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Kellner Carriage
"Break de Chasse", 1800s
Break de Chasse>
Designed for breaking in horses, this carriage hints at the Carrosserie Kellner’s future luxurious coachwork. Kellner et ses Fils was one of the most prominent coachbuilders in Paris, founded by Georges Kellner in 1860. The company passed to his son, Georges Jr. and eventually his son, Jacques, who began building bodywork for luxury motorcars such as Hispano-Suiza, Rolls-Royce, Delage and Renault. Famously, one of the six Bugatti Royales was bodied by the Carrosserie Kellner.
This style of carriage is called a Break de Chasse, derived from the Break carriage, a simple carriage where the coachman sits on a high seat to properly break in the horses. They were widely used for hunting excursions but could easily be adapted for various purposes. This carriage was built for the Van Hoboken family in Rotterdam, Netherlands and bears their coat of arms on the side. They were one of the last aristocratic families in Rotterdam to regularly use a carriage when automobiles were already in fashion.
The 1922 Renault Phaeton at the Mullin Automotive Museum is another beautiful example of Kellner coachwork. This carriage was a part of Jean Philippe Felix Marie de Neree tot Babberich’s collection in the Netherlands, and joined the Mullin Collection in 2014.
Coachbuilder | Georges kellner |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | unavailable |
Rear brakes type | Friction Shoe Type Brakes |
Front suspension type | Full Elliptic Leaf Springs |
Rear suspension type | Full Elliptic Leaf Springs |
Displacement | 0 |
BHP at RPM | 2 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Labourdette “Dog Cart”
1800s
A Coachbuilder's Carriage>
French blacksmith Jean-Baptiste Labourdette founded Henri Labourdette Carrossier in 1858, shortly after the birth of his son Henri. His firm became one of the oldest and best known carriage builders of the 1800s, specializing in strong but lightweight carriages. This style of carriage is called a two-wheeled dog cart, which was originally designed for sporting shooters and included a box underneath or behind the seat for retriever dogs.
In the late nineteenth century, son Henri-Jean took over the firm and brought new design ideas to many clients, including Empress Eugénie and eventual race car driver Chevalier René de Knyff. With the firm’s well-established reputation, he was able to make a successful transition to automobiles. He specialized in light and elegant coachwork and had a sales showroom in Madrid and on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. In 1921, Henri’s son, Jean-Henri, was asked to design coachwork that was light and comfortable with a torpedo shape, thus creating the Labourdette skiff design. The museum’s Hispano-Suiza H6B is an example of this style of coachwork.
This carriage was a part of Jean Philippe Felix Marie de Neree tot Babberich’s collection in the Netherlands, and joined the Mullin Collection in 2014.
Coachbuilder | Labourdette Carrossier |
Front brakes type | Friction Shoe Type Brakes |
Rear brakes type | Friction Shoe Type Brakes |
Front suspension type | Two Semi-Elliptic Leaf Springs |
Rear suspension type | One Transverse Semi-Elliptic Leaf Spring |
Engine Number | Unavailable |
Million-Guiet Phaeton
Carriage, 1800s
Before designing iconic Art Deco coachwork, the Million-Guiet firm specialized in high quality carriages such as this Phaeton. >
Founded in 1852 as a trading company by Eugene Million and Michael Guiet, Million-Guiet began producing harnesses for horses, and in 1860 they started producing light buggies, wagons and carriages. An American subsidiary allowed the company’s name recognition to grow overseas. By 1864, the company turned its focus to coachbuilding and went by the name of Million-Guiet et Cie. Following the death of the founders in the early 1890s, the business passed to Michael’s son Auguste Guiet.
This carriage style is called a Phaeton, a term used in the early nineteenth century for a sporty, open carriage drawn by one or two horses, typically with four large wheels. The name Phaeton comes from the mythical Phaëton, son of Helios, who nearly set the Earth on fire while attempting to drive the Chariot of the Sun.
This Phaeton has been fully restored in Belgium by famous restorer, Patrick Schroven. Another admirable example of Million-Guiet coachwork is the fantastic Bugatti Type 50 in the Mullin Collection. This carriage was part of Jean Philippe Felix Marie de Neree tot Babberich’s collection in the Netherlands, and joined the Mullin Collection in 2014.
Coachbuilder | Miillion-Guiet et Cie. |
Period | 1800s |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | unavailable |
Front brakes type | Friction Shoe Type Brakes |
Rear brakes type | Friction Shoe Type Brakes |
Front suspension type | Leaf Springs Front and Rear |
Rear suspension type | Leaf Springs Front and Rear |
Displacement | 0 |
BHP at RPM | 1 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Renault Carriage
"Victoria Park", 1890s
A Classic Carriage>
This Park Victoria carriage is a classic showcase of the styling, lines and early technology that carried over from carriages to automobiles.This carriage is a Park Victoria, a comfortable, open four-wheeled carriage with two small front wheels and two large rear wheels with accommodation for four or five passengers. It features leather fenders to protect passengers from debris, and a suspension system that would have brought an unprecedented level of comfort to its passengers. The carriage also features a retractable roof and no doors. This Park Victoria is exceptionally rare due to its original, unrestored condition.
If imagining this carriage with doors and a front end, it is possible to see the resemblance between early automobiles and carriages of this era. This Park Victoria was used at a French chateau and then was part of Jean Philippe Felix Marie de Neree tot Babberich’s Dutch collection before joining the Mullin Collection in 2014.
