When the coronavirus began spreading around the globe, governments, businesses, and citizens took extreme measures to help curb the disease’s spread. Automakers closed factories and dealerships had to close their doors. Museums and other venues closed to the public, including museums that highlight automotive history. Mercedes closed its museum in Stuttgart, Germany, in mid-March as local lockdown orders went into effect. The museum reopened its doors over the weekend and celebrated the occasion with a drone tour of the museum.
The nearly four-minute-long video begins outside the museum, tactfully navigating through the massive, three-pointed star atop the building before sneaking into the facility through a door on the roof. The video shows off the museum’s nine floors of Mercedes history, which encompasses 160 Mercedes models, including the 1886 Benz Motor Car. There are race cars, road cars, rare cars, and research cars – development vehicles that helped push automotive technology forward.
The drone footage gives the already enthralling museum a genuinely magical feel – like Disney World for the automotive nerd in us all. The drone glides through the museum, ducking in and out of buses, and darting through open windows. The drone spins and twirls, showing off the facility and its numerous displays from new and exciting angles. The footage also displays the drone operator’s stellar flying precision. One wrong move and the drone could have come crashing down on a costly and rare Mercedes model.
While the museum is open, it’s operating with restrictions. The museum is only open from Friday to Sunday, capacity is limited, and patrons must practice social distancing. Face masks are required for anyone age six and upward. However, if venturing out feels a bit premature, or if you’re unable to reach Germany given the current global situation.
