A new exhibition in Hamburg puts some of the world's most beautiful cars on display. Just don't call it a museum

German businessman Oliver Schmidt dislikes the word "museum" and that is why visitors to a fascinating new display of cars in the heart of Hamburg will find no reference to it.

"The term museum conjures up images of dust and boredom and that is not what this is all about," said 34-year-old Schmidt.

Together with his friend and architect Thomas Koenig, 36, Schmidt has created Prototyp, a collection of cars, memorabilia and art in the fast-growing Hafencity district along the Elbe river which flows though this north German seaport.

Visitors to the imposing red brick building, which once housed a rubber factory, cannot fail to be impressed too by the dazzling white walls and airy interior of this homage to excellence.

The exhibition houses around 50 cars on three floors and instead of being roped off, the rare automobiles are there for all to enjoy, touch and photograph. Even explanatory signs are kept to a minimum.

Exhibits include exquisite Porsche sports cars such as a timelessly elegant 906 Carrera from 1966 and a Porsche 550 Spyder just like the one owned by Hollywood film icon James Dean. There are also historical track racing cars from Audi and Borgward.

Pride of place goes to the Jordan driven by seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher in his maiden Formula One race at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps. The young German grabbed seventh place on the grid but dropped out of the competition after only 500 yards when the clutch failed.

Another fascinating car on display is the single seat racer used by Austrian ace Otto Mathe, who enjoyed spectacular track success despite having lost his arm in a motorbike crash. Even the battered VW microbus he used while touring European circuits is on display.

Visitors who want to see how the machines at Prototyp performed in their heyday can use computer screens to flick through digital photo collections or else step into a sound booth with authentic recordings from such classic events as the Le Mans 24-hour race.

Schmidt and Koenig believe the exhibits should speak for themselves and claim the show presents "the total fascination of the car in all its facets". They both see Prototyp as the forerunner of a new kind of car display which avoids the "impersonal nature" of factory museums or private collections, which often rely on showroom dummies and gimmicks in order to bring them to life. Most of the cars at Prototyp are owned by these two ardent enthusiasts who spent three years developing the concept.

The exhibition is subtitled "People, Power and Cars" and the makers say it also aims to tell the heady story of the men who drove these pioneering cars and sometimes paid for the experience with their lives. One of them was Count Wolfgang Berghe von Trips who was killed in a horrific accident during the Italian Grand Prix in 1961 while on course to becoming Germany's first Formula One world champion.

Junior visitors are catered for by a racing simulator in the form of a bright orange Porsche 356 drophead while motor-related art such as photographs and sculpture can be found in the basement. The complex also includes a restaurant and shop for books and souvenirs.