Tbilisi AutoMuseum: A Nostalgic Ride Through Soviet Automotive History

Tbilisi AutoMuseum, a hidden gem in the Georgian capital, invites visitors on a nostalgic journey through automotive history, with a primary focus on vehicles from the Soviet era. Founded on October 25, 2014, by Giorgi Mamulashvili, a Georgian businessman and passionate collector, the museum started with just 25 cars and has since expanded to include a diverse range of meticulously restored automobiles and motorcycles. The museum's collection features a wide array of vehicles, from the small and colorful Zaporozhets to the imposing Zil. Many of the exhibits have ties to influential figures from the USSR, including a 1978 Gaz-14 Chaika that belonged to Eduard Shevardnadze, Georgia's second president, and a 1977 Gaz-13 Chaika owned by the Patriarch of All Georgia. A black GAZ-M1, widely used by the KGB in the 1930s and once the vehicle of Lavrentiy Beria, a Marshal of the Soviet Union, also holds a place of honor. Visitors can explore two exhibition halls filled with up to fifty cars and ten motorcycles. Highlights include the Pobeda-phaeton, a 1947 model whose production was quickly halted due to its unsuitability for the Russian climate, and a rare GAZ-4 pickup truck, of which only about five are known to exist worldwide. The museum also offers the unique opportunity to rent one of its vintage cars for a drive through the streets of Tbilisi. The Tbilisi AutoMuseum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. It's located at 7 Auto Museum Street, a short drive from the East Point Shopping Mall. English-speaking guides are available, and a typical visit lasts between 45 minutes and an hour.