The Car Aficionado

For car aficionado Peter Mullin, it was love at first sight. A curvaceous French automobile with a custom-built body — a 1948 Talbot-Lago — first grabbed his attention. Mullin's artistic eye then wandered to other romantically named cars from several decades, and he began collecting the Bugattis, Delages, Delahayes, Hispano Suizas, and Voisins that compose most of his "French Curves" collection. Several of his race cars have won Le Mans, and many have won awards at prestigious concours d'elegance throughout the world. After years acquiring, restoring, showing, and racing some of these beauties, Mullin’s passion recently gave way to a cause: the preservation of the classic French automobile. The establishment of The Mullin Automotive Museum (www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com) in Oxnard, Calif., showcases the historic French motor car movement that so expertly melded design with engineering. The Car Aficionado spoke with Mullin at the 2009 Quail Rally and Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance:

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