OXNARD, CALIF.- Peter and Merle Mullin, founders of the Mullin Automotive Museum, were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 Historic Motoring Awards ceremony at The Dorchester in London on Wednesday, Nov. 15. This marks the third overall recognition of the Mullins, the museum and its collection by the Historic Motoring Awards. The Mullin Automotive Museum received the Museum/Collection of the Year in 2021, and the late Peter Mullin, who passed away in September 2023, received the Personal Achievement Award in 2016.

“It is an incredible honor to be recognized by the Historic Motoring Awards, and it means so much that they recognized Peter’s legacy and contributions to the classic car community,” said Merle Mullin. “We are the caretakers for these beautiful cars and their place in history. It is our privilege to help preserve and share that history with others.”

Peter and Merle shared a deep passion for French automobiles and styling, brought to life through their incredible collection at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, Calif. For nearly three decades, the Mullins traveled to concours events, races and rallies around the world, representing the museum and raising awareness for the origins of French automakers, past and present. The Mullins have also been long-standing members of numerous arts, history and educational boards and councils. Merle and Peter helped fund the ArtCenter College of Design’s Mullin Transportation Design, which will become the home of ArtCenter’s undergraduate Transportation Design and Graduate Transportation Systems and Design programs, slated to commence in the spring of 2024.

Since 2011, the Historic Motoring Awards (HMA) has acknowledged exceptional people, events and places that best exemplify the passion and culture of classic car collecting. The car community nominates contenders for each of the HMA’s 19 categories, which are then voted on by a panel of distinguished experts, including Bruce Meyer, Derek Bell and Jay Leno.