Last weekend, I pointed the nose of my little Fiat 600 toward Lier, Belgium. The destination was a place that had been on my radar for a while: the Squadra Abarth & Rally Collection. The new building of the museum only opened in April 2025, but it’s already a must-visit for anyone who loves Italian motorsport heritage and rally history.
First Impressions
Pulling into the free parking lot with my Fiat 600 felt strangely fitting. Here I was, arriving with the modest car that laid the foundation for so many Abarth specials, and just a few steps away sat some of its high-performance cousins. It set the tone perfectly: this isn’t just a museum of cars, it’s a museum of stories, of how passion and ingenuity turned everyday machines into racing legends.
The Collection
Housed in a light-filled, purpose-built space of nearly 4,900 m², the museum features around 175 vehicles displayed across different plateaus. The focus, naturally, is on Abarth and rally cars. You’ll find icons like the Abarth 595, the 124 Rallye, the wedge-shaped X1/9, and the mighty 131 Rallye, as well as rarities like the Fiat 501 SS Corsa and Simca-Abarth specials.
But the collection doesn’t stop at Fiat and Abarth. There are Lancias, Alfa Romeos, Porsches, Saabs, and even Group B Ladas that Guy Moerenhout himself prepared and raced. Add in helmets, overalls, posters, and other memorabilia, and you feel as if you’ve stepped straight into the heart of rally history.
And here’s a surprise: nestled among the rally cars are Vespas, including a Vespa 180 Rally and a rare Belgian-assembled Vespa 150 GL. They might not roar like the rally machines, but they tell another side of Italy’s story on wheels. For me, owning multiple Vespa’s myself, it was a detail that made the visit even more special.
The Man Behind It
The real charm of the Squadra Collection is that it’s not a polished corporate museum. It’s the life’s work of Guy Moerenhout, a man who has spent decades racing, restoring, and collecting these machines. His fingerprints are on everything here—from the cars he personally campaigned to the way each display is put together. This isn’t just preservation; it’s passion, and it’s contagious.
The experience goes beyond the cars. There’s a working workshop, the cozy Carlo Caffè, a library, and a shop—all reinforcing the sense that this is a living, breathing celebration of motorsport.
Final Thoughts
Driving away in my Fiat 600, I couldn’t help but feel proud. My little car may not have the flared arches or rally stripes of its cousins inside, but it shares the same DNA that sparked a motorsport revolution. The Squadra Abarth & Rally Collection is more than just a museum—it’s proof that cars, scooters, and even the smallest details can carry big stories, especially when curated with so much heart.
If you’re a fan of rallying, Abarth, or simply automotive passion in its purest form, put Lier on your map.
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