Restitution of military hangar 1966 (≈ 1966)
The American army returns the site to France.
28 janvier 1969
Creation of ALAACL
Creation of ALAACL 28 janvier 1969 (≈ 1969)
Foundation by three passionate collectors.
mars 1970
Opening of the museum
Opening of the museum mars 1970 (≈ 1970)
50 vehicles exposed from the inauguration.
juin 1977
Inauguration of second building
Inauguration of second building juin 1977 (≈ 1977)
Expansion of exhibition spaces.
1991
Creation of the Space Club
Creation of the Space Club 1991 (≈ 1991)
Library and media library added thanks to donations.
1994
Restoration of roofs
Restoration of roofs 1994 (≈ 1994)
Works to beautify buildings.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Pierre Dinier - Co-founder of ALAACL
Collector and initiator of the museum.
Yvon Quilès - Co-founder of ALAACL
Passionate about old vehicles.
Dr Jean-Bernard Sarthe - Co-founder of ALAACL
Founding member of the museum project.
Origin and history
The Lorraine automotive museum was born from the passion of three collectors: Pierre Dinier, Yvon Quiles and Dr Jean-Bernard Sarthe. In 1969, they founded the Association Lorraine des Amateurs d'Automobiles de Collection (ALAACL), and in 1970 opened the first associative museum in France in a former American military hangar, restored in 1966. This place, located in the Hague Forest in Velaine-en-Haye, allows to expose 50 vehicles from its inauguration.
In 1977, a second building was inaugurated to expand the exhibition space, while the first was dedicated to events such as exchanges or auctions. In 1991, successive donations made it possible to create an Espace Club with library, media library and picnic area. In 1994, work was undertaken to restore the roofs and embellishment, consolidating the museum run by enthusiasts.
The collection, in constant evolution, presents about 70 vehicles dated from 1895 to 1990, among a hundred belonging to private collectors. The displayed brands vary according to the rotations, covering German (BMW, Mercedes), American (Ford, Chevrolet), British (Jaguar, Rolls-Royce), Italian (Ferrari, Alfa Romeo) and French (Peugeot, Citroën, Renault). The museum thus illustrates all stages of automotive history, despite space constraints limiting the permanent exhibition.
