History of the La Clayette Automobile Museum

The La Clayette museum’s founder has always been passionately interested in vintage cars and purchased his first CITROËN Traction in 1964, when he was just 17 years old. That was the beginning of a long adventure...

The collection kept on growing and eventually a bigger space was required...

In 1980, a disaffected textile mill became the site of CHAUFFAILLES, where collectors met and swapped their vehicles. “Les Ets Jolivet” appeared under the name “Europe Expo”.

In 2000, the founder’s son, Fabrice Jolivet, created his first site in Vienne, calling it the “Automusée du Lyonnais”. In January 2003, he took over the family business and announced that he was changing its name to “Automusée du Beaujolais”.

A short time later, LA CLAYETTE became a popular tourist attraction when a museum opened in the chateau’s outbuildings chronicling the history of vintage automobiles, horse-drawn carriages, motorcycles and bicycles.

The two museums, Chauffailes and La Clayette, sold several thousand vehicles between them over a 45-year period.

* Some 30,000 people visited the museum in 1985.

* The museum has been taking part in national exhibitions for 25 years (one of the most unforgettable events was the 1989 RETROMOBILE in Paris, when it displayed 60 vehicles).

Twenty-five years later, the museum is still here, standing the test of time.

Leaving nothing to chance, Yves Rebet (former director of the “Automusée du Forez” for four years) and Séverine, his partner, are taking over at La Clayette and changing the name to ACCLC (Automobiles de Collection du Château de La Clayette).

On March 1, 2004, it was announced that a new collection would be housed in a renovated space showcasing automobiles ranging from antique to contemporary models.

This is a new concept in a friendly atmosphere.

The museum is a must!

Today, the two sites,
Automusée du Beaujolais in CHAUFFAILLES
and ACCLC in La Clayette,
are separate and managed by two different companies.


THE MUSEUM PRIOR TO MARCH 2004

THE MUSEUM SINCE MARCH 2004 AS ACCLC