The Schlumpf car collection is the greatest car collection you've probably never heard of. Legend has it that in 1982, the two Schlumpf brothers were hoarding an incredible collection of extremely important cars, ranging from classic cars to high-end luxury to racing cars from every era.
The cars now rest in a museum in Mulhouse, France, for the public to see after their seizure by the government. The brothers fled to Switzerland to avoid tax payments and the government turned their massive collection into a public offering. Luckily for us, the furiousdriving YouTube Channel is showing us the collection in his latest video.
An Obsessive 1800s Collection
The cars here range from an 1878 steam-driven road-locomotive Jacquot Tonneau A Vapeur, which quite literally translates to "with steam". This is a two-cylinder engine with a boiler pot on the front end. As he continues on in the 1800s, we begin to see more common names such as Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot. Ending the 1800s section is a proper recreation of an 1899 electric-power racecar.
Our host explains to us that this rocket-looking car was one of the first to reach the 62 mph (100 kmh) mark. Looking at the elliptic leaf spring setup, ridiculously small wheel/tire combo, and incredibly tiny steering rack, this proves that these were truly dangerous years of racing.
Quirky Cars From The Golden Era
The collection is home to a massive amount of just plain quirky cars such as the 1941 Peugot Electric. It is quite similar to the Peel P50 in the sense that it has three wheels (single in the rear) and one headlight. This model was a convertible that makes all the Reliant Robin and Peel P50 flip-overs we see and hear so much about be that much scarier.
The next car is just as quirky. It's a 1956 Citroen 11B, otherwise known as Traction Avant which isn't all that rare. However, this specific one has a gas generator by LeGaz Auto. This powers an electric motor and is essentially the same concept as James May's idea for Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust on Top Gear.
The High End Of The Automotive Spectrum
Without a doubt, Bugatti seems to be the car of choice for the museum. We lay our eyes on parts of the Bugatti collection at the 36:39 mark where we can see a Bugatti Veyron rotating on a turntable display. However, this is almost normal in comparison to the other Bugattis. This includes the 1929 Bugatti Pickup Truck which was purpose-built to cross the Sahara desert. It's an amazing collection of cars and definitely worth the visit for any gearhead if ever you find yourself in Mulhouse, France.