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | Unavailable |
Front brakes type | Friction Shoe Type Brakes |
Rear brakes type | Friction Shoe Type Brakes |
Front suspension type | Full Elliptic Leaf Springs |
Rear suspension type | Three-quarter Elliptic Leaf Springs |
Displacement | 0 |
BHP at RPM | 1 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Panhard & Levassor Type B1
Rear-Entrance Tonneau, 1902
Systeme Panhard>
The Type B1’s Systeme Panhard provided a standard for the new auto industry—a chassis with a front-mounted engine, clutch to sliding gears and final drive to the back axle by chain.In 1891 René Panhard and Émile Levassor secured a place in history by developing the Systeme Panhard. The configuration—a chassis with a front-mounted engine, clutch to sliding gears and final drive to the back axle by chain—was adopted by other manufacturers for decades to come. The Type B1 was one of the first Panhard & Levassor vehicles to showcase the Systeme Panhard; it was produced with a Daimler four-cylinder inline engine as early as 1896.
Panhard & Levassor was one of the most prestigious French marques to produce cars for the public at the turn of the century, beginning with gasoline-powered engines in the 1870s. Its first engines, licensed from Gottlieb Daimler, were sold to fellow visionary Arnold Peugeot in 1890. From 1895 to 1900 Panhard & Levassor won 15 out of 22 races they entered. Many of their construction techniques were transferred to their aero-engine business.
Chassis 3332 has been a frequent entrant among the pre-1905 cars in the Veteran Car Run from London to Brighton. Previous owner John Bentley participated six times before turning the car over to Peter Mullin in 2009.
Coachbuilder | Panhard & Levassor factory |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | 30 |
Front brakes type | Manual rear band |
Rear brakes type | Manual rear band |
Front suspension type | Leaf springs |
Rear suspension type | Leaf springs |
Engine number | 3332 |
Type | Inline |
Number of cylinders | 4 |
Bore x stroke | 80 x 120 |
Displacement | 2 |
BHP at 1,000 rpm RPM | 8 |
Gearbox | 3-speed manual |
Number of gears | 3 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Richard-Braiser Type-D
1905
A Transitional Coach>
The Type D by Richard-Brasier and House Deshayes bridges the gap early on between regal carriage and stately automobile.
Though their partnership lasted less than four years, the Richard-Brasier company managed to create some of early France’s fastest cars. The company was founded in 1902 by Georges Richard and Charles-Henri Brasier. Richard had a license to build cars but little engineering and design expertise. The addition of Charles-Henri Brasier’s production skill and guidance, formerly Chief Engineer at the Mors motorcar factory, proved to be significant. The firm introduced state of the art features such as a vertical mounted engine and shock absorbers, features which allowed their models to be driven to success in the 1904 and 1905 Gordon Bennett Cup races.
House Deshayes was founded in 1853 in Avesnes, located in the north of France. While they originally built horse-drawn carriages, in 1900 they began producing coachwork for early cars and became Deshayes Freres & Courtois. In 1905 they collaborated with Richard-Brasier to create this Type D which bears quite a bit of resemblance to carriages.
This Brasier was owned by Maurice Marques in 1987, and was exhibited in a Swiss museum before joining the Mullin collection in 2006.
Coachbuilder | Deshayes Freres & Courtois |
Chassis number | 11 AL 2450 |
Acceleration | 0 |
Rear brakes type | Mechanical Rear Drum Brakes |
Front suspension type | Leaf Springs |
Rear suspension type | Leaf Springs |
Engine number | 11 D |
Number of cylinders | 4 |
Engine layout | Inline Four-Cylinder Engine |
Displacement | 0 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Renault Type CB Laundaulet
1910
Brass Bombshell>
The Renault marque is one of the oldest in France, and as such was at the forefront of creating beautiful brass coachwork. This Landaulet features a striking brass steering column, horn and headlamps.
In 1899 Louis Renault and his brothers, Marcel and Fernand, launched Renault Freres—a company that has remained dominant in the French automobile market. Louis gained engineering prestige by developing a direct drive gearshift mechanism in 1898 for a voiturette that climbed the Montmartre hill in Paris. Early Renaults featured a distinctive “coal scuttle” hood and a radiator that protruded on each side of the engine. The radiator’s unique position utilized thermo-siphon or convection cooling in which increased temperature provided more circulation and cooling to the engine. This eliminated the need for a water pump.
Chassis 32862 was specially produced by Renault Freres “For USA Colonies and Cuba” and bodied by Brewster & Co. of New York. Brewster was an American coachbuilder immortalized in 1934 by the Cole Porter song “You’re The Top,” which included the phrase “you’re a Brewster body.” This example features artillery type wheels with wooden spokes in iron rims. It has leather fenders, a luxurious passenger compartment and a minimalist yet elegant dash. The brass headlamps were made by the Vesta Accumulator Company of Chicago, a supplier of electrical equipment and batteries from 1897 to 1964.
