Car City

About

The Cité de l'Automobile grew out of the collection amassed by brothers Hans and Fritz Schlumpf, Swiss nationals born in Italy who built a textile company in Mulhouse starting in 1935. In 1957 they bought a former wool-spinning mill and began filling it with cars gathered from around the world. The vast, secret collection came to light on March 7, 1977, when union activists occupied the mill during a strike. France's Council of State classified the collection as a historic monument in 1978, and in 1981 the National Automobile Museum Association acquired it, leading to the museum's official opening on July 10, 1982. The collection includes 123 Bugattis, the largest such holding in the world, among them several examples of the Bugatti Royale (Type 41).