Ride of the Week! Hundreds of Millions at the Mullin Museum

The other day, I had an amazing opportunity to head north out of Malibu to Oxnard for the launch of an all-new French coachbuilt exhibit at the Mullin Automotive Museum. (Watch the Vlog!)

Head honcho Peter Mullin and his wife, Merle were on hand to introduce us to the new featured cars.

About 50 cars were on display, ranging from the late 1800s through the ’20s and ’30s art deco period. Now, I’ve been to the Mullin before and seen their Citroen exhibit, but this new one capped it by Peter and Merle displaying incredible examples of rolling sculpture from coachbuilders like Voisin, Bugatti, Chapron, Bertoni and others.

Overall, hundreds of millions in incredible art.

Also featured was painted art from artist Keith Collins, who revealed two new massive pieces for the museum. I spent the first hour with professional docent Tessa Crane as she took me through the site and spoke in detail about each vehicle’s history and its ultimate landing there. My favorite story was that of the 1939 Delahaye that sat in a barn in Fresno for kids to play in for years.

I am super grateful for the team at the Mullin and Kahn Media for inviting me up, but the best part was hanging with Peter and hearing the story of his favorite car, pictured here. It was a teardrop Talbot Lago that captured his heart and set him on the French car journey.

There are very few car museums that really hyper-focus their lots like the Mullin Museum does with French cars. And what is on display is, it seems, a small part of Peter’s collection.

We had an incredible lunch and perused the collection for several hours. If you’re so inclined to experience a wonderful and historical account of French automotive history, then head to Oxnard’s Mullin Museum for a rich meander through design, art and coachbuilt execution. You’ll be glad you did.

And this brings me to my final thought.

Peter and Merle have been known as generous philanthropists for many years. And as people do different things with their collections, the Mullins have created a space that educates, entertains and sends the viewer through a historical account that would otherwise be lost.

A stunning display, much like the Louvre, the Mullin Automotive Museum gives an incredible presentation where one can get lost in the moment. This has become a personal journey for them, steeped in love, art and passion.

Peter’s desire to share and give his connection to the French sculpts heightens the awareness of visitors.

Again, I’m truly grateful to them for their invitation and eloquent service to the automotive enthusiast.

For an inside look, watch Episode 717 of my show Fireball Malibu Vlog online or on The Auto Channel. If you’re up in the air about making the drive, you won’t be for too long. It was worth every mile.

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