Coachbuilder | Brewster & Co. |
Chassis number | 32862 |
Body type | Landaulet |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | unavailable |
Chassis features | Rear Drive Open Drive Shaft |
Rear brakes type | Mechanical Rear Drum Brakes |
Front suspension type | Leaf Springs |
Rear suspension type | Leaf Springs |
Engine number | 2245 |
Type | Inline Four-Cylinder Cast in Pairs Engine |
Number of cylinders | 4 |
Displacement | 0 |
Fuel feed system | Juhasz Single Updraft Carburetor |
Engine capacity & output | unavailable |
Gearbox | Three-Speed Manual Gearbox |
Number of gears | 3 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Hispano-Suiza Type 45CR
King Alfonso XIII , 1911
The Original Sports Car >
In July 1911 the newly established French branch of the illustrious Hispano-Suiza marque rolled out its first chassis in royal style—the four-cylinder King Alfonso XIII. Hispano-Suiza became famous with the introduction of voiturette racecars, which showcased their quality and capabilities at sporting events during the early twentieth century. The Mullin’s 1911 Type 45 is one of the last of these thoroughbreds—a significant artifact from the pioneering days of automotive design that has miraculously survived more than one hundred years and two world wars.
Hispano-Suiza owner and engineer Marc Birkigt was known for building fantastic machines. The Type 45’s low chassis and engine placement—closer to the rear—created a balanced structure that moved well on the track through both straightaways and turns. These innovative engineering principles became the hallmark of supercars built for speed, leading many experts to conclude that the Type 45 Alfonso XIII was among the world’s first sports cars. Its maximum speed, about eighty miles per hour, was quite a feat.
The automobile’s prestige was enhanced by its namesake, Hispano-Suiza patron King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Alfonso XIII was a supporter of the native Spanish marque and acquired one of the first Hispano-Suiza Type 15s produced in Spain. During 1910 social unrest in Spain hampered production, prompting the company to open a French branch in 1911 after the model’s success at the Paris Auto Salon. The French factory assembled the Spanish parts and distributed the Type 45 throughout Europe. The Mullin Type 45 is the first chassis produced in the Type 45CR’s second series at the French Hispano-Suiza branch in Paris.
The Mullin Type 45CR is the first chassis produced in the second “89” series. Construction began in April 1911 at the French Hispano-Suiza branch in Paris. Albert Roulinat of Villeneuve-sur-Yonne ordered the car new on September 4, 1911. An avid sportsman, Roulinat participated in several competitions and rallies before he was forced to sell the Hispano-Suiza in 1914 due to business problems.
Little is known about this car’s subsequent history until its remains were purchased in the 1960s by Francisco de la Rocha, a former Hispano-Suiza dealer from the Spanish region of Galicia. After his death, de la Rocha’s family sold his collection of almost forty Hispano-Suizas to marque historian Emilio Polo, who later sold this car to Patricio Chadwick.
Patricio Chadwick and Emilio Polo believed that this car’s short 7 4/5-foot chassis and historical significance warranted extensive research. In 2001 the noted collector Jorge Fernandez purchased the car and commissioned its
restoration at Chadwick’s Barcelona shop. Peter Mullin purchased the car in July 2004 after the restoration was finished, and it is now owned by the Mullin Automotive Museum.
Coachbuilder | Factory |
Chassis number | 814 |
Profile type | Grand Prix |
Body type | Voiturette |
Number made | 25, second series |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | Unavailable |
Rear brakes type | Cable-operated |
Length | 12' 3' |
Height (Ground line to highest roof) | 4' 4" |
Width | 5' 5" |
Engine number | 814 |
Type | Inline |
Number of cylinders | 4 |
Engine construction | Monoblock |
Displacement | 3616 |
Displacement | 64 |
Gearbox | Manual |
Number of gears | 3 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Panhard et Levassor X17
Sedanca de Ville, 1911
An Early Adapter>
Panhard et Levassor created vehicles that were dependable and innovative, while they worked with coachbuilders to create bodies that were visually reminiscent of carriages with features like an open driver’s seat and paneled body.
Inventors of the modern transmission, Louis-René Panhard and Emile Levassor introduced a sliding gear manual transmission in 1894. This technology evolved into the traditional drivetrain layout that has become a standard feature in most automobiles produced in the second half of the twentieth century.
This layout featured a front engine with the crankshaft aligned longitudinally with the chassis and a gearbox behind that transmitted its power to the rear wheels via a chain drive. The chain drive was modified to a shaft drive by Renault, but the overall layout was Panhard’s.
The X17 was introduced in 1911 and production continued until 1915. This model featured the Knight sleeve valve engine licensed by Panhard just one year earlier. This double sleeve configuration used connecting rods to actuate sleeves covering and uncovering the inlet and exhaust ports on the valves. Panhard used this silent and reliable form of valve gear as the basis for all their models up until 1939.
Chassis 23685 features three-quarter elliptic leaf springs consisting of two semi-elliptic sets, one inverted on top of the other in both the front and rear, to provide a truly comfortable ride (See in Spec Overview, the rear leaf springs are not full). The driver’s instruments include a speedometer that records up to 80 kilometers per hour, a trip and total distance odometer and a switch to send acetylene to the headlamps. There is no fuel gauge.
Coachbuilder | Henri Binder |
Chassis number | 23685 |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | Unavailable |
Chassis features | Rear Drive Shaft Configuration |
Rear brakes type | Internal Expanding Rear Drum Brakes |
Front suspension type | Semi-Elliptic Leaf Springs |
Displacement | Three-Quarter Elliptic Leaf Springs |
Engine number | 23685 |
Number of cylinders | 4 |
Engine layout | Four-Cylinder F-Head Monobloc |
Displacement | 0 |
Fuel feed system | Single Side Draft Zenith Carburetor |
Engine capacity & output | Unavailable |
Gearbox | Four-Speed Manual Gearbox |
Number of gears | 4 |
0 |
Delaunay Belleville Omnibus
1912
The Seat of the Czar>
The advent of a quiet yet powerful petrol machine, dressed with an elegant and plush interior, transformed the art of grand touring for royalty throughout the world.
