Explore: the National Automobile Museum in Mulhouse, France

1931 Bugatti 49 Cabriolet

You can check car parc data for France from 1894 to 1934 here

On the recommendation of French weekly Auto Plus I had the pleasure of visiting the National Automobile Museum in Mulhouse, in France’s eastern Alsace region. This is simply the largest automobile museum in the world, featuring 520 vehicles on 25,000 square meters. It is built on a private collection from the Schlumpf family and also contains the largest and most comprehensive collation of Bugatti vehicles in the world, with 123 items exhibited (we are not far from Bugatti’s headquarters in Molsheim). This is such a fascinating museum that I decided to write a quick piece about it here, listing most notable cars in chronological order.

1893 Menier Double-Phaéton

The focus is on pre-world war II cars as they were the ones that interested me the most (and composed the majority of the cars exposed anyway). Understandably a large part of the vehicles are French, and it was the opportunity to discover brands I had never heard of before. The Western automobile industry in the 1920s was similar to the Chinese industry today with a dizzying amount of brands in activity. Above is the 1893 Menier Double-Phaéton (France), a prototype that was never used and manufactured by the Menier brothers, in actual fact chocolate manufacturers. In 1894, only 200 vehicles were in circulation in France.

1898 Peugeot Vis-a-Vis Type 17

The first Peugeot models were equipped with Daimler-Panhard engines. After 1897, the company started producing its own engines, as for this Type 17.

1902 Panhard & Levassor B Tonneau

The Type B is equipped with a 14 hp engine lifting the car to a top speed of 45 km/h. It was exhibited in London in the Charles Stuart Rolls dealership, in charge  of Panhard & Levassor’s UK sales.

1904 De Dion-Bouton V Tonneau and 1903 De Dion-Bouton S Biplace

In the 1900s the French manufacturer De Dion-Bouton was at its best and was present in all mechanical activities such as cars, heavy goods vehicles, professional, civil and military vehicles, aircraft and airship engines etc. Subsidiaries were set up in Europe and the United States. 

1906 Sage 24 hp Phaéton-Spider

In those times, cars could be ordered with different body styles. The buyer of this Sage (France) ordered four: a two-seater spider for summer, a chauffeur driven coupe, a double-phaeton for the family and even a version for hunting.

1906 Peugeot 78 A Double-Phaéton

Peugeot goes upmarket in 1906 with this Type 78 A Double-Phaéton, equipped with a 2-cylinder 1.7 litre engine.

1909 Renault AG 1 Landaulet

The Renault AG 1 models are a milestone in the French automobile industry. In 1914 they account for the majority of taxis, notably in Paris under the “Taxis de la Marne” company that took 6,000 soldiers on the Eastern front during World War I.

1910 Mors N Tonneau Fermé

The Mors brothers (France) were active from the start of the automobile, notably innovating in the engine ignition area. The Mors cars won almost all races from 1897 to 1902, and they then produced premium cars. The bodywork of the above Type N was developed by Rotschild, Rheims & Auscher. Now be honest: who had heard of the Mors brand before? And there were many more obscure Frenchies in the museum, such as Amilcar, Barré, Baudier, Ballot, Delaunay-Belleville, Le Zebre, Mathis, Pilain, Rosengart, Violet-Bogey, Zedel…

1912 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Biplace

The Silver Ghost was named the Best Car in the World. At the pinnacle of luxury vehicles, 7,874 units were produced in the UK and the US. It is moved by a 7428 cm3 6-cylinder engine. 100 units are reportedly still alive.

1913 Peugeot 146 Torpédo

In 1913 Peugeot produces cars out of five factories in France: Audincourt, Beaulieu, Lille, Valentigney and Sochaux. It holds a 20% share of the French production of automobiles. This Torpédo is powered by a 4,536 cm3 for a top speed of 80 km/h. 428 units were produced.

1923 Bugatti 32 Biplace Course

This Type 32 is the only survivor of four ever built. Its revolutionary shape gave it the nickname “Tank”. It reached a top speed of 189 km/h.

1924 Audi E 21/78 Torpédo

This is the first model from Audi. After being evicted from its own company, Auguste Horch created Audi in Zwickau. Given he couldn’t reuse its name, meaning “hear” in German, it translated it in Latin: Audi. This vehicle is originally from 1912 and was reused with some improvements after the war.

Since 1924, a three-pointed star has adorned Mercedes cars. They stand for the company’s three industrial activities in which it is engaged: earth, sea and air motorisation.

1924 Renault NM 40 CV Landaulet

The 40 CV is the top of the Renault lineup in 1924 and competes with luxury brands with its 6-cylinder, 9 L engine. A single-seater version broke speed world records in 1925 and 1926, including one at the 24 hours of Montlhéry at an average of 174 km/h.

1925 Bugatti 35 Biplace Course

The legendary racing Bugatti as we imagine it, this example was run by amateur racer Manuel Toda for three years. Top speed: 190 km/h.

1928 Bugatti 43 Torpédo

Despite its price and questionable comfort, the Bugatti Type 43 sold 160 units. Only a few frames were bodied outside the Bugatti factory, like this one from Hermann Graber. This model is reported to have belonged to the King Leopold III of Belgium.

1930 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Coupé de Ville

The Royale is the most sumptuous car in the world. Its 12 L engine delivers 300 ch for a top speed of 200 km/h, and the car weighs 3 tonnes. There’s an elephant on the top of the radiator cap, it was designed by Rembrandt Bugatti, Ettore’s brother. Estimated current price for the Royale is USD 43 million. Only six were produced, three of them are in this Museum.

1933 Bugatti 46 Coach

The design of this vehicle is the creation of Jean Bugatti, Ettore’s son. Notice the inclined windshield, a natural extension of the hood. The cockpit is shaped like a water drop.

1934 Bugatti 49 Berline

This vehicle is powered by a 3257 cm3 engine for 90 hp with a top speed of 150 km/h.

1937 Mercedes Type 170 H

If this car looks like the twin of the legendary Beetle, that’s because they were both inspired by Ferdinand Porsche.

1938 Bugatti 57 SC Cabriolet

43 Bugatti Type 57 S were produced. Among them only a few were bodied by outside workshops. This 57 SC was designed by the Van Vooren workshop in Courbevoie.

1938 Alfa Romeo 8 C 2900 B Biplace Course

This Alfa Romeo won the 24 Hours of Spa in 1938 with Pintacuda-Severi. It reappears in Switzerland after the war in hill climbs. 200 ch, 185 km/h.

1939 Gordini Simca 8 Biplace Sport

This car was active between 1939 and 1953 when it managed numerous race wins, often driven by Amédée Gordini, the inventor of the marque, himself.

1948 Tatra 87 Limousine

Hans Ledwinka is Tatra’s designer since 1912. This is an experimentation on aerodynamics. The 3 L engine is placed at the rear, liberating exceptional space inside the cockpit.

1948 Panhard Levassor Coach Type Dynavia

This prototype reinvents headlights, with a single projector replacing them. Its exceptional drag coefficient meant the vehicle consumed only 3l/100 km.

1952 Bugatti 101 Berline

The Type 101 failed commercially as it didn’t match the époque’s tastes towards popular vehicles. It was one of the last Bugattis to be produced in the brand’s original era. Indeed, after the death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947, Bugatti ceased operations in 1952.