Le Manoir de l’Automobile – The Best Car Museum You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

As if 2025’s edition of Le Mans Classic wasn’t quite enough to satisfy our automotive appetite, yet more cars were in store en route to the Caen ferry port, with a quick stop-off at Lohéac’s Le Manoir de l’Automobile – the best car museum you’ve probably never heard of. Tucked away in a small, unassuming Brittany village that’s sleepy even by French standards, Le Manoir de l’Automobile is the vast and remarkably eclectic collection of one man: celebrated publisher, racing driver, and boutique sports car manufacturer Michel Hommell.

Born in 1944, Michel Hommell’s love of cars began at an early age, racing in France’s Renault 8 Gordini Cup. While over in in Great Britain, Hommell discovered rallycross, and he admired it so much that he brought the sport home to France, establishing the Circuit De Lohéac in 1976, which continues to host the FIA World Rallycross Championship and the 5 Nations British Rallycross Championship.

However, Michel Hommell’s big break came not from racing but from publishing. He launched his first motorsport title, Échappement, in 1968, embarking upon an enormously successful career. After growing his publishing empire, which would include myriad leisure magazines, Hommell spent his hard-earned wealth on cars, adding to a collection he’d been amassing since the age of seventeen. By 1985, said collection had grown so large that Hommell sought to consolidate all his vehicles under one roof, converting a farmhouse in Lohéac to house this incredible ensemble. By 1988, Le Manoir de l’Automobile’s doors were opened to the public. It now has over four hundred vehicles on display.

On the day of our visit, there must have been all of three cars in the car park; it wasn’t exactly busy. Frankly, I wasn’t expecting a great deal from this out-of-the-way village museum, that’s barely even signposted. But the spectacle that greeted me was nothing short of magnificent.

Le Manoir de l’Automobile’s uniqueness stems from its esotericism. Plenty of museums, especially the larger ones, often try to cover all bases, aiming to represent as many different makes, models and eras as possible. Others specialise in one particular time period, the vehicles of one particular country or manufacturer. But Le Manoir doesn’t try to do any of this. It’s unashamedly unbothered with trying to make a point, just a large collection of cars that its creator adores. Rien de plus, rien de moins.

As such, Hommell doesn’t shy away from repetition: There’s whole room dedicated solely to Alpine, his great passion. The Dieppe-based firm was the inspiration for Hommell’s own short-lived sports car brand which built a small batch of cars from 1992 until 2003. Ferrari and Lamborghini get their own areas too, the latter boasting no fewer than two Miuras! A particular highlight is a simulated Formula 1 starting grid featuring eighteen classic F1 cars.

Le Manoir de l’Automobile has some truly bizarre features too, including classic powerboats suspended from the ceiling, a whole section dedicated to amphibious vehicles, and even a neo-ecclesiastical chapel dedicated to internal combustion, complete with stained glass windows and an aisle flanked by outboard boat motors… There are full-scale mock-ups of entire villages, complete with shops, garages and manikins dressed in period attire. Not to mention a collection of nearly three thousand scale models, many of which feature in scratch-built dioramas.

When you see a collection belonging to a successful individual, you can always spot a true enthusiast from someone looking to show off, and Michel Hommell clearly falls into the former category. I’ve honestly never visited a museum that houses so many cars I’ve never set eyes on before. The collection continues to grow, and several of the vehicles are awaiting restoration on-site.

If you ever find yourself in the area, (or even if you don’t), you simply must find time to visit Le Manoir de l’Automobile for yourself. It’s about two hours southwest of the Caen ferry terminal, and sits amidst the beautiful Brittany countryside. The rallycross circuit continues to hold regular events, and the museum also has an October autobrocante.

It’s an ever-evolving collection, and we’ll certainly be back at the soonest opportunity.