Sussita

The Israeli motorcar industry became entwined with Israel’s life-story from the day the State was born.

The riveting narrative of the industry’s establishment in Haifa gives a glimpse of a vision: to make Israel a part of the international automobile scene. Its car factories, and especially the Autocars Company that assembled the familiar Sussita car, constitute a notable chapter in the first three decades of statehood. 

That chapter touches on many aspects of the character of the young state, which believed in its ability to become an industrial power with a fiberglass car at its core. The story connects as well to courageous people with an ambitious goal, who made enormous efforts to transform their dream into reality. 

Over the years, the Sussita became an iconic Israeli symbol, one that still pulsates in the Israeli memory many years after its production ended.  To this day, it is a symbol of the “Israeliness” of a bygone era that makes oldtimers smile. Stories, myths, and jokes have been told about the car’s abilities and stability.

Haifa, as an industrial city, has an important role to play in the story. The first decades of the State of Israel were characterized by a range of initiatives, many of which spread their wings in the northern city. The Haifa City Museum offers an acquaintance with this chapter in the city’s history with the stories of those who work on the legend of the Israeli car. It is an inspiring story with different points of view – historical, nostalgic, contemporary about a little dream called “Sussita.”  

Yifat Ashkenazi | Avi Weissblei
Curators