Reynard Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 (edited) https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a46427672/mullin-automotive-museum-closing-forever-in-february/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/mullin-automotive-museum-to-close-its-doors-forever-feb-10/ar-AA1n9jBk?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=19090736a2b140389251f8f7f20373c8&ei=51 The world-renowned Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, Calif. has announced that it will close its doors for good on February 10. The Museum opened in 2010 and housed the greatest collection of French cars of the 1930s ever assembled, rivaled only by the Schlumpf Collection in Molsheim, France. Peter Mullin passed away last year at age 82. While four cars will go to the Petersen Automotive Museum, there is no word yet on what will happen to the rest of the automobiles and to all of the art. The Mullin Automotive Museum, a bastion of great French cars of the 1930s, as well as art, furniture and even fashion of the Art Deco movement, will close its doors for good on Feb. 10. The museum was founded by Peter Mullin and his wife Merle as a place to gather their unsurpassed collection of Bugattis, Delages, Delahayes, Voisins and other sculptured French cars, as well as furniture and objets d’art from a time that many have seen as the epitome of the very best in car design and artistic expression. Edited January 18 by Reynard (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1935Packard Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 26 minutes ago, Reynard said: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/mullin-automotive-museum-to-close-its-doors-forever-feb-10/ar-AA1n9jBk?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=19090736a2b140389251f8f7f20373c8&ei=51 The world-renowned Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, Calif. has announced that it will close its doors for good on February 10. The Museum opened in 2010 and housed the greatest collection of French cars of the 1930s ever assembled, rivaled only by the Schlumpf Collection in Molsheim, France. Peter Mullin passed away last year at age 82. While four cars will go to the Petersen Automotive Museum, there is no word yet on what will happen to the rest of the automobiles and to all of the art. The Mullin Automotive Museum, a bastion of great French cars of the 1930s, as well as art, furniture and even fashion of the Art Deco movement, will close its doors for good on Feb. 10. The museum was founded by Peter Mullin and his wife Merle as a place to gather their unsurpassed collection of Bugattis, Delages, Delahayes, Voisins and other sculptured French cars, as well as furniture and objets d’art from a time that many have seen as the epitome of the very best in car design and artistic expression. That's a bummer. I have never quite made it over there, and looks like I never will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hidden_hunter Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Shame, you do hope some of the people that have amassed these sorts of collections have a plan post death 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 From what I have been told over the years, William Harrah made plans for his collection. And look at what happened to it! It took a bunch of his friends to negotiate a donation from the hotel chain that ended up with his casinos, plus about a hundred of his friends and admirers to buy back nearly another hundred cars for the "National Automotive Museum" to be set up as a memorial to Harrah's fine collection and great contributions to the hobby. Unless one has solid family support for it? Setting up such foundations is very difficult, and in the legal wrangling system, easily broken. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 1 hour ago, hidden_hunter said: Shame, you do hope some of the people that have amassed these sorts of collections have a plan post death Unfortunately, the deceased have no say once their gone. Eldon Hostetler willed his Hudson-Essex-Terraplane collection to the town of Shipshewana, Indiana, who were to keep it open as a museum and tourist attraction in his memory. After two years of losses, (as per their word), the board decided to auction off the car collection. What's next for the Hostetler's Hudson Museum collection? | Hemmings I would have liked to have seen it relocated to the Gilmore Museum, myself. Craig 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Unless there is enough money set aside in a trust to keep and maintain, then the break up of the collections will occur sooner or later. May not be a horrible thing as these cars will be moved on to new care takers at this point. The bad part is that they will most likely end up in a private collection someplace never to be seen again. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_Ash Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 A real loss! The museum was a beautiful place with amazing cars. Here are some we saw in 2022. Note cars in the background. 1937 Delahaye 145 Chapron. I'd love to have this car but know I could never afford it. But then, maybe I could build a replica... 1937 Delahaye 145 V-12. Read the book "Faster" to learn the history of these race cars. 1951 Delahaye 235, Saoutchik body Citroen ID19, recreation of factory display. 5 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Orin……jump on a plane or drive down. Don’t miss it. You like all that fancy French stuff. It will never be duplicated. I knew Peter and his wife, and had a chance to tour and compete against them. Wonderful people who really knew cars. I’m disappointed to he collection will be broken up. They could have easily kept it in tact if they desired to. Everyone has their own reasons. It’s a great loss to the car world. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 (edited) Yes, planning to see your collection ( part or all of it) go to a specific place, club, society etc takes a lot of thought before you are no longer here to direct that. No guarantee that you will be here tomorrow, that not being stated in a "downer" attitude it is reality . Even with thoughtful planning what you have and cherish can go to the "wrong" place. This goes beyond car collections - many of us have collections of collections, where is all your period paper/sales literature/photographs/ books etc going? you collections of period toys, mascots, emblems etc? Start to act now at least by writing it down - My personal concern is that if gifted to a place will it be of easy or even moderate access to have people visit, not in a location that for 4 or more months a year the weather is so poor that no one can be there nor want to be. Also if you are donating to a library period material do they have qualified people who know what they are looking at? Are those people cordial? I have witnessed some collections where the curator/librarian is so grumpy ( I am being very kind with that description) that they have turned off major donations of material and the $ to sustain it. ALL this being stated look at where a major automotive collection like the one at the Philadelphia Library was dispersed to for further safe keeping and ACTIVE availability ( like the AACA Library at HQ in Hershey) Where are major collections of other clubs, societies etc keep in trust to be