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18 | April 19, 2018 | Malibu surfside news Sound Off
malibusurfsidenews.com
Ride of the Week
French coachbuilt cars park, intrigue at Mullin Automotive Museum
Fireball Tim Lawrence
Contributing Columnist
Malibu resident
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.
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
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Come visit our showroom
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 hyperfocus
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
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Peter Mullin and his wife, Merle, recently showed Malibu resident Fireball Tim Lawrence
around the Mullin Automotive Museum’s new French coachbuilt exhibit.
Fireball Tim Lawrence/22nd Century Media
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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.
Want to be featured in Ride
of the Week? Send Fireball
an email at askfireball@
fireballtim.com.