Today is another easy day, Wendy needed something for her bike so I showed her how to get everywhere in town. Wendy then pottered around trying to regain some strength whilst I rode over to the west of town and the Cité de l'Automobile, Musée national de l’automobile, Collection Schlumpf, the leading car museum in the world.
Since purchasing their first company in 1935, the Schlumpf brothers, Hans and Fritz, started by investing in the Mulhouse textile industry. But between 1961 and 1963 Fritz secretly began buying a number of classic cars.
After two years, as the collection went from strength to strength, an idea began to take root in his mind. So he refurbished one of his factories to make a huge 17,000 m² showroom.
But a crisis at the Schlumpf factory in 1976 thwarted his project and in an attempt to escape pursuit the two brothers took refuge in Basel. The "Schlumpf affair" lasted until 1979 and the collection went on sale the following year.
Purchased by the National Car Museum Association, the museum opened its doors in 1982. Renovated and modernised in 2000, it was renamed the Cité de l'Automobile in 2006.
You cannot fail to be moved by the monumental entrance to the museum. Before you, an imposing wood, glass and steel door is decorated with cars suspended several metres above for an immediate ‘wow’ factor. Upon entering the museum, you will follow a wall of images that plunges you almost immediately into the depths of automobile passion.
In the first section, the visit starts by telling the story of the automobile adventure throughout the ages, from the oldest to more modern vehicles. A story broken down into 243 iconic models, all impeccably aligned.
The two sections entitled ‘racing’ and ‘dream cars’ gather together some exceptional models whose shiny chromes and curves will not fail to dazzle you!
And finally make way for the stars of the museum, the iconic and extremely rare Bugatti Royale and Bugatti Veyron with its breathtaking speed record!