Over the years, the once great marque and builder of the world’s first supercars, Delaunay Belleville, has been largely forgotten.
At the turn of the century, a supercar was not the faster-than-sound, lighter-than-air sports car that we know today. It was an impeccably reliable machine that exuded the comfort and luxury coveted by royal and wealthy consumers. Delaunay Belleville machines were at the head of this field, having a reputation on par with Rolls- Royce before and after World War I. Czar Nicholas II of Russia famously had ten Delaunay Bellevilles. His motoring reputation changed the face of Russian infrastructure, introducing motorization to a new Russian market. The Mullin Omnibus, built in 1912, features ample coachwork that combined with the chassis is nearly nine feet tall. The spacious interior was specially designed to carry royal passengers and their belongings, neatly stowed on the roof’s luggage rack, between Russian palaces in Saint Petersburg and Yalta. The driver, left exposed to the elements, would have likely endured quite a chilly ride.
Delaunay Bellevilles were handcrafted machines known for their quality of construction, materials, and precise machining. Delaunay Belleville was one of the first to use four separate cylinders in its engines, and its cars are often identified by their unique barrel-like hood—a shape reminiscent of the company’s steam boilers and engines made for leading navies around the world.
The car was purchased from Daniel Ward in the United Kingdom, and was on long-term display at the Musée de l’automobiliste in Mougins, France, founded in 1984 by automobile aficionados André Binda, Antoine Raffaeli, and Adrien Maeght.It was acquired by the Mullin Automotive Museum in 2008.
Coachbuilder | La Carrosserie Industrielle |
Chassis number | 3197 |
Profile type | Touring |
Body type | Limousine |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | 130 |
Rear brakes type | Drum |
Length | 15' 10' |
Height (Ground line to highest roof) | 9' |
Width | 6' |
Engine number | 3197 |
Number of cylinders | 4 |
Displacement | 0 |
Engine capacity & output | Unavailable |
Transmission | Chain drive |
Gearbox | Manual |
Number of gears | 4 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Peugeot Model BP1 Bebe
1913
Bugatti Design for Peugeot>
A mutually beneficial partnership between the Bugatti and Peugeot marques resulted in this baby voiturette—quick, dependable, and the highest-selling Bugatti vehicle of all time.
In 1911, Ettore Bugatti endeavored to create lightweight and robust cars, which led to the design of the BP1 or Bébé. At that time, Bugatti production was slow to the point that production was outsourced. Local carrosseries and firms frequently partnered with the Molsheim, France based company.
The BP1 license was originally offered to German company Wanderer, but they turned it down and it went instead to Peugeot, an established name in automobile manufacturing. Giving the design license to Peugeot benefitted both Bugatti and the French marque; a source of much needed capital was generated for Bugatti’s operation and Peugeot created a unit that secured their place at the forefront of French light car design.
Bugatti’s Bébé utilized reversed quarter-elliptical rear springs, which soon became a Bugatti trademark. Other advanced features included were rack and pinion steering and a driveshaft instead of the chain drive frequently used in other voiturettes, or small cars, of the time. The Bébé was considered modern looking for 1912 and constituted 80 percent of Peugeot production in its first year. This model was produced from 1913 to 1916 and totaled approximately 3,000 units, including exports to other countries.
Coachbuilder | Factory |
Chassis number | 10252 |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | unavailable |
Front brakes type | No Front Brakes |
Rear brakes type | (2) Rear-Wheel Mechanically-Operated Drum Brakes |
Front suspension type | Solid Front Axle with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs |
Rear suspension type | Live Rear Axle with Reversed Quarter-Elliptical Leaf Springs |
Number of cylinders | 4 |
Engine layout | Inline Four-Cylinder Engine |
Displacement | 850 |
BHP at RPM | 6 |
Gearbox | Four-Speed Manual Gearbox |
Overdrive | 0 |
Voisin Type C1
Limousine , 1919
The Marque's First >
The debut of the Knight sleeve-valve Type C1 at the 1919 Paris Auto Salon marked the dawn of the golden age of Voisin and set the bar for impeccably engineered luxury autos.
The Type C1 was the first of Gabriel Voisin’s automobiles. Under its very conservative lines, this model set the foundation for Voisin‘s automotive pursuits and began to reveal some of his styling and technical preferences.
Voisin had been presented with the idea of creating an automobile in 1917, when engineers Ernest Artault and Louis Dufresne introduced him to their designs for a chassis powered by a Knight sleeve-valve engine. Voisin favored the simplicity, power, and quiet of the sleeve-valve engine in contrast to the loud and inefficient models then provided by other manufacturers. Voisin cars became known for their virtual silence, a feature that appealed to the luxury coach clientele. Beginning with the Type C1, the sleeve-valve engine was used on all subsequent Voisin models until the Type C30 in 1937.
The Voisin Type C1’s debut was much anticipated—Voisin was one of the first manufacturers to produce a luxury automobile after World War I, and the car’s success at the 1919 Paris Auto Salon was instantaneous. The engine block was cast iron, the sump was aluminum, and the factory coachwork was conventional.
This car was ordered by a Normandy industrialist, the head of Société des Hauts Fourneaux de Rouen, a steel company in Rouen, who resided in Grand-Quevilly. The car remained the longtime property of the same man before being stored at the Le Mans Auto Museum for many years. The Mullin Automotive Museum acquired it in 2008.
