Silence, We Rust!

National Automobile Museum, Mulhouse, France

From December 6, 2023 to March 17, 2024

With “Silence, We Rust!”, the National Automobile Museum presents an unusual exhibition that offers a unique dialogue between the photographs of a shipwreck enthusiast and the vehicles of the Schlumpf collection. Out of barn and searching for forgotten cars in the wild are passions of the time, always with the hope of a rare and exceptional discovery. Since 2009, Jean-Pierre Hossann, a great photography and car enthusiast, has made a specialty of photographing these wrecks abandoned in nature. For this exhibition, a selection of 50 photographs, reproduced in large format, retraces his most beautiful discoveries in France and Belgium.

For the occasion, the National Automobile Museum presents 8 cars from its reserves, some of which have never been unveiled before. 1913 Théo-Schneider, 1912 Panhard-Levassor, 1920 Clément-Bayard LM 4, 1921 Bugatti 23, Peugeot 1913 BP1 or 1930 type 172 M, these cars have not been restored and are in synch with the theme of the exhibition. For some, such as the 1920 Bugatti or the Buick Woody, all that remains is the body. The cars are “decorated with greenery”, an olfactory signature and a sound environment will complete the visitor’s immersive journey.

In addition, visitors will be able to go back in time and rediscover what the actual bodywork of the Hotchkiss AM 80 looked like in the permanent exhibition thanks to an augmented reality animation.

The photos on this page belong to the National Automobile Museum – Collection Schlumpf, no right of reproduction without the express permission of the museum.