Autoworld, the car museum filling Brussels' grand Cinquantenaire exhibition halls, marks 40 years in 2026 — and it's doing so with an anniversary exhibition, a birthday bash, and a few free-entry perks worth knowing about if you'll be in the Belgian capital.
The museum opened on 26 September 1986, built around the Mahy family's enormous private collection. Ghislain Mahy and his sons Hans and Ivan lent around 2,000 vehicles, many pre-war. The model has shifted since: Autoworld now owns only a couple of dozen cars itself, with most displays loaned by private collectors. It stages two big temporary shows a year of roughly fifty vehicles each, plus smaller pop-ups, and has mounted around 100 exhibitions over four decades. Attendance has quadrupled in ten years, reaching 245,000 visitors in 2025.
The anniversary exhibition, 'Looking Back to the Future', runs until 23 December 2026 and packs plenty of star power into 18 vehicles — 15 cars, two motorcycles and a Vespa. Highlights include a Bugatti Type 35, a Lamborghini Miura, the Toyota 2000GT Targa from the James Bond film 'You Only Live Twice', and a Porsche 918 Spyder.
The big day is 4 October 2026, when the museum hosts a Birthday Event: a supercar line-up inside the halls, free guided tours, passenger rides in cars from the collection, and children's activities. Out front, the Cinquantenaire esplanade hosts a Cars & Coffee Birthday Edition from 10:00 to 14:00, open to classics and youngtimers at least 20 years old, with a Best of Show awards ceremony. Participation is free but you must register in advance.
There's a nice gimmick for two groups: anyone born in 1986 gets free admission on 4 October with an ID card, and so do owners of a 1986-registered classic who bring the vehicle's registration papers.
The anniversary comes with long-term security, too. Autoworld recently signed a new lease running to 2041 via a government decision and Royal Decree, and a major renovation is in the works to upgrade the visitor experience.
For travellers, this is an easy half-day in Brussels that pairs well with the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces, which shares the Cinquantenaire complex. If you're a classic car owner or an '86 baby, time your visit to 4 October for the free entry. Otherwise, catch the anniversary exhibition before it wraps in late December 2026. Credit: Travel Tomorrow.
