Basella Moto Museum is recognized as one of the best motorcycle museums in Europe and it has become an icon for all motorsport fans, says the museum director, Cristina Soler

The Basella Motorcycle Museum is recognized as one of the best motorcycle museums in Europe, and it is an obligatory stop on the route to Andorra. The museum director, Cristina Soler, tells all-andorra.com about the museum’s main exhibits, its history and why this tourist spot is a must-visit:

“The Bassella Motorcycle Museum gives continuity to the task performed by Mario Soler (1907-1991), a devoted motorbike and mechanics fan, who for many years, in his small workshop in Bassella (Lleida), with his hands and talent, recovered a great number of motorcycles. Thanks to this effort, he became a reputable restorer and one of the first collectors in Spain.

At the time of opening, back in 2002, it was the first museum specifically focused on the world of the two wheels to be operative in Spain. Nowadays, it is recognized as one of the best motorcycle museums in Europe and it has become an icon for all motorsport fans and an obligatory stop on the route to Andorra.

About 5000 visitors come to see our exhibition every year.

The rarest exhibits in our collection are Neracar 1929, as its name shows, “near a car”, it pretended to become a car but could not reach it, or the Corgi Excelsior Spirit 1944, used during the Normandy landing (World War II) in order to support the ground troops. Among the most ancient exhibits are two French motorcycles – Clement, 142cc from 1902 and Peugeot 200cc from 1909. Each bike of the museum has its own story, some of them very curious.

We exhibit motorcycles from all around the world: France, England, Spain, Italy, the USA, Switzerland, Germany and others.

Our lastest main purchase was a unique Peugeot from 1909.

It is a private initiative managed by the Motorcycle Museum Foundation Mario Soler, a non-profit entity that works in order to promote the motorcycles values, its past, present and future and is in charge of the Bassella Motorcycle Museum as well.

The museum covers more than 1000m2, split into two different open plan halls to discover the fascinating motorcycle world through a wide selection of national and international brands.

On the ground floor of the museum, the visitor can see some of the models produced at the start of the 20th century fitted with gas lights, like a Clement from 1902 manufactured in France or a spectacular 4 cylinders FN with a wicker side-car from 1914.

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