Check Out The Weirdest, Most Beautiful French Cars From The Mullin Museum's Auction
Fourteen years after it was first opened by renowned car collectors Peter and Merle Mullin, the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California has closed its doors following the death of Peter in September 2023. Over the past few months the Mullin family has been auctioning off much of their collection, which was perhaps the greatest collection of French automobiles and Art Deco sculpture, furniture and art that the world has ever seen.
The next Mullin auction kicks off Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. PDT. Organized by Gooding & Company, there are 115 lots in total, ranging from Citroën 2CVs and Peugeot vans to multi-million-dollar pre-war Bugattis, Delages and Hispano-Suizas. Also thrown in the mix are Bugatti train engines and 100-year-old Bugatti horse carriages — yes, those things exist — as well as movie props and weird old motorcycles. Best of all, every single lot will be offered with no reserve, which should prove for some exciting and surprising bidding wars.
It’s a real shame that the Mullin is closing. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the collection a handful of times in my life, and it always stuck out as a singular experience when compared to other museums or personal collections. There really is nothing like a French car; they are so unique in terms of design, with a charm and character that can really only be achieved by the French, no matter whether its a cheap hatchback or coachbuilt masterpiece. With Bugatti and Citroën firmly in my top-three favorite brands, the Mullins amassed the kind of automotive art collection that I would want for myself.
A couple days before the auction kicked off, Gooding invited me to have one last tour through the museum to see the cars getting prepped for sale. It was a wonderful afternoon, and I can’t wait to see how some of these lots fare. I hope that the people who buy these cars love them and showcase them at shows and events just like the Mullins did. Take a stroll through this slideshow to see my favorites, and let me know in the comments which ones you’d bid on.
1938 Bugatti Type 57 Aravis Special Cabriolet
Estimate: $2,500,000 - $3,500,000
The centerpiece of the auction is this 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Aravis Special Cabriolet, one of only four ever made and one of only two based on the supercharged 57C. (Bugatti made 710 Type 57 cars in total, with 96 being the 57C.) With gorgeous coachbuilt bodywork by Gangloff, this Type 57C was delivered new to Bugatti works driver Maurice Trintignant, who would go on to spend 14 years in Formula 1. Just months after delivery, Trintignant entered his new Bugatti in the Grand Prix du Comminges, where he came in 11th place overall.
After Trintignant sold the car in 1947, it went through a few owners before being purchased by the Mullins in 2002. The Mullins sent it to Sargent Metal Works in Vermont for a full concours-level restoration, and Trintignant made multiple trips to California to ensure the restoration would be as accurate as possible. The car was finished in 2005, and that year it was awarded First in Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Chassis number 57768, it has the numbers-matching engine and the original bodywork.
Here’s what Gooding has to say about this Aravis:
In the late 1930s as today, there is little that compares, both in terms of performance and style, to a Bugatti. As an original Type 57C, possessing its matching-numbers engine and exclusive Aravis bodywork, this is an exceptionally rare and immensely desirable example of what is undisputedly one of the greatest prewar automobiles.
With its ideal specification, well-documented provenance, period competition history, and prize-winning expert restoration, 57768 presents an opportunity to acquire what is very likely the finest example of the legendary Type 57 Aravis – a masterpiece that represents the embodiment of the Bugatti marque.
1933 Hispano-Suiza J12 Cabriolet
Estimate: $2,500,000 - $3,500,000
The other major lot is this gigantic, wonderful Hispano-Suiza J12 that was considered one of the stars of the Mullin’s collection. One of only around 114 J12s that are known to have been built, its Vanvooren coachwork was commissioned by the second owner in 1935. This J12 underwent a full restoration before it was acquired by the Mullins in 1991, and it has won First in Class at Pebble Beach multiple times.
Powering the J12 is a 9.4-liter V12 engine that produced 220 horsepower and had dual water pumps and two spark plugs per cylinder. Each engine block was said to be milled from a single 700-pound piece of billet metal, and the J12 used a 3-speed manual transmission.
1930 Bugatti Type 46 Semi-Profilée Coupe
Estimate: $700,000 - $900,000
With its long hood and absurdly swept-back windshield, this Bugatti Type 46 Semi-Profilée is one of my favorite cars getting auctioned off. Bugatti’s largest production model yet aside from the Type 41, these Type 46s were dubbed “La Petite Royale,” and 450 were built between 1929 and 1933. This one was originally ordered by Dr. Vladimir Boruvka, who ran a famous sanatorium in Prague, and in 1934 it was sent to Czech coachbuilder Oldřich Uhlík, who created his own coupe design and then purchased the car for himself in 1937.
This Type 46 changed hands a few more times before landing in the possession of Netherlands-based dealer Jack Braam Ruben. It then underwent a complete seven-year overhaul and received replica Semi-Profilée bodywork from Harry Kouwen. The Mullins purchased it in 2011.
1937 Delage D8-120 Three-Position Cabriolet
Estimate: $800,000 - $1,000,000
One of only 74 cars built, this Delage D8-120 was featured in the 1951 film “An American in Paris” in which Gene Kelly was chauffeured around in the back seat. It was also used in the ’50s films “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” and “Carmen Jones.” At the time this Chapron-bodied eight-cylinder roadster was painted emerald green and had a blue roof with a red interior, but after the Mullins purchased the car in 1987 it was restored and refinished in this lovely two-tone burgundy color scheme.
1938 Avions Voisin Type C30 Cabriolet
Estimate: $150,000 - $250,000
Avions Voisin is one of the wackiest and most wonderful car companies that has ever existed, and if you can believe it this Type C30 is one of the brand’s most traditional-looking automobiles. The Type C30s were the last cars produced by Voisin, and only around 30 were built. This one wears bodywork by Carrosserie Louis Dubos of Paris, and the Mullins purchased it in 2008.
1928 Avions Voisin Type C28 Recreation
Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000
This replica Type C28 was created for the 2005 film “Sahara” starring Matthew McConaughey and Penélope Cruz. The movie was based on the Dark Pitt book series by novelist Clive Cussler, who himself owned a real Voisin similar to this C28. The recreation is built on a four-wheel-drive chassis and uses a 4.2-liter Jaguar V8, and its dirty roughed-up patina even features bullet holes made for the movie scenes.
1973 Citroën DS23 Pallas
Estimate: $60,000 - $80,000
This Citroën DS23 has a factory option I don’t think I’ve seen on a DS before: A dividing wood console between the two rows of seats that has a retractable partition window. It also has a clock, a bunch of switches and controls, storage spaces for glassware and a humidor.
1967 Citroën ID19
Estimate: $30,000 - $40,000
The ID19 was the simpler, cheaper version of the DS. Introduced in 1956, a year after its big sibling, the ID initially did without some of the DS’ features like the hydropneumatic suspension and power brakes and steering, though later model years got them as options. This ID19 has a spectacular amount of style thanks to the kinda-minty paint, whitewall tires and fantastic red interior.
1924 Delage GL Skiff
Estimate: $80,000 - $120,000
With its boat-inspired styling and wood-and-metal bodywork, this Delage is the perfect project car for the eclectic collector. The Mullins acquired it as a restoration project in 2004, sending it off to specialists in California and Colorado before it returned to the museum — in pieces and in boxes — in 2015. Gooding says all of the pieces were unboxed and photographed for cataloging, and the museum installed some of the parts “to aid in assessing the vehicle in advance of the auction.”
1953 Peugeot Type 203 S3 Ambulance
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000
Gooding says this Peugeot ambulance is believed to have been used by a wool mill in Malmerspach, France. While it might look super cute on the outside, but the inside is like something from a horror movie. I definitely would not want to rest my head on those pillows.
Schlumpf Reserve Collection Bugattis
Estimates: $50,000 - $250,000 (depending on the car)
Italian-born Swiss brothers Fritz and Hans Schlumpf ran a successful textile business and amassed a collection of hundreds of cars, including the largest number of Bugattis in any one collection. After the brothers went bankrupt in the ‘70s and workers went on strike, they fled to Switzerland and the cars were seized by the French government. Much of the Schlumpf collection was turned into the Musée National Cité de l’Automobile in Alsace, France, but a large chunk of the cars were left in a barn to rot for decades before the Mullins purchased them in 2008. The cars have been left unrestored, and while a bit sad, I think it’s amazing to see vehicles like this with such varied patinas.
1947 Delahaye Type 135 MS Coupe
Estimate: $100,000 - $150,000
This barn find Delahaye has been owned by the Mullins since 1985, and it was displayed in a special diorama at the museum. Says Gooding, “as an irreplaceable example in remarkably original condition, it has provided invaluable information to those seeking a higher level of authenticity in Delahaye restoration.”
1926 Renault Type PG Sedan
Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000
Known as the Renault “Vivasix,” these were the largest car offered by the French marque at the time and featured innovations like “a silent starter fitted to the nose of the crankshaft and a radiator placed behind the engine that is cooled by fan blades on the flywheel.” I adore the orange wheels, multi-tone grey paint (and leather-wrapped roof!), expressive face and curved windshield base. The more you look at this Type PG, the more cool details you’ll see. And according to Gooding, this one may have been owned by silent film star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle.
1914 Delaunay-Belleville 1A4 Landaulet
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000
Just look at that face! Delaunay-Belleville was the first French company to have a number of features like inline-six engines and water-cooled brakes, and they were driven by people like Emperor Nicholas II of Russia. This one has coachwork from Rothschild et Fils Landaulet.
1966 Citroën 2CV Sahara
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000
What’s better than a normal Citroën 2CV with one engine? A Citroën 2CV Sahara, which came from the factory with two 12-hp engines — one up front like normal, and another mounted in the rear. This setup gave the Sahara four-wheel drive and a top speed of 65 mph, much higher than the 40-mph top speed of a normal 2CV, and it could be driven using both engines together or with either one on its own. Only 694 2CV Saharas were built and as few as 27 are left in the world, and this one is a beautifully restored example.
1960 Citroën ID19
Estimate: $4,000 - $8,000
One of the cheapest lots in the auction, this ID19 would make for a great restoration project or as the basis of an art car — the Mullins’ plan upon purchasing it in 2015 was to turn it into a recreation of Citroën’s “Balloon Car,” though that never happened.
2009 Citroën C3 Pluriel Charleston
Estimate: $8,000 - $12,000
Maybe the most Jalopnik of all the cars up for sale, the maligned Pluriel had a highly configurable roof system that could even convert the car into a roofless pickup of sorts. This Charleston special edition mimics the same color scheme of the 2CV Charleston.
1927 Citroën 5CV Trèfle
Estimate: $30,000 - $40,000
Affectionately known as the Petit Citron (or Little Lemon) because of its yellow-only paint, the 5CV was a more affordable and compact alternative to the Ford Model A. This one has an open-top body with a three-seat configuration, and it’s one of 81,000 5CVs that were built in total.
1929 Magnat-Debon Type BST
Estimate: $8,000 - $12,000
This Magnat-Debon bike has a single-cylinder motor and a three-speed transmission, plus monogrammed silencers, tool bags, and a cool motor oil jug mounted to the front wheel. Gooding says these motorcycles are “exceptionally rare” in the U.S., and this one is completely original.
1954 Renault 4CV Berline
Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000
I’m just obsessed with the rear fender vent on this ‘lil thing. The 4CV was a rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive family car, and more than 1.1 million were produced between 1947 and 1961. This one is fitted with a larger 845-cc Ventoux engine from a Renault Dauphine.
1939 Peugeot 202 Berline
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000
It’s hard to think of a more unique, endearing face than those worn by the streamlined Peugeots of this era. The 202 was Peugeot’s “peoples’ car,” designed after taking customer feedback at the 1937 Paris Auto Salon to better understand what the French public wanted from their cars. Like the larger and more luxurious 302 and 402, these small four-doors have a shield-shaped grille that contains inset headlights, and a fantastic lion’s head hood ornament. Out of 104,000 built in total only around 20 of these are known to be in the U.S., with production starting in 1938, pausing in 1942 and resuming from 1945 to 1949.
1928 Hispano-Suiza 12NB Aircraft Engine
Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000
Yup, that’s a freakin’ V12 engine for an airplane. Hispano-Suiza produced motors for planes and boats as early as World War I and into the 1950s, and this series of V12s debuted in 1928 with nitride hardening and wet cylinder liners that improved cooling and reliability. A 12NB engine like this one powered the first nonstop flight from Europe to the U.S. in 1930. The history of this specific engine isn’t known, and Gooding doesn’t say whether or not it is still operational, but it comes with a nice rolling display stand.
Bugatti Horse-Drawn Carriages
Estimates: $5,000 - $15,000
Yes, these really are horse carts made by Bugatti. Company founder Ettore Bugatti was a big equestrian, and these carriages were built in the 1930s and used at his estates and the Molsheim factory by Ettore and other members of the Bugatti family.
Lady Of The Lake
While not up for sale, the most spectacular vehicle at the Mullin is the Lady of the Lake, a 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia Roadster that was submerged in Italy’s Lake Maggiore for nearly 75 years. It was originally owned by an architect living in France who then moved to Switzerland and took the car with him, but didn’t pay its import duty fees. When he left Switzerland he sold the car, and instead of paying the mounting fees the new owner decided to push the car into the lake in 1936 instead, where it sat undiscovered 50 meters below the surface until 1967. The Bugatti was finally rescued in 2009, and it sold at auction for nearly $300,000 a few months later.
