Cité de l'Automobile

Cité de l'Automobile
Name	Cité de l'Automobile
Established	1978
Location	Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, Grand Est, France
Type	Automobile museum

Cité de l'Automobile The Cité de l'Automobile is a major automobile museum located in Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, Grand Est, France, known for one of the world's largest collections of Renault and Peugeot vehicles and an unrivaled assembly of Bugatti cars assembled by collectors and manufacturers. The institution sits within a network of European cultural and industrial sites including nearby Musée de l'Impression sur Étoffes, Palais Rohan, Musée Unterlinden, and is frequently referenced alongside the Smithsonian Institution, National Motor Museum (Beaulieu), and Henry Ford Museum in comparative studies.

History

The museum's origins trace to postwar industrial patronage and the private collection movements seen with figures like Hans-Peter Porsche, Ferdinand Porsche, Enzo Ferrari, and Horacio Pagani; its consolidation was influenced by municipal policy in Mulhouse, regional planning in Alsace, and cultural funding models from the Council of Europe and European Union. Founders and early donors included collectors inspired by the legacy of Ettore Bugatti, Jean Bugatti, Louis Renault, Armand Peugeot, and patrons comparable to Ralph Lauren and Bill Gates who supported automobile heritage. The museum expanded through acquisitions, loans, and mergers mirroring transactions involving institutions such as Royal Automobile Club Museum, Louwman Museum, Deutsches Museum, and private estates like the collections of Sir William Lyons and Walter Chrysler. Over decades the site engaged with restoration traditions established at Aston Martin Works, Mille Miglia, Goodwood Festival of Speed, and archival practices from the Bibliothèque nationale de France and National Archives (United Kingdom).

Collections and Exhibits

The collection spans early combustion prototypes, electric pioneers, and postwar icons, reflecting makers including Bugatti, Peugeot, Renault, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Citroën, Fiat, Opel, Vauxhall, Austin, Morris, Triumph, MG, Shelby, AC Cars, Dodge, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Studebaker, Packard, Hudson, Buick, Chrysler, Lincoln, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Seagrave and specialty marques like Talbot-Lago, Delahaye, Isotta Fraschini, Duesenberg, Tucker 48, and Stutz.

Permanent galleries present themed displays on Le Mans, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, Monte Carlo Rally, Paris–Dakar Rally, Targa Florio, Mille Miglia, and Tour de France Automobile, using artifacts connected to figures such as Sir Stirling Moss, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alfonso de Portago, Tommy Wisdom, Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Niki Lauda, and Jim Clark. Rotating exhibitions have featured partnerships with Musée National de la Voiture, Petersen Automotive Museum, Museo Ferrari, Lamborghini Museum, Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile, and contemporary artists linked to Yves Klein, Christo, Jeff Koons, and Banksy projects.

Notable Vehicles

Highlights include multiple prewar Bugatti Type 35 and Type 41 Royale examples associated with Ettore Bugatti and Jean Bugatti, Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic models of legendary provenance, coachbuilt Bentley 4½ Litre and Rolls-Royce Phantom I examples, bespoke Delahaye 135 and Talbot-Lago T150 carrosseries by Figoni et Falaschi, Franay, and Pourtout. The collection also preserves significant racing machines like the Ford GT40, Jaguar D-Type, Ferrari 250 GTO, Porsche 917, McLaren F1 GTR, BMW M1, and historic Alfa Romeo P3 entries connected to teams such as Scuderia Ferrari, Alfa Romeo Racing, Mercedes-AMG Petronas, and Scuderia Toro Rosso. Prestigious road cars include Bugatti Veyron, Bugatti Chiron, Ferrari F40, Lamborghini Countach, Pagani Zonda, Koenigsegg CCR, and rare coachbuilt bodies for Cadillac V-16 and Lincoln Zephyr.

Architecture and Facilities

The museum complex combines adaptive reuse and modern exhibition design influenced by architects and institutions like Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Renzo Piano, Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Herzog & de Meuron, I. M. Pei, and features conservation workshops paralleling practices at Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, Smithsonian Institution Conservation Laboratory, and Victoria and Albert Museum studios. Facilities include climate-controlled galleries, restoration bays equipped with tooling similar to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars' Goodwood plant, archival storage influenced by Bibliothèque nationale de France standards, and event spaces used by UNESCO, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, and local institutions. The site integrates transportation links with nearby Gare de Mulhouse-Ville, access to A35 autoroute, and proximity to EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg.

Education and Events

Educational programs target audiences from school groups linked to Académie de Strasbourg and university partnerships with Université de Haute-Alsace, ETH Zurich, Technical University of Munich, and École Polytechnique. Workshops address vehicle conservation, materials science, and industrial design with guest lecturers from BMW Group Classic, Mercedes-Benz Museum, Ferrari Classiche, Lamborghini Polo Storico, Aston Martin Works, and scholars publishing in journals like The Journal of Transport History and Technology and Culture. Annual events tie into the Rétromobile calendar, Goodwood Revival, Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, and regional festivals such as Fête de la Musique-style celebrations; the museum also hosts auctions in partnership with houses like RM Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Artcurial.

Visitor Information

Visitors access the museum with ticketing options comparable to international sites such as Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and British Museum. Services include guided tours in multiple languages referencing guides from Michelin Guide, multilingual signage influenced by UNESCO World Heritage Centre standards, onsite cafes inspired by Paul (bakery), retail boutiques carrying publications from Flammarion and Taschen and memberships coordinated with ICOM. The venue is staffed to accommodate accessibility guidelines akin to European Accessibility Act provisions and partners with local tourism bodies such as Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération, Grand Est Regional Council, Bas-Rhin Departmental Council, and national networks including Atout France.

Category:Automobile museums in France Category:Mulhouse Category:Museums established in 1978