The Schlumpf Collection - the incredible Bugatti collection - a walk around Cite d'Automobile 

I remember visiting the museum way back in 1985 when the history of the Schlumpf brothers was quite recent. Apparently they totally lost interest in their business, withdrew all money they could and went on a shopping spree. They bought every Bugatti they could lay their hands on and as a consequence, they had pretty many 1920s blue two seater sportscars many of which looked almost identical. When I saw the intro of your vid, I wondered If that slightly monotonous blue Bugatti corner still exists - but apparently someone had the good sense to balance the collection by reducing the Bugatti dominance. Thanks for going there and bringing back the memories!

It's a shame the auto focus or ois is a bit wonky in this video, but a really amazing collection, Matt. Thanks for sharing! 👍🏻

On the one hand, Matt, I'm very pleased that you took the time during a family holiday to record this and, later, edit it and present it. So thanks very much for that! But on the other hand, as one other person already noted, there was something really wrong with autofocus. To that I'll add shakiness and grain (the last I'm inclined to think was due to low ambient light....maybe?) but even overlooking the technical glitches (including mike problems at one point) from 42:30 to 45:25 you shot everything way too tight. I kept thinking "Geez, Matt, step back a little!" I mean, we're talking about your trade...so I know there must have been some overriding circumstances that led to all that. I post this in the hope that you'll figure from RU-vid's POV, any comment is viewer engagement! 😄

One problem with having a radiator cap Mascot, everytime one parked anywhere in public one had to unscrew the cap and if an open car, put up to half a pound of hot Gilt or Nickel, later Chrome plated Bronze in one's pocket. They were often not pocket sized. Some of the René Lallique glass ones were illuminated by a bulb in the base mount. I had a Kestrel on my Riley, it did fit in one's pocket, just, but had extended wings so one could stab oneself in the leg if not careful. As for impaling pedestrians, they were more likely to be kneecapped by the bumper and whacked in the chest by a massive headlight than making contact with the Mascot. It was only sixties and later cars that a problem was identified and they then had to be either flexible mounted or broke off easily. A modern Rolls has the Spirit of Ecstacy dissappear into the grill if touched or ignition turned off.

I've been fascinated by this collection ever since I bought a book many decades ago detailing the museum and it's incredible history. What a place.

This is awesome! I'd have to check this place out at some point!

We visited this collection in 2017 and my wife managed to knock over the rope and posts protecting the Royale - I watched in horror as the heavy metal post fell in slow motion towards the car.....missing it by millimeters. We walked quickly on.

What a fantastic collection and museum Matt, thanks for sharing with us all.

Matt, thank you so much for this video This collection has a mythic quality for me. When I was a child my grandfather had a book about the museum and it’s history published in 1977 which must have been shortly after it’s discovery/seizure. The photos show row upon row of mostly pristine, yet dusty, classics. I inherited the book years ago and have spend many hours studying the pages.

I dread to think what the annual insurance bill for this place must be. I had a quick look online and it looks like nobody has publicly valued the collection. There must several hundred million Euro's worth of cars in this building. Wild.

OMG! I've just realised that it is over 30 years since I last visited! That was in the days when there were ROWS of blue Bugatti biplaces. Of course my favourites were the oddities of the 50s & 60s - my mum used to have a Panhard PL17, as visible on the wall behind the Dyna and CT24.

Wow what an amazing collection, definitely need to visit when go to Nancy. Probably a daft question but always wondered why the 'proper' (ie 1900's) looking cars were all RHD even though they're from European companies (Peugeot, De Dion etc)?? 🤔🤔🤔

love the little interjections from your mini me

I remember reading about the Schlumf Collection sometime back in the 60s, in Car magazine - I probably still have that issue somewhere! Also in a Car edition of that era, was an article about the Bugatti Royale and the fact that an Englishman by the name of Jack Lemon Burton had owned not one but two of these cars. I probably have that copy too, somewhere. Anyway, thanks very much, Matt, for a fascinating video. If I'm ever in France again, I'll certainly pay the museum a visit.

So much work and effort went into this video only to be let down by auto focus spasms. Image stabilization didn’t seem to be working either. Please ditch that camera for handheld work.

Incredible!

Superb walk around, thank you.

3:15 Drat, drat and double drat! 😁

I was really thrown by the word Shlumpf and the blue cars at first. The German word for Smurf is Schlumpf. Amazing array of historic motors, Merc 540k was the AMG of its time.

