Coachmakers go on tour in France

Pictured above: The Coachmakers’ party and their cars outside the Chateau de Courcelles

Mid-June saw an eclectic group of Liverymen and their partners join the Master Coachmaker Stephen Fitz-Gerald and PM Julian Leach as they embarked upon an epic road trip across France to Mulhouse and the world-famous Schlumpf Museum, home to the biggest collection of Bugatti cars in the world.

The first night was spent in the splendid Hostellerie Briqueterie and Spa, not far from Reims – a Relais et Chateaux establishment like all the other hotels on the tour. After a fine dinner and a restful night, the group set off for Colmar, a beautiful and unspoiled ancient town not far from the borders of Germany and Luxembourg.

La Maison Des Têtes, Colmar

As the whole of the town centre is pedestrianised and the hotel – La Maison des Têtes – is in that area, some found it difficult to find a way through the no entry signs to the hotel’s car park. But eventually all and sundry arrived at the hotel though one of the party managed to get stopped and interrogated by the local police the next morning; not for driving to the hotel (which was permitted), but for driving the wrong way down the street. Sens Interdit.

La Maison des Têtes is perhaps the most famous house in Colmar and gets its name from the 106 small human heads carved into the facade of the house which dates from 1606. On the top gable of the house is a pewter statue of a cooper, the work of Colmar sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, the man who created of the Statue of Liberty that France gifted to New York. Its interior has been modernised into a fine small hotel which was our base for the next two days. The breakfasts were particularly memorable.

A trip along the canals of Colmar – known locally as La Petite Venise (Little Venice) – was followed by an alfresco dinner at a Michelin recommended restaurant on the river bank.

The next day we made the short journey from Colmar to Mulhouse, home of the Musée Nationale de L’Automobile, better known as the Schlumpf Collection, an extraordinary assembly of more than 450 cars, with more than 80 Bugattis. The Schlumpf brothers, Hans and Fritz, used the wealth from their highly successful textiles business to secretly build the collection over 30 years.

The entrance to the Schlumpf Collection

In light of the global shift of textile manufacturing to Asia, by 1976 the Schlumpf brothers began selling their factories. In October the Malmerspach plant laid off employees, and a strike broke out, with 400 police holding back workers from ransacking the Mulhouse plant. After a stand-off, on 7 March 1977, textile-union activists staged a sit-in strike at Schlumpf offices, ad broke into the Mulhouse factory to find the astounding collection of cars. An unrestored Austin7 was burned and the workers’ union representative remarked “There are 600 more where this one came from.”

The Schlumpfs fled to their native Switzerland, and spent the rest of their days as permanent residents of the Drei Koenige Hotel in Basel. Happily, local government and the French state then stepped in to keep the collection intact, creating the museum as it is known now.

The collection comprises more than 450 cars and 900 lamp-posts

The Schlumpf brothers concentrated on veteran and vintage models but also had an eye for sheer automotive beauty. To display the collection, they sectioned off part of the textiles factory and commissioned some 900 lamp posts based on the design of those on the Alexandre III bridge in Paris.

The highlight was the Bugatti Royale – of which only six are still in existence, though Ettore Bugatti had planned a production run of 25, intended to be the world’s most luxurious car aimed at royalty around the world. In the event the Great Depression put paid to the project after seven were manufactured. One was destroyed in a crash so just six remain, two of which are in the Schlumpf Collection. With a wheelbase of 4.3m, an overall length of 6.4m and a weight of 3,175kg, it’s an extraordinary masterpiece, powered by a 12.763-litre straight eight engine. A luxury interior, including a walnut steering wheel and whalebone dashboard controls, is complemented by a radiator cap of a posed elephant, sculpted by Ettore Bugatti’s brother Rembrandt.

The highlight of the visit – the magnificent Bugatti Royale Coupé de Ville

The final day saw a gentle drive to the Chateaux de Courcelles where the group enjoyed Champagne tasting followed by an epic five-course farewell dinner. The Master spoke a few words, suggesting that this event was the embodiment of the Livery’s outlook – one that fostered and encouraged fellowship, friendship, fundraising and fun.

The Master makes a speech at our farewell dinner

He then thanked Liverymen Nick Lyford and Simon Gurney for all their hard work in organising the trip and trying to keep the group in some sort of order during the four days of the event. He also thanked Ann Lyford for the quizzes she set each evening.

Overall, a magnificent success that left all those fortunate enough to have attended wondering where next year’s tour might take us.

Organisers Nick Lyford and Simon Gurney also provided a free windscreen cleaning service!