Le Mans
The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and Richard Mille officially opened the M24 – Motorsport Museum at the circuit in Le Mans today. The result of a partnership formed in 2022 between the ACO and Richard Mille, M24 is a break with tradition in the way motorsport history is told and celebrated.
With more than 120 exceptional vehicles, 8,600 m² of exhibition space and an entirely immersive scenography, M24 is the world’s first museum to feature six motorsport disciplines – Formula One, endurance, rallying, IndyCar, motorcycle racing and Can-Am – under the same roof. M24 opens its doors to the public tomorrow, Thursday 28 May, at 10 a.m.
Personalities from the fields of sport, culture, politics and industry joined the ACO and Richard Mille for the ceremony, evidence of the universal appeal of motorsport and the pivotal role that M24 intends to play. The guest list included Rafael Nadal, Frédéric Vasseur (Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari), Yannick Dalmas (four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans), Simon Pagenaud (winner of the 2019 Indianapolis 500), many personalities from the world of motor racing, and several film stars, among them Marina Foïs and Tomer Sisley.
Le Mans began celebrating motorsport history in 1961, when the first museum was built. It was refurbished in 1991, and the collections enriched for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary in 2023. Today’s museum is on a different scale altogether. The exhibition area has been extended to an impressive 8,600 m², the collections expanded to include all motorsport disciplines, and the scenography has been entirely redesigned by The Immersers to offer an immersive experience.
More than 120 genuine, working vehicles retrace the saga of motorsport since the 19th century, among them endurance prototypes, Formula One single seaters, rally cars, IndyCar machines and racing motorcycles. Prize exhibits include the Porsche 959 victorious at the 1986 Dakar (on loan from the Porsche Museum), Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes W09, the Mazda 787B, and Sébastien Loeb’s Xsara WRC. M24 also houses a unique collection of 4,667 scale models, faithful replicas of every car on the 24 Hours of Le Mans grid since it began in 1923.
The visit will be enhanced by temporary exhibitions featuring cars loaned by manufacturers and international institutions.
As patron of M24, seven-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton is the face of the new museum, and bears the message that M24 stands for motorsport, not just endurance racing. The Mercedes W09 with which he won his fifth world title in 2018 is one of the museum’s star exhibits.
The architectural project led by Frédéric Audevard was delivered within eleven months, constrained by the requirement for the old museum to stay open until after the 2025 Le Mans Classic and for M24 to be ready for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The normal schedule would have been two years. Dozens of building companies rose to the challenge, most of them local.
“The ACO and Richard Mille have long dreamed of this museum. It was natural to form a partnership, of which trust and shared passion are the foundations. Together, we set about making a place full of history, magic and feeling. M24 is not only a major cog in today’s motorsport world, it is also a custodian of its history. We have shared aims: international renown for our brands, and for M24 to be a pinnacle of local tourism and culture and a source of prosperity.”
Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest
“Today, my childhood dream has come true. Our wish is to share this glorious history with those who love beautiful cars, with everyone who enjoys a new experience, and, most importantly, to pass on the legacy to the next generations. I have collected, somewhat compulsively I must admit, a collection of cars, works of art, that retrace 70 years of human endeavour, technical prowess, feats of innovation and design. They are all beauty queens, that, like all masterpieces, convey emotion and magnify elegance.”
Richard Mille
M24 opens its doors to the public on Thursday 28 May, ten days before the first pre-race procedures for the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is part of the unique ecosystem revolving around the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, voted France’s favourite monument for 2024, and opens as the Automobile Club de l’Ouest celebrates its 120th anniversary.
The museum has a target of 300,000 visitors per year. Thanks to modular spaces and modern fittings, M24 also intends to be a prime venue for private receptions and corporate events – seminars, conferences, training courses, etc.
