 |
The Mullin Automotive Museum, a facility that will pay homage to the art deco and machine age design eras (1918-1941) that produced exquisite art and magnificent automobiles, will officially open its doors for the first time in Oxnard, Calif., Spring 2010. And the grand opening party was something not to be missed.
The dramatic facility will be a three-dimensional celebration of the pre-World War II Belgian/French decorative arts movement, long described as Art Deco. Sharing the more than 50-thousand square-feet of exhibit space will be one of the finest collections of coach-built automobiles, furniture and art from the Deco era; including considerable work created by the Bugatti family.
Oxnard is located on Highway 101 about an hour north of Los Angeles, and the Mullin is a new must see destination for any SoCal enthusiast or visitor. Some will recognize the structure as that of the late Otis Chandler's automotive and wildlife museum; true enough, but it has been architecturally and mechanically transformed into something entirely new. Solar electrical and other systems, once fully completed and operational, will make the Mullin fully independent of the local power grid. Walking the main floor paints a scene that recalls a Paris Auto Salon of the 1930s. All but a few of the cars are French, and the signage, lighting, and decor are French art deco all the way.
Many of Peter and Merle Mullin's cars are restored to concours winning condition, but several dozen are in original, if not "barn find" condition; very cool, and of course this allows the viewer to enjoy their original surfaces, upholstery, and plating. One of the most startling exhibits is the Brescia Bugatti, pulled from Italy's Lake Maggiore.
At Bonhams Paris Retromobile auction, The Mullin Automotive Museum added to its treasures, a 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia Modifeé relic with a legend and a heart. It had only recently been exhumed from its watery grave at the Swiss end of Lake Maggiore, where it had been left to decompose for 73 years. Even so, it brought in 260,500 Euros ($368,300), most of which will go directly to Fondazione Damiano Tamagi, a foundation developed to prevent youth violence and support the families involved.
The remains of the handsome little boattailed speedster will be exhibited in the museum as it left the lake, suspended on a pair of yellow nylon straps. Lake Maggiore will be present in life size photos of the car as found at the lake bottom and also as raised up from the water. The image will be mounted in front of an enormous pair of glass plates between which will be a volume of water put into motion by a steady flow of bubbles.
The Brescia exhibit will include a panel documenting the car’s story. Bugatti chassis number 2461, a sporting 16-valve 1500cc chassis carrying an elegant boattail body, was delivered new in Paris on April 11, 1925. After several French owners, it passed into the hands of Marco (Max) Schmuklerski, a Zurich-born architect of Polish descent. He took the car from Paris to Ascona, Switzerland, on the coast of Lake Maggiore where he used it for about three years still registered on its Paris plates. When he decided to return to Zurich, the Swiss government finally demanded the car be reregistered and import duty paid. That amount totaled more than the value of the car, so Schmuklerski left without it. The Swiss officials attached a chain to the Bugatti and rolled it off the end of a local pier, where it hung unclaimed for many years. Finally, the corrosion destroyed the chain and the car came to rest 170 feet below.
It remained there, undiscovered, until August 1967. After its rediscovery, the car became a popular dive target for members of Asconas sub aqua club. On July 12, 2009, the treasure was finally rescued from the lake by Jens Boerlin and his comrades from the dive club. Local dignitaries and members of the Bugatti Club Suisse were in attendance and the dive club decided the proceeds of its sale will benefit a charity in the name of the late Damiano Tamagni, one of the club's divers, who died in 2008 after being the victim of a juvenile gang attack.
The Lake Maggiore Brescia will be an addition to a larger forthcoming exhibit of unrestored historic cars called "The Schlumpf Reserve Collection." At the core is the Shakespeare American collection purchased by the Schlumpf brothers, industrialists of the Alsace region of France, in the early 60s. Peter Mullin recently purchased virtually all of The Reserve Collection and will exhibit 30 of his favorites in as-found condition before a 90-foot diorama of the warehouse in which they were discovered. Now, the little Brescia will be included with these unrestored cars in juxtaposition with museum’s Pebble Beach Concours winning automobile restorations. The idea is to illustrate the work required to make a barn-find car into an award-winning showpiece.
Peter Mullin is very excited about his latest found object and still more enthusiastic that his resources can have a real effect in the hands of Fondazione Damiano Tamagi. It has long been suggested that the great cars have lives but Bugatti Brescia 2461 has proven to have a heart.
The entire facility was designed, built, finished, and filled with great care and taste, by people who "get it" and thankfully are willing to share their hard work and good fortune with the rest of the world.
The Mullin Automotive Museum
1421 Emerson Avenue
Oxnard, CA 93033 www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.