The Aventure Automobile (Motor Car Experience) area sits in the hall where Fritz Schlumpf secretly started storing vintage cars in 1961. His rich collection is visible today at the Cité de l'Automobile in Mulhouse. The vast 4.20 acres (17,000 m²) room is furnished with 800 lampposts identical to those on the Alexandre III bridge in Paris. It tells the story of the automotive world from 1878 to the present day through 243 cars that marked their time. The exhibition is organized by major chronological periods: the Ancêtres (Forerunners) from 1878 to 1918, the Classiques (Classics) until 1938, and the Modernes (Moderns) from 1945.