National Motor Museum Vintage Cars Collection
World’s Largest Bugatti Display at the Mulhouse Cité de l’Automobile
Nov 2, 2008
The Cité de l’Automobile, or the National Motor Museum – Schlumpf Collection, in Mulhouse, France is one of the world’s largest and best collections of vintage cars. The emphasis at the Cité de l’Automobile is on European cars built prior to the Second World War although cars up to 1970 are exhibited with a few more recent racing cars also on display. The museum has almost 600 vintage cars – many in working order. No less than 97 manufacturers are represented in the museum but pride of place in the Schlumpf Collection goes to Bugatti – the French National Motor Museum has an unequalled 122 Bugatti cars and racing models.
- This amazing vintage car collection goes under several names but the correct full name is “Cité de l’Automobile, National Motor Museum – Schlumpf Collection”.
The Cité de l’Automobile National Motor Museum in Mulhouse, France
The Schlumpf Collection of the French National Motor Museum consists of almost 600 cars of which around 440 are on permanent display.
The vintage cars are currently displayed in three main groups:
- The Motor Car Experience / L’Espace Aventure
This is the main display of cars ranging from the French claims of the first motor car developed in 1878 to the present. Vintage cars in this section are divided into three groups:
- Forerunners and Pioneers (up to 1918)
- Classic Cars (interwar years)
- Modern Cars (post 1945)
The older cars in the collection are particularly interesting and a reminder of how fast cars have developed in the past century. On display are hundreds of cars from various European manufacturers from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Motoring was still an absolute adventure and it is interesting to see how various manufacturers worked on completely different ideas on how passengers should be transported. Some cars are more stagecoaches or tricycles with a motor attached while others use sturdy umbrellas to keep passengers dry or to protect them from the sun.
- A lovely display at the center of the hall is of vintage miniature cars confirming that rich boys always had the best toys.
The best cars of the interwar years are displayed in the “masterpieces” hall but in the main hall are numerous examples of less glamorous cars that made the less rich mobile during this period too. The selection of post-1945 cars is relatively small but includes some excellent and rare cars from the pre-1970s period including a gull-wing Mercedes 300SL displayed with doors opened.
- The Racing Cars / L’Espace Course
The vintage racing cars collection is also very impressive with very important models including a Mercedes Silver Arrows from the 1930s, several Ferraris and Alfa Romeos. However, the racing Bugattis, mostly painted in French racing blue, are the main attractions.
- The Hall of Masterpieces / L’Espace Chefs-d’Oeuvre
The absolute highlight of the collection is the display of cars in the Hall of Masterpieces. European motoring was probably at its peak during the 1920s and 1930s as is clear from the huge cars on display and produced by manufacturers such as Hispano-Suiza, Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce, and of course Bugatti.
- The star attractions are again Bugattis. Two Bugatti Royales are on display including the 1929 Coupé Napoléon that Ettore Bugatti used as his personal car.
More Bugattis are displayed in the Bugatti Hall that leads to the museum exit. Disassembled cars and components show how Bugattis were assembled while a Bugatti Royale Esders has a modern body, built to the original specifications in 1990 on an original 1932 chassis. The magic of several Bugatti engines can be heard at the press of a button while video graphics explain how these various engines functioned.
- See also Visitors Information for details on opening hours and transportation options. The Cité de l’Automobile, National Motor Museum – Schlumpf Collection is in the western suburbs of Mulhouse in the French Alsace region within easy access by car or public transportation from Strasbourg Airport (SXB) and the EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (BSL).
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