1897
Foundation — Antwerp
Sylvain de Jong incorporates Minerva
Founded in Antwerp, Minerva begins as a maker of bicycles and motorised cycles before turning its precision toward the motor car.
Heritage — Since 1897
HISTORY
From a bicycle workshop in Antwerp to the courts of Europe — Minerva was, for a generation, among the most accomplished names in motoring.
1902
First Automobiles
The first Minerva motor cars
Minerva's earliest automobiles establish a reputation for refined engineering — the beginning of a marque defined by silence, power and craft.
1908
Innovation — The Silent Knight
The Knight sleeve-valve engine
Minerva adopts the Knight sleeve-valve engine, prized for its near-silent running. Smoothness and quietude become the marque's signature — and its competitive edge.
1910s
The Marque of Kings
Coachbuilt for the courts of Europe
Minerva becomes a carriage of royalty and heads of state — with documented clientele across the courts of Belgium, Sweden and Norway. Its name stands among the era's most prestigious motor cars.
1920s
The Golden Age
Grand coachbuilt motor cars
The AK, AC and the formidable AL — large, silent, exquisitely coachbuilt — place Minerva alongside Rolls-Royce and Hispano-Suiza as a definitive luxury automobile.
1930s
Depression & Decline
The luxury market contracts
The global depression bears down on the great luxury houses. Production of Minerva's grand cars winds down as the market for coachbuilt motor cars collapses.
1956
Dormancy
The marque falls silent
After post-war years of licensed and military production, automobile manufacture under the Minerva name ceases. The marque enters a long dormancy — its legacy preserved in collections and concours.
2023
Renaissance Begins
A new generation takes shape
Technical development begins on a new-generation hypercar, alongside hydrogen-related innovations destined to be integrated within the marque — laying the engineering foundations for Minerva's return.
2027
The Reawakening
Beyond luxury and innovation. The marque of kings returns.
130 years after its incorporation, Minerva reawakens — uniting its founding pursuit of silence and craft with Formula 1 engineering and a new generation of powertrains.