A Benz Bug ! Crazy cool.

You've out hubnutted Hubnut with this video, he would love this place. If this lot went to auction the price of bugattis would fall through the floor as there are so many of them haha

Some Schlumpf cars are in Oxnard, CA at the Mullin Museum. All Bugatti all unrestored.

Amazing collection - funnily enough, I saw quite a few pre-war cars that were right-hand-drive - maybe there's a reason for that, but I know not what!

Great video and good to see some very interesting cars that never made it to the UK. You'll still see lots of original 500's and loads of Pandas in Southern Italy. Seicentos seem to have taken over in the North and sadly I saw more VAG stuff than FIAT's in their ancestral home Turin 3 years ago.

I was gettin' a little bored until that David Coleman moment. Well worth the hour or so, just for that!.🤣

I had a work mate tell me about this place earlier, he was explaining the story and the sheer number of Bugattis, then I open RU-vid and Matt puts up this video. You aren't listening to us all like Alexa are you Matt?

A really enjoyable & interesting video well done keep up the good work on your channel 🎥👍👍

Please stop the mid-roll adverts as they spoil a great video.

Too much to take in, but there are some outstanding rarities. A 35B roadster? A Mercedes 'beetle'? Never knew.

O wow what a collection

Mostly interesting if you're into French cars, it seems. As you walked quite quickly past the pre-1930 cars I was wondering about their future in classic car-circles. After all, they're too old to remember from their childhood by pretty much anyone alive today, not that easily usable and I think not quick enough to function in modern traffic too. On the Simca at 21:27: that was a one-off from French coachbuilder Heuliez, based on the Simca 1501. Simca never made a production version of it, they did however sell a very pretty coupé-version of the Simca 1000, designed by Bertone. Later on, that became the Simca 1200 S and looked somewhat like the missing coupé between the Fiat 850 coupé and the Fiat 124 coupé. Fiat yes, because until the early 1960s, they still used a lot of components from Fiat; Simca once had started life as a licence built Fiat. The Simca 1000 sedan was in fact a design from Fiat they had considered at one point as the successor to their 600. A little Simca trivia to enrich your knowledge 🙂.

I was there earlier this year, it is absolutely stunning.

I would sell my grandmother for a type 35. I'm sure you panned past 3 like it was a 2015 Astra! 😆 What a lot to take in. Needs at least two walk rounds.🤔 It's on my next year's road trip list for sure! Many thanks.

We have visited there a couple of years ago excellent

This is one of the largest Motor Museums l ever seen it goes on forever they didn't have one Bugatti Royal but two lots of makes of cars l have never heard of

Awesome 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

3:34 - Brum! :D

I was thinking this collection is huge but I’m sure it is but it took a while to realise there was a mirror in the background

Fab .. thanks

Actually Hotchkiss Gregoire were prototypes. I don't think there was many on the road here in France neither.

We are coming!

I too visited the collection some 30 years ago, not a modern to be seen. They have lost the feeling of just being there with all those Bugattis

Great video Matt.... lots of "Ooh la las " and "Hehawhehawhehaws" There 😃...

Despite the luxury of the Royale the engine was based on a Bugatti Bus engine and the wheels ( because it was so heavy ) are based on WW1 gun carriage wheels !!

Hispano Suiza also used Skoda Superb Chassis.

Remember certain Testarossa's are genuinely priceless😁

Good lord its Nemo's car from the league of extraordinary gentlemen

Lovely cars and video 🚘🚙🚗👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I remember this in the news basically they stole off the company to build up this collection, to me it’s the 1930s when style start to come in to what was becoming a modern car, to me this collection is heaven thank you for the look around

Good stuff, although I'm surprised you are allowed to film and upload this as when I went last a few years ago they were pretty clear that pictures and video was personal use only and not for broadcast/publication. Rule must have changed?

Pity you don't have access alongside them to get a good look at all the interiors.

Thanks!

What an amazing museum, good to see such a wide range across the 20th century and before in such fresh condition. Thanks for posting!

Oh i understand why they word was changed to jaguar.

RS200 an excellent member of the whop chee clan

Congratulations on having the only video on RU-vid today not about Trump being raided

3rd

Yipee I'm 526th.

Schlumpf is spelled incorrectly. You're missing the c

Yeah, just rush thru the early cars cuz nobody cares? People mite not care because nobody bothers to show and explain them.

If you pronounce Vahnkeil the German way I don't think you'd risk demonetisation.