Martín de la Herrán is a Lawyer by profession, but his passion and hobby is motor cars. 

During our conversation, he demonstrates this by enthusiastically telling anecdotes not only about the cars that are displayed in an extraordinary exhibition but also about practically any vehicle that comes up in the conversation.

During the pandemic, he worked on an idea and then decided to fulfill his dream, and in March 2023 he inaugurated his Motor Museum, a space designed not only for car enthusiasts but also for families.  In this interview, he explains, how this museum is different from the rest and the great success it has proven to be.

How did the idea of opening a Motor Museum arise?

We all love cars to a greater or lesser extent; cars are part of our culture and history.  Undoubtedly, the 20^th Century was marked by the development of the automobile and by the development of aviation, so in short, by the development of transportation.  I liked the idea of creating something educational and fun, so I thought, why not?   In the museum, we aim to teach and entertain people as well as share unusual details about the cars.   

When children visit the museum with their parents, we tell them that we have a car called 'A Chicken's Ass', and then we ask them if they would like to know why?   Our reply is  “If so, listen to the audio guide” .  This way the children follow the entire tour of the Museum with their audio guide, learning about the world of the automotive industry and about the many, very special pieces that we have and are lucky enough to enjoy in this museum.

Such as?

Well, for example, we are looking at an Aston Martin Lagonda right now, which is a very special car and which we managed to acquire by chance.  It is a car that marked a moment of technological change that took place at the end of the ‘70s and the beginning of the ‘80s. It is truly an iconic car, unknown to the majority, as so few were manufactured.  The model we have is one of only five made with a sport pack installed, it is truly special.

All the cars here have something special though.  The Ford T for example, is a car that marked automobile history, the Volkswagen Beatle, also has an important history behind it, as do some of the other lesser-known vehicles on display, or the mass-produced vehicles such as the Chevrolet Corvette.   We have a 25th-anniversary edition Mini, which is a real gem, apart from the fact that is it brand new, it also marked a time in the 20^th Century when demand was for a simple, economical vehicle.   The same can be said for the popularity of the Volkswagen Beatle, the Citroen 2 CV, or the Renault 4 L. 

We felt that it was our responsibility to include these cars in the museum not only to preserve the legacy for future generations, who will drive electric or hydrogen cars, but also because they were so popular and important to an era, and because there are so few of them remaining in circulation today.

There is a section of the Museum dedicated to cars in film.  

Yes, there is.  The museum is designed for all the family.  In many families, Dad is a car enthusiast, and sometimes Mum is as well, but normally cars don’t interest them or their children that much.

Here the film industry plays a fundamental role.  Of course, we have left it for the end of the visit, precisely because the families enjoy it the most.  

We have Herbie, the car from Knight Rider, two DeLoreans, one of which is as in the movie “Back to the Future”, the “A-Team” van, and the Eleanor for the film “60 Seconds”.  We also have a ship from V Extraterrestrial Invasion that we included only a few days ago, which is the only one in the world built to full scale by a Group from Barcelona, with authorization from the authors of the series.  What I want is for people to visit, experience, and remember this museum when they visit Benidorm.

Why Here? Why the Marina Baixa?

Primarily because of its proximity to Benidorm, which is an international tourist resort.  Finestrat, has many commercial facilities and this spacious building was perfect for our project.   

We are just another attractive element to the many tourist attractions on offer in the area. It has been enormously satisfying to see how everyone in the industry has helped us and of course, we help them too in return.

The Museum has been open for just over a year, how has it performed?

 When we celebrated our 1^st anniversary, we had received more than 15,000 visitors, which, to be honest, surprised us.   My most optimistic calculations were around 10,000 – 12,000 visitors. This summer, however, we are seeing twice as many visitors as the same time last year, which is just incredible.   The reviews, on social media sites, which are so important today, have been extraordinary, which has had a multiplying effect, so, more people get to know us.    On Trip Advisor, we have received a 5 out of 5, and on Google we have a 4,9 rating out of 5, which is amazing for a museum like this.

Will there be any new additions or events?

Yes of course.  In storage in the basement, we have an original Mercedes World War II vehicle which we hope to have on display from  September 2024. 

On the 9^th of October 2024, Claudia Wells, the actress who played Marty McFly’s girlfriend in “Back to the Future” will pay us a visit so we are preparing a special event for that date.

We will also have several vehicles from private collectors, who will loan their vehicles for us to show in the Museum.  One, which will be on show will be a Mercedes two-seater convertible of some importance.  

As the school year commences, we are also going to focus on school visits, as part of the education programme. 

We have a few surprises in store, cars that will attract a lot of attention, but we will keep that news under wraps for a while!