Caramulo Museum

Caramulo was created as mountain resort and sanatorium by Dr Jerónimo de Lacerda in 1921. In the 1950s his sons Abel and João decided to encourage tourism by building the Museu do Caramulo: one part was devoted by Abel to the arts – from ancient Egyptian artefacts to the works of Picasso – and the other by João to classic cars, motorcycles and bicycles. Among a dozen automobiles from before 1914 are a Benz Dreirad of 1886 and a Peugeot 19 of 1899. Later cars range from the everyday to the luxury, from a Ford T of 1925 to a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost of 1920, a Ferrari 195 Inter of 1951 and a rare Portuguese Alba of 1952. Working vehicles include a fire-engine of 1913 and a Second World War Autocar M3 Half Track. After João died in an accident at only 36, a foundation was established to continue collecting. In 2022, the Caramulo Experience Center opened nearby with a classic car repair facility, an archive, an exhibition area and a training centre.