The national car Museum is home to an exceptional collection of horse-drawn vehicles from the 17th century to the 20th century, as well as a number of the other vehicles and bicycles, and a large collection of the pictures on the topic of transport.
- Visit the museums
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Self-Guided Tours
Guided Tours
These visits are carried out by speakers from the Réunion des Musées Nationaux (extra charge in addition to entry fee)
The national car Museum was opened in 1927 at the initiative of the Touring Club de France thanks to the determination of its vice president Léon Auscher, a car body designer by profession. The creation of this museum was supported by the grand car body designers present at the World Fairs who wanted to establish a history of the terrestrial locomotion and help protect the heritage of horse-drawn vehicles and motorised vehicles which at the time were threatened by the major changes to road transport at the turn of the 19th and 20th century.
Today it provides an overview of the history of the transportation of people, and in particular of the transition from animal traction to the automobile, presenting vehicles from Europe and other continents.
Its first class collection includes around one hundred horse-drawn vehicles dating back to the 17th century up to the beginning of the 20th century, around thirty vehicles showing the birth of this method of transport, a section devoted to the history of the bicycle and even pieces illustrating the domains of rail transport, human traction and porterage.
