Musee National de l'Automobile
(Except for the Bugattis)
September 13

There are 3 main rooms. Cars pretty much chronologically fill the big space. Then a room with racing cars down both sides of a central aisle.

The first of 5 main aisles.

Racing Bugattis.

Other racing cars.

After that, the final room is more dramatically lit (you'll notice this in the pictures). It contains the cream of the collection. More Bugattis, Rolls Royces, Hispano-Suizas, Bentleys. And two more Royales sitting side by side like the kings they are.

Along the way there are cars you can crank-start, cars you can sit in for pictures, a Rolls Royce chassis to investigate, and even a current model car which is on a pivot where you can get turned upside down in a car. There are movies about Paris-Dakar, old Formula 1 races, and the history of some marques.

1978 Jacquot 2cyl steam car. A one-off designed by Louis Lejeune.

1893 Benz Victoria.
In 1984 Baron von Liebig drove 2500km in a Victoria at 13.5kph average.

The bar hanging down on the left side is an anti-rollback device.
It's wonderful to see oil drips under many of the cars.

1893 Menier.
Each of 4 gears is engaged with a separate foot pedal.

1894 Georges Richard.
A 1-cylinder 1143cc engine.

1894 Panhard Levassor.
Possibly the first gas-engined car with a front engine.

1894 Peugeot Type 3.
This model was first made in 1891.

1897 Benz Velo.

1987 Benz Ideal.
256 of these were made in 1897, 603 in 1898.

1898 Clement DeDion.

1898 DeDietrich Grand Duc.

1898 Panhard Levassor A1.
The body was added to the chassis by the Binder coach building firm.

1899 Daimler Bus.

1899 Rheda.
A wrought iron company in Paris, explaining the decorative ironwork.
they built cars from 1898 until 1902.

1902 DeDion Bouton Type J.

1902 Serpollet Type A.
Note the radiator in front of the body.

1903 Renault NC.

1903 Serpollet Type L.
The company disappeared in 1907 when the owner died.

1904 Mathis Type Hermes.
Ettore Bugatti was a mechanic for this factory.

1905 Peugeot.

1906 Mercedes 37/70.

1906 Sage.
This car was sold with two bodies - a sports 2-seater and a chauffer-driven coupe.

1907 Darracq SS 20-28.
Ugly. It looks like a telephone booth is being carried on the back.

1910 Pilain 4D.
Pilain was a breakoff of the Serpollet company.

1912 Hispano Suiza Alphonse XIII.
The first of this model was sold to the King of Spain, hence the name.
This car was owned by Grandseignes, the first aviator to fly at night (at least over Paris).

1912 Lancia Epsilon.

1912 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.
With a very minimalist body.

1913 Clement Bayard 4M.
At this time, many French cars followed the Renault engine cover styling.
This model has a full copper radiator behind the engine.

1913 Le Zebra Type A.

1913 Peugeot BB.
Designed by Bugatti (the Bebe) and built by Peugeot under license.
A very successful model.

1914 MAF F5.
Built in Liepzig.

1914 Philos A4M.
Built in Lyon by a small company that only produced a few dozen cars.

1920 Rolls Royce WO chassis.
This model was built expressly for the British War Office.
They were fitted with armoured bodies.

1922 Peugeot 161.
2-seater, fore and aft. A very popular car in its day.

1923 Citroen Type C.
A cheap, 11hp boattail roadster for two.
This one looks to have its spare tire mounted.

1923 Mors SSS.
Mors became the large-car arm of Citroen.

1923 Scott.
A British tricycle.
This was a factory prototype made to hold a cannon in the passenger seat.

1924 Audi E21/78.
The final evolvement of a model introduced in 1912.

1924 Mercedes 28/95.
Body by Daimler-Sindelfingen.

1924 Renault NM.

1924 Ballot 2LTS.
A Weymann body. Built on a wood framework, covered with two layers of oilcloth,
padded horsehair, and then imitation leather.

1928 Mercedes Benz 720 SSK.

1929 Mercedes Benz 720 SSK.
Full-fendered version.

1930 Maserati Sport 2000.
This car was driven daily into the 1960s.

1931 Alfa Romeo 6C.

1931 OM 665 MM.
An Italian company that grabbed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the 1927 Mille Miglia.

1932 Horch Type 670.

1933 Delage D6 II.

1933 Hispano Suiza J12.

1934 Citroen 7A.
The "Traction Avant" had a unibody and front wheel drive.
It was the quintessential French car and there are still some we've seen running today.

1934 Standard Swallow SSI.
Sir William Lyons first car company. He went on to found Jaguar after WWII.

1936 Alfa Romeo 8C.
8cyl, 2900cc, 220hp.
In 1936, this car had a 14 minute lead in the Mille Miglia when its headlights went out.
It still won with a 32 second margin.

1936 Fiat 508S.
Designed by Ghia.

1936 Mercedes Benz 540K.

1937 Mercedes Benz 170H.
The pre-VW. We saw another one of these at the EFA Auto Museum.
It was designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by MB in 1936 and 1937
before the People's Car went into mass production.

1938 Arzens.
A one-off commissioned by an artist. Yike. We really are starting to hate art.

1938 Mercedes Benz 540K.

1939 Peugeot 202.

1948 Panhard Lavassor Dynavia.
A 2 cylinder 605cc engine. Not very many were built.

1949 Delahay 135M.

1952 Ferrari 250 MM.
Rebodied by Scaglietti in 1956.

1952 Ford Vedette.

1953 Alfa Romeo C52.

1955 Mercedes Benz 300SL.

1957 Ferrari 500 TRC.
This car was owned by Adrian Conan Doyle.
Bob's choice.

1959 Alart.
A prototype for a French company that never got off the ground.

1963 Facel Vega III.

1964 Ferrari 250 GT.

1964 Ferrari 250 LM.
With 2000 kilometers on the odometer.

The Racing Cars
Except the Bugattis

1902 Serpollet Type H.
Seven of these were entered in a Paris-Madrid race in 1903.
The race was stopped in Bordeaux but two of the Serpollets averaged 49 mph until that point.

1904 Dufaux 100/120 PS.
8 cylinder 12,761cc engine producing 90hp.

1908 Sizaire Naudin.
1 cylinder 1490cc engine. Independent sliding front suspension.

1925 Amilcar CGS.
This had a production run of almost 4700 cars.

1926 Panhard Lavassor 35CV.
In 1934 this car broke a speed record, covering 214,064 kilometers.

1948 Talbot GP 26C.
You can climb into this car and have your picture taken.
Needless to say, the interior is very ratty.

1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLR.
Only produced and raced for half a season.
MB quit racing after the 1955 accident at LeMans.

1958 Maserati GP 250F.

1963 Lotus Type 33. Jim Clark won the 1965 Dutch Grand Prix in this car.
1962 Lotus Type 24 behind. Jo Siffert's car.

1968 Sbarro Formula 5000.
People are invited to change a wheel on this car (with supervision).

1970 Ferrari 312B.

The Rally Cars

1983 Renault 5 Turbo.

1985 Peugeot 205 Turbo 16.

1986 Ford RS200.

1986 Porsche 959.
Rene Metge won the Paris-Dakar in this car in 1986.