used and available?? Preservation is very very important but so is having cordial people in charge to let the material be viewed or it is like the material doesn't exist at all. thanks for taking the time to read this morning rant................. Walt Edited January 18 by Walt G (see edit history) 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leif in Calif Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 4 hours ago, wayne sheldon said: From what I have been told over the years, William Harrah made plans for his collection. And look at what happened to it! It took a bunch of his friends to negotiate a donation from the hotel chain that ended up with his casinos, plus about a hundred of his friends and admirers to buy back nearly another hundred cars for the "National Automotive Museum" to be set up as a memorial to Harrah's fine collection and great contributions to the hobby. Unless one has solid family support for it? Setting up such foundations is very difficult, and in the legal wrangling system, easily broken. I vividly remember the whole Harrah's ordeal. There is a biography of him but I don't have a copy so here's my semi-reliable memory: My recollection is he said that he didn't want to lock anything down about it...that it was "his" collection and once he was gone others should decide. Naturally the hotel chain saw it as a "non performing asset", and we were lucky the State of Nevada found funding to save about ten percent. I believe at the time of his death there were 1100 cars and other objects including a Ford Trimotor airliner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 1 hour ago, Walt G said: Yes, planning to see your collection ( part or all of it) go to a specific place, club, society etc takes a lot of thought before you are no longer here to direct that. No guarantee that you will be here tomorrow, that not being stated in a "downer" attitude it is reality . Even with thoughtful planning what you have and cherish can go to the "wrong" place. This goes beyond car collections - many of us have collections of collections, where is all your period paper/sales literature/photographs/ books etc going? you collections of period toys, mascots, emblems etc? Start to act now at least by writing it down - My personal concern is that if gifted to a place will it be of easy or even moderate access to have people visit, not in a location that for 4 or more months a year the weather is so poor that no one can be there nor want to be. Also if you are donating to a library period material do they have qualified people who know what they are looking at? Are those people cordial? I have witnessed some collections where the curator/librarian is so grumpy ( I am being very kind with that description) that they have turned off major donations of material and the $ to sustain it. ALL this being stated look at where a major automotive collection like the one at the Philadelphia Library was dispersed to for further safe keeping and ACTIVE availability ( like the AACA Library at HQ in Hershey) Where are major collections of other clubs, societies etc keep in trust to be used and available?? Preservation is very very important but so is having cordial people in charge to let the material be viewed or it is like the material doesn't exist at all. thanks for taking the time to read this morning rant................. Walt None are promised tomorrow. On an early cross-country month-long vacation with kids, we elected to postpone a few days scheduled for the famed Harrah's collection, noting there would be time on some future trip -- You guessed it ! Gone !! Our travels included visits to collections such as: Mullin (escorted by Peter) Petersen & The Vault Nethercutt - Both Buildings Jay Leno Blackhawk Museum - Danville Hall of Flame -Scottsdale Speedway Motors Gilmore AACA Janet Cussler Car Collection - escorted by Janet Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum - Thank you @Joe Block ... and so many others, both public and private, far too numerous to list here. Thankfully, a bride, children and grandson involved in the hobby have made these a significant part of our travels. And when we arrive while driving vintage iron, some docents seem to take additional interest in our family 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leif in Calif Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 2 hours ago, Gary_Ash said: A real loss! The museum was a beautiful place with amazing cars. Here are some we saw in 2022. Note cars in the background. 1937 Delahaye 145 Chapron. I'd love to have this car but know I could never afford it. But then, maybe I could build a replica... 1937 Delahaye 145 V-12. Read the book "Faster" to learn the history of these race cars. 1951 Delahaye 235, Saoutchik body Citroen ID19, recreation of factory display. It for sure is the greatest assemblage for French automotive masterpieces out side of the National Museum in Mulhouse, France. The French auto industry in the inter-war period held the same position in the auto design and performance pantheon as the Italians did in the 50's. It's a terrible shame that it's closing but it always seemed to me that it was only open just enough to satisfy the IRS. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
63RedBrier Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Last time I was out in LA on business before I retired, I spent and extra two days there to visit both The Mullin Collection and The Peterson Museum. If you have not been to either, hurry up and do so in the next few weeks for the Mullin. If you also go to the Peterson, spend the extra money for the Vault tour! Both are worth every penny... My condolences to the Mullin family and all their friends. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarNucopia Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Looking at their website, it appears they are only open three days before they close; this Friday and Saturday, and February 10. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Goist Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 This afternoon Gooding Company posted at least a dozen Mullin cars heading to their Amelia Island Auction. I suspect there will be more to come. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Goist Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Here's our answer folks! https://www.goodingco.com/press/article/gooding-and-company-announces-selections-from-the-mullin-collection 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidinCA Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 The Mullin was/is an incredible museum and if you have any ability to see it before they close, I’d urge you to take advantage of it. It’s amazing car, particularly well displayed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearchoclatetown Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 My understanding is the Nethercutt has been closed since the covid scare. Has it reopened yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29 Chandler Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 On 1/18/2024 at 11:31 AM, CarNucopia said: Looking at their website, it appears they are only open three days before they close; this Friday and Saturday, and February 10. And no tickets available to get into the museum, I tried! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now