[1] The National Car and Tourism museum was created on the initiative of the Touring Club de France association, in which the major coachbuilders at the world's fairs wanted to create a history of land locomotion and contribute to the preservation of horse-drawn and motorized heritage.

[2] It was inaugurated on July 1, 1927 by Édouard Herriot, Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts.

From its creation, the founders of this museum aimed to illustrate and recount a key moment in contemporary history, the transition from horse-drawn carriages to automobiles and its multiple impacts on human, social, economic, scientific, historical, artistic and industrial dimensions.

(original in French)The museum contains around 100 carriages, horse-drawn vehicles and porters dating from the 17th century to the 20th century,[4] complemented by a collection of cycles and around 30 automobiles from the early days of the industry, as well as a collection of transport-related documents.

Famous model automobiles in the collection include: The Museum regularly lends pieces from its collection to the Paris Rétromobile show, as in 2009 with the exhibition of La Jamais Contente, and in 2016 with the exhibition of exceptional vehicles from the Palais de Compiègne.