Wolfsburg, Germany – Volkswagen’s expansive visitor complex Autostadt is bringing more than a century of racing history together for a special exhibition at the facility’s museum known as the Zeithaus. Titled “Legends – Performance – Passion,” the exhibition draws from across the Volkswagen Group to explore how motorsport shaped the technology and identity of Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, Škoda and Ducati.
Running through the end of October 2026, the exhibition coincides with several major anniversaries, including 125 years of Škoda Motorsport, 100 years of Ducati, 75 years of Porsche Motorsport and 50 years of the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Cars, motorcycles and historical objects are organized across five themed areas covering significant chapters in the competition histories of each brand.
Škoda’s display reaches furthest into the past, beginning with a 1901 Slavia B motorcycle from predecessor Laurin & Klement. From there, the story moves through the Octavia TS, which scored a class victory at the 1961 Monte Carlo Rally, to the modern Fabia RS Rally2 Evo.
Ducati is also using the exhibition to mark a significant anniversary as the Bologna motorcycle manufacturer celebrates its centenary. Exhibits range from a 1973 Scrambler and its modern 2025 counterpart to the 851 SP2, a road-going relative of the machine that helped Ducati secure its first Superbike World Championship in 1990. A 218-hp 2026 Panigale V4 brings the display into the present day.
Porsche’s 75 years of motorsport are represented by two particularly interesting competition cars. The Porsche LMP1 Spyder competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998 and was capable of speeds approaching 320 km/h. Alongside it is the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, which combined its rear-mounted flat-six with two electric motors powering the front wheels. A flywheel energy storage system recovered energy under braking, making the car an early example of Porsche using competition to develop electrified performance technology.
Volkswagen focuses on a performance car that became a cultural phenomenon well beyond motorsport. The original Golf GTI arrived in 1976 with production initially envisioned at just 5,000 cars. By the end of first-generation production in 1983, Volkswagen had built 461,700. A Golf I GTI from 1983 is displayed alongside a 1996 Golf III GTI anniversary model as Volkswagen marks the GTI’s 50th anniversary.
Audi’s contribution brings together two cars from important periods in the brand’s competition history. An Audi quattro rally car represents the all-wheel-drive technology that changed international rallying during the early 1980s. The displayed car dates from the 1983 season, when Hannu Mikkola secured the World Rally Championship drivers’ title for Audi.
Alongside it is an Audi 200 quattro Trans Am from Audi’s brief but highly successful campaign in American road racing. Powered by a turbocharged five-cylinder engine and equipped with quattro all-wheel drive, the 200 helped Audi capture the 1988 Trans-Am manufacturers’ championship. Hans-Joachim Stuck, Walter Röhrl and Hurley Haywood combined to score eight victories during the season.
“Legends – Performance – Passion” is less a conventional collection of racing machinery than a condensed tour through the competition histories of five Volkswagen Group brands. The combination also makes it an unusually broad exhibition, placing early motorcycles, rally cars, superbikes, production performance cars and experimental endurance racers together within the same museum.
For automotive travelers passing through northern Germany, it also adds another reason to include Wolfsburg and the Autostadt on an itinerary before the exhibition closes this fall.
Additional Information
Exhibition: Legends – Performance – Passion
Location: Zeithaus, Autostadt, Wolfsburg, Germany
Dates: Through the end of October 2026
Regular Hours: Daily, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Admission: Accessible with a valid Autostadt day or annual ticket and Autostadt Key
Featured Marques: Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, Škoda and Ducati
Notable Exhibits: Audi quattro rally car, Audi 200 quattro Trans Am, Porsche LMP1 Spyder, Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Volkswagen Golf I GTI, Škoda competition cars and historic and modern Ducati motorcycles
Photo Gallery | photos by Tim Shulze
