Cherry-picking in an endless field of cars
When I arrived at Mulhouse from the Peugeot Museum, I was not expecting such an overwhelming excess of pretty much everything related to cars. The motor car experience area is the central area of the former factory complex, converted into a gigantic 17,000 m² hall, lit by 800 art nouveau lampions.
About 250 cars from 1878 through to the present today are parked in this endless hall following a timeline, where each row illustrates a different era. In practice, this results in endless lines of cars reaching so far, that one cannot recognise where the rows end. As I covered miles while wandering around in the vast main hall, I saw legends from which a single specimen could constitute the crown jewel of any collection. Luxurious legends of the roaring 20’s like the Alfa 8C, Mercedes SSK, innovative mass-market products like the Traction Avant or curiosities like the Panhard Dynavia concept, the visitors could lose themselves here forever…
In the first part of this article, I tried to enumerate the several dozen cars from the early pioneers to the pre WW I cars. The list of cars continue along the timeline with the classics (from the 20’s until WW II), now all feature elegant wheel arches, and some large vehicles with innovative design resemble to today’s full bodywork cars.
The high-end cars from companies like Mercedes-Benz (like the 380 with a compressor-charged V8), Alfa Romeo and Bugatti attract the bulk of attention.
I was impressed by the dozens of Bugattis exposed here, and I thought these cars could not be rivalled. Man, I was wrong, but you need to wait for the next part find out why…
The Italian section is dominated by the red colour. On one side the Maserati 2000 stands out for its typically Italian elegance.
Its 8-cylinder inline engine, with two overhead camshafts and a supercharger, producing an output of 150 horsepower makes it a super sports car of the early 1930s. This version was commercially available (only six such cars were ever built), it is essentially the road legal version of the 26B that raced to victory at the Tripoli circuit, despite fierce competition from the Alfa Romeos.
I was most impressed by the menacing Alfa 8C 2900A, that seemed like a car from a different world. Alfa Romeo’s first triumph in the 1931 Le Mans with the 8-cylinder, 2.3-litre model was followed by three other titles. The agility of the Italian car, weighing in at less than 1000 kg and reaching more than 200 km/h outcompeted the Mercedes SSKs or Bugatti Type 50s of the era, and led to four consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans titles from 1931 to 1934.
The middle row of cars are interrupted by the children’s toy exhibition (there are a few photos in the previous part) and a Porsche exhibition to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the brand (more on that in the next part). I would advise not to get interrupted by the other sections, as the main hall never ceases to amaze.
The rows contain a high number of Bugattis of all age, size and market segment. There are many models that I never saw, including a few post-war pieces before the company went bankrupt (the 101 was built in seven examples, there are a few of them here, and only five of the 73a was ever produced).
The 30’s also introduced affordable cars that made history by bringing mobility and some technical finesse to the not so wealthy elite. The Traction Avant or the Peugeot 02 series inaugurate a new epoch. Nevertheless, the Cité still manages to impress with special series and concept cars.
The utterly crazy Panhard Dynavia’s droplet bodywork made waves when the prototype was presented by Panhard at the Paris Motor Show in 1946. The aerodynamic shape resulted in consumption that was startlingly low even by today’s standards (under 3.5 litres per 100 km). The headlights are replaced at the front with a powerful central spotlight, used as a full beam light and fog light. The dipped beam lights were also an experimental design. This car must be among the dearest, as the Cité showcased it among its three-car delegation to the 2017 Interclassics Brussels. It was nice to revisit the car in Mulhouse.
Many of the innovations showcased on the Dynavia were reused for the (by non-French standards) weird looking Dyna Z1, which was showcased next to the concept.
I also liked the two concept cars made by French industrial designer Paul Arzens, with rather fitting names. The small thing on wheels is called the Egg, and is from 1942. Even more astonishing, the long and futuristic two-seater cabriolet prototype was based on an old Buick chassis. The car was baptised “La Baleine” (the whale).
The Museum pays homage to the many models that secured to prosperity or survival of today’s French car manufactures (like Citroen 2CV and DS, the Peugeot 404 or the Renault 4 and 16), but also showcases rarities like the short wheelbase Renault 4. As I said it before at the 120 years of Renault exhibition, if there is a company that saved a lot of money with the invention of Photoshop, that’s got to be Renault.
I skip to the very end where an Aston Martin Lagonda delivers a punch line that not many other cars could topple. The Lagonda is a full-full sized luxury four-door saloon offered from 1974 until 1990. During these decades, only 645 cars were produced, and it’s not easy to find one in any museum or car show.
There are of course a few modern sports cars in the main hall too, in addition to the invaluable Ferraris (like the street legal version of the 1965 Le Mans champion 250LM), there is a beautiful Alpine A110, that secured the world’s first rally championship title for Renault.
You might have noticed, there is a mirror behind the last row of cars, that allows an excellent 360 impression, adds to the lighting and to the massive feeling of the overwhelming main hall. The Museum, however, provides a reasonable justification as behind the wall, there is still a lot more Museum. In fact, one of my favorite sections were hiding there, but that is for the next round.
The third installment of the Cité de l’Automobile – a time warp into race cars
