A life without cars would be unimaginable in our modern society. 'Everything would come to a standstill without transport' was once the motto of a strike by lorry drivers. And this is certainly the case, the world would come to a standstill. But cars and motorcycles also give us a feeling of freedom and unlimited opportunities. You can put your whole heart and soul into it. Whether it be the engineering, the design or purely the driving pleasure, everyone has some reason to  love the car or motorcycle or to simply not be able to do without. Despite the environmental pollution. The history of the automobile is therefore not only a matter of the history of engineering and design but also of the history of a society. NCAD's collection on this subject area is unique in the Netherlands.

The selection of items for The Memory was put together as a result of a ‘canon of Dutch road mobility': the National Register of Mobile Heritage (2001) together with the report Mobile Appreciation (2004) formulated and written for the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. This selection - based on the research and the register -  was completed by staff members of the NCAD, based on the research, the register and the project objectives of the Memory.