Musée national de l'automobile - collection Schlumpf

The largest car museum in the world, the Musée de l'Automobile showcases 400 classic, prestige and racing cars which trace the history of the automobile.

In its huge 17,000 m² hall, lit by 800 lamp posts identical to those on the Alexandre III bridge in Paris, 243 cars that have marked their era tell the story of the motorcar from 1878 through to the present today. The motorcars are organized into chronological periods :

•The “Forerunners” The period from 1878 to 1918 features Panhard, Peugeot, De Dion and Benz models. This was when the Panhard design defined what would be the essentials of the modern motorcar for decades to come with (from front to back): an engine, clutch, gearbox and rear-wheel transmission.

•The “Classics” cover a second phase (1918-1938) which was symbolised by the