After a huge fire swept through the building, the Austrian moto museum in the mountains bounces back with more plans to rebuild and grow.

It’s been nearly two years since the Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum fire. The ordeal destroyed over 200 historic, rare, and nigh irreplaceable motorcycles. Only a few pieces from the collection survived which included a group of 53 Indian motorcycles, a Vincent Black Shadow, and a Brough Superior which belonged to George Brough. Luckily, no one was injured or hurt in the fire, however, a significant chunk of motorcycle history was lost in that unfortunate incident, which also left the Scheiber brothers devastated as a result.

Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum Burned Down
Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum Burned Down

Throughout the course of 2021 and into 2022, however, the brothers were determined to rebuild, and the monumental task seems even more daunting knowing that the incinerated collection cost 23 million Euros.

Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum
Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum
Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum

In an interview with Motociclismo (translated from Italian), the Scheiber brothers gave some insight into the museum rebuild and the steps and solutions they employed to regrow their collection back up to what it once was. Unfortunately, everything was destroyed in the fire save for the aforementioned Indians and the Vincent and Brough Superior so the brothers had to start from scratch.

In ten months, the museum was rebuilt. Luckily, the fire did not compromise the structure of the building and it only took a short while for the brothers to secure permission to rebuild which cost about 12 million Euros.

Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum
Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum Scooters
Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum

To rebuild the collection to be displayed in the establishment, the Scheiber brothers had to contact private collectors and other museums who were willing to lend their motorcycles to enrich the Top Mountain Museum’s collection.

Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum Indian Motorcycles

What’s even more impressive is that the brothers seem to be continuing with their plan of expanding the museum’s collection to more than 450 bikes in the future. From the interview and translated from Italian, “The fire did not change our plans.”

Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum KTM Corner
Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum

There will be more in store for museum-goers with themed exhibitions like a KTM corner, and even car-related exhibits such as the 919 Porsche that won Le Mans. One planned exhibit in the future will include four-cylinder motorcycles from early models to the beginning of the last century.

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