A taste of one of the most important French Art Deco auto collections in the world
Peter Mullin was a pillar in the tiny community of international rare car collectors. During his lifetime, Mullin wore many hats. He was the chairman of Mullin Barens Sanford Financial.
He was a philanthropist who fostered all kinds of causes in the arts and healthcare. And he was the founder of the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California, which housed the largest collection of Bugattis in the world. When he passed away at age 82 on September 18, 2023, some wondered: What would happen to his car collection? Especially when the MullinNow we know the answer.
A vast portion of Mullins' cars have been transferred to the Petersen Automotive Museum's famous Vault, where they will live on. This weekend, the Petersen unveiled the Mullin Family Gallery, where patrons can experience selections of one of the most important collections of pre-war French automobiles in existence. It took Mullin and his wife Merle nearly 30 years to put their collection together. It all started when Mullin fell in love with a friend's 1937 Delahaye decades ago.
The Mullins began collecting Delages and Talbot-Lagos, adding Bugattis and Peugeots to an ever-expanding pantheon of rare automobiles. Their efforts to restore old cars with authenticity are legendary.
Meanwhile, they began plans to open a building where they could share the cars. The Mullin Automotive Museum opened in 2010. Guests compared the experience of visiting this place to stepping back in time to the Paris Motor Show in the late 1930s, before the city was battered by Nazi warplanes.
“Together, we built this collection with the dream of preserving the extraordinary artistry, innovation and craftsmanship of French Art Deco automobiles,” said Merle Mullin. “It was equally important to us that these masterpieces would one day be shared with the broadest possible audience. Peter always believed the Petersen Automotive Museum was the right steward for that responsibility, and it is deeply meaningful to see that vision fulfilled.
We are proud to know this collection will continue inspiring generations of enthusiasts, historians, and future collectors. ”The Petersen is calling the gift “One of the most significant moments in the Petersen Automotive Museum’s history.
” Among the vehicles on display in this weekend’s initial installment: a 1922 Hispano-Suiza Type H6B “Skiff Torpedo,” a 1926 Bugatti Type 37A, a 1926 Bugatti Type 50S by Million-Guiet, three Voisins, a pair of Peugeots from 1937, a 1938 Delahaye Type 145 “V-12 Coupe” by Henri Chapron, a 1939 Delahaye T-165 V-12 “World’s Fair,” a 1951 Bugatti Type 101C by Gangloff, and a 1951 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport by Stabilimenti Farina. In 2028, the Petersen will launch a major exhibition with some 30 selections from Mullins' French automobiles, in the museum's signature gallery.
It’s all part of Peter Mullins’ master plan.
“If you can dream,” he was known to say, “you can make it happen. ” Good advice from a man who made a lot happen in his lifetime. A.J. Baime is the author of seven books, including Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans, and The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months that Changed the World.
An R&T editor-at-large, he has driven cars on racetracks all over the U.S. and Europe, going back to 2007. He is proudly the R&T staff’s slowest track driver.
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