Coachbuilder | Factory |
804 | 804 |
Body type | Limousine |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | Unavailable |
Front brakes type | Drum |
Rear brakes type | Drum |
Length | 16' 2" |
Height (Ground line to highest roof) | 6' 5" |
width | 5' 7" |
Type | Inline |
Number of cylinders | 4 |
Displacement | 3969 |
Distribution | Knight sleeve-valves |
BHP at 2400 RPM | 75 |
Gearbox | Manual |
Number of gears | 4 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Bugatti Type 23
Brescia, 1922
Bitten by the Bug>
Small, quick, and fun to drive—the Brescia Bugatti stole the heart of voiturette racers around the globe.After World War I, Ettore Bugatti unearthed the Type 13 for the 1920 Grand Prix des Voiturettes at Le Mans. Using six-year-old technology that had been hidden during the war, Ettore lost no time in capitalizing on the renewed interest in racing. He won the race and launched the Bugatti name.
In 1921, four of these new models competed in the Italian Grand Prix des Voiturettes near Brescia, Italy. They came in first, second, third, and fourth place and set a new speed record that averaged seventy-two miles per hour over three hours. After this resounding victory, the Type 13 became known as the Brescia. It dominated early voiturette racing in Europe, winning numerous events and continuing to build the Bugatti name.
About two thousand Brescia models were built between 1920 and 1926 ranging from Types 13-27. The Type 23 Brescia model was introduced in 1922. As was typical for the time, only the rear wheels were equipped with brakes, enhancing the legendary claim that Bugatti built his cars to go, not stop.
Although few models exist today, their charm has not dwindled. Enthusiasts such as the Mullin Brescia’s previous owner, J. L. Kearney, pursue these autos as diligent researchers, carefully documenting provenance and ensuring the restoration accurately meets factory specifications. When Kearney first purchased the car in 1949, it arrived in boxes, and he began the painstaking process of piecing it back together. At some point author and Bugatti scholar Hugh Conway urged Kearney to determine the factory production date of the chassis. Thus began the chase. Using old tax records, he managed to track down many of the original owners. Meeting with each one, he collected miscellaneous pieces of the puzzle, and acquired even more pieces of the car itself. The restoration was completed in 1958. “Bitten by the Bug,” the story of Kearney’s quest for, and restoration of, the Brescia was published in Bugantics magazine in 1959.
The rolling chassis for the Bugatti Type 23 was produced and sent to the company’s showroom in Paris In 1922.>
At the time, the Bugatti factory did not create bodies for its cars, and the coachbuilder for this car remains unknown. Records indicate that in 1925, a wealthy gentleman from Londonderry, in northern Ireland, purchased the car. The Irishman drove his Brescia until about 1930, when it was put in storage. Londonderry tax records from 1939 indicate that the original body was removed and the car was dismantled.
In 1949 J. L. Kearney found the Brescia in Belfast, bought it, and began the process of reassembly and restoration. Of the original coachwork, only the firewall, hood, radiator, and seats remained. The original chassis and driveline were intact. It took Kearney nearly ten years, but the restoration was completed in 1958. Author and Bugatti scholar Hugh Conway owned the car from 1961 until 1971. It then passed through the hands of a number of European owners until Peter Mullin purchased the car in Germany in 2008.
Coachbuilder | Unknown |
Chassis number | 1361 |
Profile type | Touring |
Body type | Voiturette |
Number made | 2006 |
Production span | 1920-1926 |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | 72 |
Rear brakes type 3 | Cable-operated |
Front suspension type | Live axles with semieliptical leaf springs |
Rear suspension type | Reversed quarter-elliptical leaf springs |
Length | 12' 2" |
Height (Ground line to highest roof) | 4' 7" |
Width | 4' 8" |
Type | Inline |
Number of cylinders | 4 |
Bore x stroke | 65 mm x 100 mm |
Displacement | 1496 |
Distribution | Single overhead camshaft |
BHP at 3800 RPM | 45 |
Gearbox | Manual |
Number of gears | 4 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Hispano-Suiza Type H6B
"Skiff Torpedo" , 1922
Hispano-Suiza's Jewel>
Hispano-Suiza was known for refined chassis featuring the latest automotive innovations. When the H6 was introduced in 1919, it was one of the highest-quality chassis in the world. Hispano-Suiza brought out a new extraordinary model at the 1919 Paris Auto Salon—the Type H6—and it was soon followed by its variations: the Types H6B and H6C. The showpiece of the Type H6 was its enormous six- cylinder engine built with traditional Hispano-Suiza refinement devoid of avant-garde technology.
In 1922, wealthy French patron Suzanne Deutsch de la Meurthe purchased this new Hispano-Suiza H6B chassis and asked that it be delivered to Henri Labourdette for a skiff torpédo body. Jean-Henri developed the firm’s iconic “skiff” design in 1912 for a 20CV Panhard & Levassor chassis. This wooden design was inspired by the torpedo shapes of boats.
Little is known about this vehicle’s history until the 1970s when French collector Hervé Charbonneaux purchased the chassis, engine and body separately from one another and attempted to restore the vehicle. After numerous failed restoration attempts, the project was sold and subsequently changed owners until 1999, when marque historian Jules Heumann learned of the body’s authenticity. He was dedicated to its preservation and, therefore, purchased and completed its restoration. In 2008 Heumann exhibited the car at Pebble Beach.
