The National Automobile Museum in Mulhouse extends inside a former Heilmann, Koechlin & Kuynel woolen spinning mill built in 1880. The site's surface area is around 8.64 acres (35,000 m²). The Cité de l'Automobile aims to be both a museum of the automotive world and the finest car collection worldwide. Some vehicles date from a time when aesthetics were as important as engineering, sometimes more. Prestigious models from the museum's collection periodically circle the rings of the nearby motor-racing track.