In its racing area, the Cité de l'Automobile has recreated the atmosphere of the starting line of a Grand Prix with engines' noises, announcements, or crowd cheering. Racing cars by Panhard, Bugatti, Mercedes, Maserati, or Lotus are lined up on each side of a central aisle. At the beginning of the 20th century, colors were assigned to participating nations to facilitate their cars' identification on the track. France inherited blue, Great Britain green, Italy red, and Germany white.