Mullin Automotive Museum Celebrates its Grand Opening

Guests from around the world were treated to a display of more than 100 historic French cars that include examples from Delahaye, Delage, Talbot-Lago, Voisin, Hispano-Suiza and of course, Bugatti, wrapped in voluptuous forms from the iconic coachbuilding ateliers of Chapron, Figoni et Falaschi, Gangloff, Vanvooren, Labourdette, Letourneur et Marchand and Saoutchik.

There was as special emphasis on the Bugatti family, including the beautiful furniture of Carlo Bugatti, Ettore’s father. And, while his work was exclusive to the cars created by Ettore, his son Jean was among the best designers of his time and was well represented, along with the priceless creations of his sister, uncle, father and grandfather.

Seven members of the celebrated Bugatti family were included among the guests. Ms. Caroline Bugatti made gracious comments, thanking Peter and Merle Mullin for their kindnesses and for the celebration of her family’s contributions to the world of art and automobiles. It was a who’s who of the fine art and collector car cognoscenti. Open ears
topped broad smiles for the insider conversations and it would have been difficult to find a better location than the Mullin Museum’s elegant Club Bugatti on its mezzanine floor. The Club’s caviar and champagnemade for a comfortable visit. Key to The Club’s importance to the festivities, was its original art deco bar and furnishings and an
impressive view of the grand salon.

The rooftop garden and veranda was another level not to be overlooked, if for no other reason than to spend some time in the facility’s elegantly caged elevator; a pre-WWII fine-art container for a Twenty-first century machine. Once on the deck, the museum’s self-sustaining agenda is readily apparent. A seamless, white thermoplastic film covering the entire roof and a vast photovoltaic array are only the beginning of new century science employed to support an age-defying atmosphere for the treasures below.

The soiree included dramatically sculpted ice bars, beautiful models in era-appropriate couture, and a walk-in, deco-design theater presenting vintage and current film of the art and science from the classic era. Marcel Breuer’s classic, deco-era, Wassily chairs were the seating for the theater. All were prepared for a knowledgeable audience of historians, travelers, and enthusiasts who understood what they had been invited to share. It was, in fact, a restaging of a Paris Grand Salon.

At its far end, the Salon included a memorable exhibit of a dozen unrestored survivors from the famous Schlumpf Reserve Collection of France’s Alsace Lorraine region and the recently surfaced Lago Maggiore Bugatti Brescia; a beautiful, if tragic, little sports car with a big, big story. After more than seventy years at the bottom of the lake on the Italian/Swiss border, it has found its way to the Mullin Museum and, after a stunning exchange, has helped to fund a foundation in the name of Damiano Tamagni, a Swiss youth taken from his family by street violence.

Peter Mullin’s goal is to use his fine taste and grand vision as a teaching tool for young minds in search of inspiration. Though the objects are old, their creative spirit fills the building, a window into a period when individual designers and craftsmen could change the direction of the future.

The Peter Mullin Automotive Museum is located at:
1421 Emerson Avenue
Oxnard, CA 93033

805.385.5400
805.385.5422 (fax)
Info@mullinautomotivemuseum.com