Turba motorsport museum’s collection finds new owners

Most exhibits from Estonia’s Turba motorsport museum have found new owners, with 90 percent remaining in the country, ERR reported. Many rare items will be displayed at other museums.

The MOMU museum closed a year ago after operating for eight years. Its former director, Arno Sillat, said a few vehicles are still awaiting collection by their owners or relatives. Motorsport magazines and books are also still available; everything else has been sold or donated.

At least 15 memory institutions received items from the collection, Sillat said. Some are state or private museums, while others are not yet operating. Some exhibits went to nearby Laitse Rally Park, where visitors can see formula cars built in Estonia. Some Estonia formula cars are now with Latvian drivers who once raced them.

Trophies and other belongings of former Estonian sporting figures have also been returned to their families. Sillat said relatives of well-known racers from later generations had asked whether the museum had items connected to them.

The museum closed after visitor numbers fell sharply during the coronavirus pandemic and did not recover. The future of the building, a former power station in Ellamaa, is not yet known. Sillat said the historic building and its garden could be used for art projects.