Coachbuilder | Labourdette |
Chassis number | 12198 |
Profile type | Touring |
Body type | Coupé |
Number made | 1 of 2,614 |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | Unavailable |
Front brakes type | 4-wheel servo-assisted drum |
Rear brakes type | 4-wheel servo-assisted drum |
Front suspension type | Live axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs |
Length | 16' 4" |
Height (Ground line to highest roof) | 5' 8" |
Width | 6' 1" |
Engine number | 301224 |
Type | Inline |
Number of cylinders | 6 |
Engine construction | Aluminum |
Displacement | 6 |
BHP at 3,800 rpm RPM | 135 |
Gearbox | 3-speed manual |
Number of gears | 3 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Renault Phaeton Landaulet
Type JV , 1922
A Convertible Limousine>
Coachbuilder Georges Kellner’s unique convertible body was the perfect pairing for Renault’s powerful limousine chassis. At the turn of the century, Renault’s range of products spanned the spectrum from airplanes to world-record-setting automobiles. Of all its models, the forty-horsepower Type JV topped the Renault catalogue.
Renault earned an indelible place in French automotive history with its Kellner collaboration on the Type JV Phaeton Landaulet. Most impressive in the range of Renault 1922 offerings, the 40 horsepower Type JV was described in sales brochures as “very flexible, having a large reserve of power at all speeds.” The 17.5-foot long model, even with its established power capabilities, benefitted from Renault’s patented power-assisted brakes.
Carrosserie Kellner was known as one of the best coachbuilders in France. They were charged with designing a Phaeton Landaulet body (a long, semi-enclosed limousine style model) on the Type JV chassis for the French Presidential fleet, which formerly consisted exclusively of Voisins. The chauffeur-driven touring style with a convertible top hearkens to its carriage history and was well-suited to the parades of government officials and visiting dignitaries. The sophisticated system that transformed the closed top arrangement into a full cabriolet appearance was a major advancement for the time.
The Mullin Collection’s Phaeton Landaulet was imported to the United States by the Kellner Coachbuilding firm’s New York subsidiary in February 1922.>
The car was in the Klein collection in Pennsylvania until 1973, then in the collection of Bud Josey (owner of Dunedin’s Horseless Carriage Shop in Florida). In 1974 the car returned to Europe, where it was owned by several private collectors in Germany and Switzerland. It was sold at Christie’s in Paris, then again at Coy’s of Kensington in London. The magnificent Renault returned to the United States in 2003 to be featured in its new home, the Mullin Automotive Collection.
Coachbuilder | Kellner |
Chassis number | 102304 |
Number made | 42 |
Production span | 1922–1923 |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | 80 |
Front brakes type | Power assisted |
Rear brakes type | Power assisted |
Front suspension type | Leaf springs |
Rear suspension type | Leaf springs |
Length | 19' |
Height (Ground line to highest roof) | 6' 6" |
Width | 7' 3" |
Engine number | 194 |
Type | Inline |
Number of cylinders | 6 |
Bore x stroke | 110 mm x 160 mm |
Displacement | 9120 |
Engine capacity & output | unavailable |
Transmission | Rear drive |
Gearbox | Manual |
Number of gears | 4 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Voisin Type C3 S
Grand Prix , 1922
The Strasbourg Grand Prix>
Gabriel Voisin first achieved notoriety on the track with the Type C3 S—whose windand regulation-bending coachwork famously swept the podium at the 1922 Grand Prix du Tourisme in Strasbourg.
Building upon his aviation experience, Voisin crafted a narrow torpédo shape reminiscent of airplane bodies, with an engine block that was anchored in a low, forward position on the chassis. Voisin believed that this configuration balanced the car by placing the center of
gravity—the heaviest portion of the vehicle—in front of the center of aerodynamic pressure. This distribution allowed the car to slip through the air pressure created by the car’s speed and to resist turbulent lateral forces. The effect was increased handling, functionality, and safety at speed. To achieve this aerodynamic form, Voisin outwitted the Automobile Club de France’s regulations requiring a minimum width of 1.30 meters for the body. To meet the width requirement, he added streamlined running boards that extended beyond the body—an innovative trick that caused a scandal.
According to French Voisin expert Philippe Moch, this car in is a partial re-creation of the Strasbourg Type C3 S racecar built on a Voisin Type C3 chassis, which became a C5 chassis (Chassis 2718). The chassis is reported to be that of Car 12, driven at Strasbourg by Henri Rougier, while the body is new. The decision to re-create the car was made in light of the fact that all originals had been destroyed, and the fervent desire to honor the Type C3 S and its place in automotive history.
Chassis 2718 was re-created by Voisin marque expert Phillipe Moch from a Type C5 chassis that had been modified earlier from a Type C3 S chassis.>
The car was acquired by the Mullin Automotive Museum in 2009.
Coachbuilder | Recreation by Philipp Moch |
Chassis numbe | 2718 |
Body type | Grand Prix |
Number made | 90 |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | unavailable |
Front brakes type | Drum |
Rear brakes type | Drum |
Front suspension type | Solid axle with semielliptical leaf springs with friction shock absorbers |
Rear suspension type | Live axle with semielliptical leaf springs and friction shock absorber |
Length | 14' 8" |
Height (Ground line to highest roof) | 4' 10" |
Width | 5' 9" |
Engine number | 2624 |
Type | Inline |
Number of cylinders | 4 |
Displacement | 3969 |
Distribution | Knight sleeve-valves |
BHP at 3600 RPM | 120 |
Gearbox | Manual |
Number of gears | 3 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Voisin Type C3 L
Limousine, 1923
A Voisin Passenger Car>
Gabriel Voisin developed a new passenger line that was designed with luxury and aerodynamics in mind. The Type C3 L was one of the first models to undergo wind-tunnel testing to determine stability under speed and wind resistance—a scientific consideration necessitated by Voisin’s passion for aerodynamic efficiency.
