Aguinaga Museum, the Mercedes-Benz museum.

Get to know the Aguinaga Museum, the temple of Mercedes-Benz in Bizkaia.

The Aguinaga Museum shows us the history and evolution of Mercedes-Benz through the more than 30 vehicles that we find along its entire route. A small automotive temple, in which even the smallest detail has been pampered. A project, born from the passion for this brand that has led those responsible, Juan Aguinaga and his son Nacho, third and fourth generation respectively, to devise and manage a multipurpose space, in which in addition to enjoying these jewels of the 4 wheels, you can also make private events of all kinds. The Aguinaga Museum is located a few minutes from the center of Bilbao, next to the BEC (Bilbao Exhibition Centre), in the dealership that the brand has in Barakaldo, one of the most emblematic and important Mercedes-Benz spaces in the Basque Country. According to Nacho Aguinaga, our host, this Mercedes-Benz Museum arises from the need to promote the brand while contributing to increase the quality and variety of museums found in the historic province of Bizkaia. A unique experience, through which we are transported to the past to see in first person the constant evolution that has raised Mercedes-Benz to the top of the automotive sector.

The museum, divided into 3 different sections, exhibition, workshop and assembly hall, is designed for motor lovers to know all the ins and outs of these German classics, from the guts to its history. We are assured that the Mercedes-Benz Aguinaga Museum will be in continuous movement thanks to the different collaborations signed with museums, associations and collectors from all over the world, a fact that will contribute to incorporate new engines, wheels and chassis to the museum from time to time.

The vehicles that make up the Aguinaga Museum collection are in perfect condition both inside and out, and besides shining in the spotlight, they all work perfectly. These classic vehicles of the Mercedes-Benz brand are the real culprits of the success of the opening day, a success of visitors, which resulted in just over 350 people at the time of closing, almost nothing.

The Aguinaga dealership in Barakaldo has celebrated its 70th anniversary with the opening of a beautiful single-brand Mercedes Benz museum. A museum, which, saving the differences, has as a reference to its German counterpart, the Stuttgart Museum. The Mercedes-Benz brand, the result of the merger between Daimler and Benz, has generated a whole community of fans of the star brand, people who are sure to love this new space.

History: In order to understand the history of the Aguinaga Museum, we must know the history of the dealership of the same name and therefore, that of the family that founded it, the Aguinaga family. It all began with José Aguinaga Laca, a man who, after leaving his homeland (Markina) at the age of 14, worked in different trades until he set up his own car workshop in Bilbao. Later, José Aguinaga Goiri, his son, opened one of the first Mercedes-Benz dealerships in the peninsula in the 1940s. Currently, this company employs more than 140 people, among them our host, Nacho Aguinaga, a young man from Madrid who represents the 4th generation of this Basque family.

In November 2016, after vacating one of the pavilions of the Mercedes-Benz Dealership facilities, Juan Aguinaga decided to do something different and set up his own museum. Thus, after spending more than 13 months studying the history of Mercedes-Benz and collecting vehicles all over the world (Germany, Spain, United States…), he has managed to create an attractive collection in the eyes of all its visitors. We must point out that some of the cars in the exhibition have been completely restored by the mechanics of the dealership, a work of art worthy of mention. From the current collection we must highlight the 1966 Mercedes-Benz 250 SE Coupe, owned by the founder of the Aguinaga dealership, or the 1926 Mercedes-Benz Typ 320, the oldest unit in the exhibition.

Space: New, renovated and with a design in which wood, cement and iron prevail, noble materials that add a certain industrial touch to this new Basque museum. The Aguinaga Museum is located in one of the former workshops of the dealership of the same name, a pavilion of more than 2,000 square meters that has been transformed over 13 months to turn it into a temple of motoring. Thus, the Max Center straight, gains a new protagonist, a new museum that gets fully among the most striking tourist attractions of the great Bilbao.

Passion: As mentioned above, in this collection we not only find purchased cars, we also find sentimental jewels that belonged to the creator of the Aguinaga dealership or cars, which, starting from a deplorable state have been restored with original parts turning them into authentic collector’s items. As has been done with these units, the museum offers the possibility for collectors to bring their own vehicles to this space to be restored under the supervision of the brand itself. Passion for the engine.

Visit: Thanks to the explanatory panels and the numbers that we find next to each car, it is possible to make the complete tour with the only help of the pamphlet that they give us at the entrance. Thus, the Aguinaga museum puts at our disposal a person in charge of taking us into the museum and explaining briefly the route to follow. In case of doubt we recommend to go to this person.

Exhibitions: The Aguinaga Museum has a permanent and a temporary exhibition. The latter is part of a traveling exhibition that will bring some of the most famous and important Mercedes-Benz vehicles to Barakaldo. Among the most sought-after vehicles in the permanent exhibition, we find the replica of the Mercedes-Benz Motor Wagen (the first vehicle in history to be powered by an internal combustion engine), the azulito (one of the most curious buses in the history of Bilbao) or the wooden reproduction of the W-196 R (the silver arrow with which Fangio won in Formula One).

Currently, the Aginaga Museum has a permanent exhibition of 27 historic Mercedes-Benz vehicles, here is the complete list and the era in which each of them was manufactured:

The numbers indicated correspond to the number that we found next to each of the cars during the tour. Remember that in addition to these 27 vehicles, the Aguinaga Museum has a small temporary collection that earns points to the museum thanks to such select pieces as the incredible “gull wings” that we found ourselves. We leave you a video from our YouTube channel in which you can see each and every one of the vehicles mentioned above, an overview of what you will find in the Aguinaga Museum, the museum of Mercedes-Benz:

Collaborations: Museum and collectors join forces to make the first and only dealership with its own museum in the peninsula a reality. As we have already mentioned, the Aguinaga Museum will have a temporary collection that will complete the 27 classic Mercedes-Benz cars in the museum’s collection. According to Nacho, they will maintain a close relationship with the Stuttgart museum for the incorporation of new vehicles, but it will not be the only strategic collaboration that the firm will have in hand. Thanks to the help of experts in the sector and different assignments, they have in mind to have very important pieces in the coming years.

Loizaga TowerThanks to the opening of this new museum, motor lovers have in Bizkaia 2 must-see complexes, the Loizaga Tower and the Aguinaga Museum. 2 spaces of great historical value that contribute to make the visit to the historical territory of Bizkaia even more interesting.

If you are attracted to engines, if you consider yourselves lovers of 4 wheels, you have a new meeting point in the Aguinaga Museum, the new Mercedes-Benz museum, we are waiting for your opinions!