, which is more of a corridor than an actual shop.
Running almost the entire length of the top floor, this shop is filled wall-to-wall with more goodies than any car junkie could afford to buy. Replica models, DVDs, books, magazines and other collectibles appeal to whatever brand or car you may like – Aston Martin, BMW, Nissan, Porsche, Ford, Chevy, if it exists, they have it. It’s here that you can let your inner nerd loose.
On the lower floor rests the motorsports displays. Between the inside displays and the outside patio areas, you’re bound to see at least a few breath-taking Toyota racing machines. Lining the walls are racing images and display models, and another small shopping area exists downstairs that sells die-cast models of Le Mans, GT, and F1 machines.
In the center of the ground floor, sandwiched between the café and the model shop, is the restoration area. Behind a wall of glass lie vintage machines and historic engines, which are worked on by skilled mechanics before your eyes. Many of the vintage cars on display require upkeep and work, and the History Garage staff is more than happy to let visitors get a glimpse as the cars get worked on.
If you find yourself tired from walking or are too heavily weighed down with racing junk, there are multiple lounge areas setup around the History Garage. Of course, if you’re like us, we doubt that you’ll be interested in resting at all. There are so many details built into the History Garage, you won’t be able to do anything but stare.
Source
History Garage
www.megaweb.gr.jp/english/historygarage