The Type C3 was the first car designed by Voisin’s chief engineer of passenger cars, Marius Bernard. Bernard was an aircraft engineer at Panhard & Levassor and met Voisin by chance when he crash-landed his plane at the Villacoublay airfield near Paris. Voisin helped pull the pilot from the smoking wreckage. An introduction was made, and Bernard began working for Voisin a few months later. Bernard’s background in aerodynamics provided the basis for many of the innovative designs produced for the Voisin marque, including the Type C3 L Limousine.
The Type C3 L (or long) first appeared at the 1922 Paris Auto Salon alongside the Type C1 and the Type C3 Sport Court. The new Type C3 L had many of the Type C1’s essential features, but it had a longer wheelbase (nearly 3.559 meters instead of 3.46 meters). The engine size remained unchanged at 3.969 liters, and power was limited to 80 horsepower (in comparison with the Type C3 Court Sport’s 90 horsepower). The coachwork styles differed as well. The Type C3 L was a conventional design built for comfort rather than speed. It possessed the longest wheelbase offered to date on a Voisin chassis and was fitted with some of the most sumptuous and refined coachwork of the era.
Chassis 1946 was acquired by the Mullin Automotive Museum in 2009.
Coachbuilder | Factory |
Chassis number | 1946 |
Body Type | Limousine |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | Unavailable |
Front brakes type | Drum |
Rear brakes type | Drum |
Front suspension type | Solid axle with semielliptical leaf springs with friction shock absorbers |
Rear suspension type | Live axle with semielliptical leaf springs and friction shock absorber |
Length | 17' 7" |
Height (Ground line to highest roof) | 6' 5" |
Width | 5' 6" |
Engine number | 1946 |
Type | Inline |
Number of Cylinders | 4 |
Displacement | 0 |
Distribution | Knight sleeve-valves |
Engine capacity & output | Unavailable |
Gearbox | Manual |
Number of gears | 4 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Voisin Type C6
Laboratoire, 1923
A Laboratory of Innovation>
Gabriel Voisin’s original road racers, coined Laboratoires, were rolling test beds for experimental technologies that maximized power, economy, and simplicity. In 1923 Voisin unveiled the Type C6 grand prix car, an experimental model that embodied his knowledge of aerodynamics and engineering. The car’s unique shape and materials were innovations in the history of sports car design.
Voisin developed the unorthodox Type C6 in response to the Automobile Club de France’s new regulations for the 1923 season. In six months Voisin and his chief engineer, André Lefebvre, designed the narrow, lightweight, aluminum-bodied Type C6 Laboratoire. It was an aerodynamic monocoque car with a streamlined profile inspired by the wing of an airplane. Its front end borrowed from Voisin’s Type C5 series, but its engine was based on the Type C4.
Aside from these known elements, the mechanics were entirely new—a fact honored by the Type C6’s nickname, Laboratoire. Like many Voisin prototypes, the Type C6 was a rolling laboratory for Voisin’s experimental technology. The sleeve-valve engine, previously four cylinders (1.32 liters), was a six-cylinder model that displaced 1.984 liters, yet retained the dimensions of a 62 millimeter bore and a 110 millimeter stroke. The efficient water pump, driven by a propeller, was mounted on the prow to enhance engine cooling. In addition, aluminum was incorporated into the chassis construction, not only making it rustproof, but also easier and safer to handle at the speeds achieved by Voisin’s powerful engines. Unfortunately only one of the four Laboratoires competing in the 1923 Grand Prix de Vitesse finished the race, earning fifth behind three Sunbeams and a Bugatti Tank.
Coachbuilder | Recreation by Philipp Moch |
Chassis number | 005 |
Body type | Laboratoire |
Number made | 4 |
Production span | 1923 |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | Unavailable |
Front brakes type | Drum |
Front suspension type | Solid axle with semielliptical leaf springs |
Rear suspension type | Underslung axle |
Length | 14' 9" |
Height (Ground line to highest roof) | 3' 7" |
Width | 5' 5" |
Engine number | 28861 |
Type | Inline |
Number of cylinders | 6 |
Displacement | 1984 |
Distribution | Knight sleeve-valves |
BHP at 4800 RPM | 80 |
Gearbox | Manual |
Number of gears | 3 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Bucciali B6-C24
1924
An Original Buc>
This rare racer’s streamlined shape is an ideal form based on aerodynamic principles garnered from the Bucciali brother’s fascination with aviation. Dubbed the “Buc,” the B6-C24 was a sophisticated grand prix model with slender, tapered coachwork like that of an airplane wing.
The B6-C24 appeared in 1923—a streamlined prototype racecar that drew its design from the world of aerodynamic sciences. The example in the Mullin Collection is the only one of its kind and stands out as an early example of aviation’s influence on the automotive industry.
