Mullin Automotive Museum, Oxnard California

I have been to many car museum's or shows in the last 40 years so I am not easily impressed. I started with the Bill Harrah National Auto Museum in Reno when I worked for the guy in the 70's at his casino which gave us free access to his cars. Then my dad took me to the Peterson Automotive Museum in LA in the 80's which was awesome...and most likely better now, but between many hot rod and classic car shows through out the years have always been positive about American Classics...then I went to the Mullin Automotive Museum.

The Mullin Automotive Museum is only open to the public two days a month and as luck would have it I found out a day before one of those days that it was available. I bought my ticket online ($8 senior rate) and was one of the first to enter at my appointed time.

Then I realize Mr. Mullin is hung up on "French" cars of the 1920's to 1940's, or as they say "art deco" years...WTH? No Lambo's or Ferrari's? No muscle cars or big Caddies of the 1940's? What kind of museum is this? I'll tell what kind it is...a totally AWESOME one, that's what it is!

One of the first Bugatti's I see (of many) with a great story is this 1925 being submerged in 173 feet of water for 75 years...remarkable story and presented so elegantly.

This is the display of the 1925 type 22 Brescia Roadster that sat in water for year after year and other than drying her off, looks the same as the Bugatti did when first rescued. The large photo behind is the car in the lake.

After the dredged up Bugatti from the lake I move on to a very beat up, or in collector terms..."original" Bugatti's from the Schlumpf Reserve Collection, who seems to like collecting cars in their original, natural and unrestored condition. 

Schlumpf had quite a collection of original condition automobiles and each one of the unrestored vehicles were most likely in the 200 thousand dollar range and up in value.

I guess originality is the key, but this might just be a bit extreme for me.

In a video Mr Mullin talks of presenting cars at Pebble Beach Concours for 25 years with no "Best of Show" until he presented a coupe, in which a four door coupe as never won at Pebble...and then it happened in 2011...Mr. Mullins four door coupe wins "Best of Show" at Pebble Beach.

The hood ornament along with the rest of the 1935 Avions Voisin Type C25 Aerodyne is striking.

As four door coupes go this "Best of Show" was very cool. I do remember seeing it live on TV when the Pebble Beach was broadcasted over NBC.

The unique thing about the Mullin collection is that there are no ropes to keep visitors away from the cars, they only ask that you don't touch the cars.

The museum is working with some designers to extend what they think the next generation would look like.

The engines of the day were not only technically advanced in years but a piece of art in itself. 

This 1931 Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix won many races in its day.

The 1994 EB 110 Supersport Bugatti was the only car in the collection newer than the early 40's. The collection does have three newer Bugatti Veyron's but they were all out on loan.

What other automoble manufactuer in the early 90's exposed the power plant in such a "in your face" way? Of course now in the 2010's there are a number who show off their ware's such as Corvette, Lamborghini and Ferrari...

From the mezzanine.

My god, even from thirty feet away the lines on this 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, a 2003 "Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance" best of show winner... is amazing. 

This 1938 Dubonnet H6C had lines that would of been very comfortable in the late 50's or early 60's.

So much of the glass in the 20's and 30's was flat, I found this to be the exception. Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish designer and a Swiss engineer that built the H6C in France...

This 1937 Hispano is a combination of a 1920's chassis stretched for purposes of hunting and picking up visiting company at a railway station...hence the first "station wagon"

   
So graceful, so beautiful with its oval side windows.

A quick look inside reveals brushed aluminum, exotic woods and crystal faced gauges.

I wish my vocabulary had enough superlatives to describe this museum for someone who has not experienced it. Thank you Mr Mullin for opening my eyes to the art deco French automotive designs years...I never new it existed before today. My hat is off to the French manufacturers listed above and some from photos I did not use such as, Delahaye, Talbot-Lago and Delage.