Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

National Automobile Museum - Collection Schlumpf, located in Mulhouse in the Haut-Rhin, houses the largest collection of antique cars in the world. Founded around the passion of the Schlumpf brothers, the Alsatian textile industry, it brings together more than 500 vehicles, including 123 Bugatti and 430 models classified as historical monuments. The collection covers pioneer automobiles built between 1878 and 1918, in a frame inspired by the Belle Époque, with replicas of candelabras of the Pont Alexandre-III in Paris.

The Hans brothers (1904-1989) and Fritz Schlumpf (1906-1992) formed this collection in secret during the 1960s, in parallel with their textile empire. Their bankruptcy in 1976, due to the oil shock and globalization, revealed this hidden treasure. On 7 March 1977, laid-off workers discovered by chance the car hangars during a demonstration, triggering global media coverage. The CFDT union then organizes free visits under the name "Workers' Museum".

To save this heritage, industrialist Jean Panhard founded in 1977 the Association of the National Automobile Museum, with the support of the city of Mulhouse, the Haut-Rhin department, the Alsace region, and other institutions. In 1978, the State classified the historical monument collection, then acquired in 1981 for 44 million francs (on an estimate of 325 million). The museum officially opened on July 10, 1982, after years of judicial proceedings and negotiations.

In 1989, the museum was renamed the National Auto Museum. - Schlumpf collection » at the request of Fritz Schlumpf. After his death in 1992, his widow Arlette obtained compensation of 25 million francs in 1999 and the restitution of 62 unrestored vehicles, the "Malmerspach collection". The latter was finally dispersed after 2008, with a portion sold to the US billionaire Peter Mullin.

The museum is undergoing major modernization in 2006, becoming the "Automobile City" after 20 million euros of renovations. A new museum is designed by architect Jean-François Milou, and an autodrome of 450 m is inaugurated in 2011. In 2018, the site was named a museum of the year at the Historic Motoring Awards in London. Today, it hosts 200,000 annual visitors and organizes temporary exhibitions.

Collection

C'est la plus importante collection de Bugatti au monde avec deux des six fameuses Bugatti Royale dont la Coupé Napoléon ainsi qu'une importante collection de Rolls Royce.

External links