Bucciali, begun by Angelo Joseph and Albert Bucciali, was a small French firm that produced few models from 1923 to 1936.Like other young and curious engineers of the day, they were swept up by the era’s irrepressible attraction to aviation. Bucciali built his own craft in 1911, taking inspiration from the Blériot XI, and also flew in the SPAD (Société pour l’aviation et ses derives), or Stork, Squadron during World War I. It was only natural for the firm’s first experiment in automobile construction to derive many of its features from the realm of aviation.
The car was originally fitted with a Causan six-cylinder engine, which was replaced by a four-cylinder model in 1925. After three years of racing, the B6-C24 was destroyed in 1927 during the San Sebastián Grand Prix in Spain. All that was left of the smart, sleek racecar was the first six-cylinder engine, the drivetrain parts, and the original construction drawings. These items were safely stored and finally purchased by collector Uwe Hucke in 1982. Between 1989 and 2002 Hucke precisely reconstructed the Buc, not only creating a beautiful machine but preserving the only original B6-C24 in existence.
The B6-C24 was delivered to, Célérier, a driver from southwestern France in 1925.>
Its six-cylinder engine was switched out for a four-cylinder version for the racing competition held in Boulogne on August 28, 1925. With its four-cylinder engine, rhe B6-C24 was listed in the Buccalli catalogue under the name Buc Spéciale Competition, but it remained the only one of its type.
The B6-C24 was virtually destroyed in 1927 during the San Sebastián Grand Prix in Spain. All that was left was the first six-cylinder engine, drivetrain parts, and the original construction and design drawings. These items were stored for many years by automobile manufacturer Germain Lambert, and finally purchased by collector Uwe Hucke in 1982. Between 1989 and 2002 Hucke had the B6-C24 reconstructed before selling it to Peter Mullin in 2010. It is now owned by the Mullin Automotive Museum.
Coachbuilder | Reconstruction of a Buc racecar |
Chassis number | C2401 |
Profile type | Grand Prix |
Body type | Grand Prix |
Production span | 1924 |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | Unavailable |
Length | 13' 5" |
Height (Ground line to highest roof) | 3' 6" |
Width | 4' 10" |
Number of cylinders | 6 |
Displacement | 1946 |
BHP at 4300 RPM | 55 |
Number of gears | 6 |
Overdrive | 0 |
Bugatti Type 35C
Grand Prix, 1925
Ettore Bugatti’s Tour de Force>
Grand Prix racer or daily driver—the Type 35 could be driven to the track, on the track and home from the track. The Type 35 was Ettore Bugatti’s masterpiece, and it played a huge part in establishing his reputation as one of the world’s finest automobile manufacturers. The success of the Type 35 and its unique place in automotive design history are unequaled.
After his achievements with the Type 23 Brescia in 1922, Bugatti revealed the next generation of Bugatti voiturette racers at the 1924 ACF Grand Prix. The new Type 35 built upon the ultra-lightweight designs of the Brescia and improved upon the overall control, braking, and engine output—a winning combination of beauty, speed, and handling. The innovative all-in-one rims, spokes, and brake drums were cast as a single piece of aluminum that could be replaced with only one nut. The vertical design of the spokes allowed air to circulate and cool the braking system, becoming a signature of the marque’s subsequent wheels.
The Type 35A was introduced by the Bugatti factory in 1925 as a less expensive version of the Type 35, and its coachwork is virtually identical. The Mullin Type 35C was originally a 35A. In the 1960s Dick Crosthwaite of the historic racecar restoration firm Crosthwaite and Gardiner reengineered it into a 35C by adding a Roots supercharger—a popular upgrade of the period.
Chassis 4634 was the first Type 35A to be imported to England. It was ordered and built for Charles Jarrott and Letts Ltd., the Bugatti concessionaire in London, in 1925. The company sold the car to Chris Staniland, a young Royal Air Force pilot and racecar driver who competed successfully with the vehicle between 1925 and 1927.
Chassis 4634 subsequently was shipped to Belfast. Through a series of owners, it was used both as regular transport and in competition, where it achieved further success. Dick Crosthwaite, of the historic racecar restoration firm Crosthwaite and Gardiner, purchased the car circa 1962 from Thomas Alastair Sutherland Ogilvy “Taso” Mathieson, a Bugatti collector and racer. By that time, it had been disassembled, and only the chassis, gearbox and engine remained. With help from marque expert Hugh Conway, Crosthwaite transformed the vehicle into a Type 35C, installing original Bugatti parts, new coachwork, a five-roller-bearing crankshaft, and a Roots supercharger. In 1984 Hamish Moffatt purchased the Bugatti, completed its restoration and sold it to Terry Bennet in the United States. Peter Mullin bought it from Bennet in 1991. The car is now owned by the Mullin Automotive Museum.
Coachbuilder | Factory then Peel |
Chassis number | 4634 |
Profile type | Grand Prix |
Body type | Grand Prix |
Number made | 139 |
Production span | 1927-1930 |
Acceleration | 0 |
Top Speed | 125 |
Front brakes type | Cable-operated |
Front suspension type | Live axle with semielliptical leaf springs |
Rear suspension type | Live axle with reversed quarter-elliptical leaf springs |
Length | 12' 10 |
Height (Ground line to highest roof) | 4' 1" |
Width | 4' 11" |
Wheelbase | 2.4m |
Engine number | 32A |
Type | Inline |
Number of cylinders | 8 |
Bore x stroke | 60 mm x 88 mm |
Displacement | 1991 |
Distribution | Single overhead camshaft |
BHP at 5500 RPM | 128 |
Gearbox | Manual |
Number of gears | 4 |
Overdrive | 0 |