Le Mans Opens Stunning New M24 Motorsport Museum Just In Time For 2026 Race

The brand-new M24 Motorsport Museum has officially opened its doors in Le Mans, completing a colossal construction project in a remarkably short time frame.
The former Le Mans 24 Hours Museum was closed for just under a year while walls were moved, 45,000m³ of earth was displaced, and a rare collection of motorsport machinery was brought together.
On 28 May, the newly named M24 Motorsport Museum welcomed its first visitors, sitting directly adjacent to the gates of the famous Le Mans circuit.
Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and organiser of the Le Mans 24 Hours, was visibly emotional just hours before the inauguration, describing it as a “big day.”
“It’s the culmination of a long-term project,” Fillon said. “There is enormous pride, above all in the work done by the teams, because this museum represented a real challenge.”
“We’ve been working on it for a long time, but completing it in nine months was a day-to-day challenge,” he added, noting that the Le Mans 24 Hours start time and the museum’s opening deadline drove the entire effort.
Museum director Fabrice Bourrigaud explained the ambition behind the project, describing Le Mans as the only legitimate home for a venue telling the complete story of motorsport.
“We are in Le Mans, known for the Le Mans 24 Hours, on one of the three most famous circuits in the world alongside Indianapolis and Monaco,” Bourrigaud said, citing the city’s 120-year connection to motor racing.
The museum’s surface area has doubled from 5,000m² to 10,000m², allowing the visitor experience to be completely reimagined and bringing the venue firmly into the modern era.
The number of cars on display has grown from just under 100 to approximately 130, with Bourrigaud emphasising that storytelling and emotional impact were central to every decision made during the redesign.
“A museum has to tell stories, so we’ve become far more immersive,” Bourrigaud explained. “The idea was to make people feel emotions and sensations.”
Bourrigaud credited scenographer Raphael Daguet for his work on the presentation, highlighting light as the most important element, describing the cars as “mechanical works of art, paintings on four wheels.”
The flooring throughout the museum is identical to the asphalt surface of the Circuit des 24 Heures, and full-scale dioramas featuring cars, trucks, and full-sized silicone figurines add to the immersive atmosphere.
A standout feature is the Alley of Heroes, which honours Michael Schumacher at one end and Henri Pescarolo at the other, celebrating two of motorsport’s most celebrated figures.
“This Ferrari F2002 of Michael Schumacher is a car with which he utterly dominated, and we are proud to have it in the museum,” Bourrigaud said, though he struggled to single out just one favourite exhibit.
He also highlighted the 1924 winning Bentley as “an extraordinarily rare piece” and pointed to the Rondeau as a deeply human story of a Le Mans local who built his own car and beat Porsche and Jacky Ickx to win the race.
Richard Mille’s investment in the project brought some of the finest pieces from his private collection into public view, complemented by the ACO’s archive of one million photographs.
Bourrigaud revealed that the museum holds the potential for 400 cars in total, with permanent collections set to rotate and a dedicated space for temporary exhibitions planned from 2027 onwards.
The museum opened just in time for the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours, and is set to become an essential destination for motorsport fans of all ages visiting the legendary circuit.
The post Le Mans Opens Stunning New M24 Motorsport Museum Just In Time For 2026 Race appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk .