As Michelin Man turns 120, what better way to celebrate than in tyre company’s home in France
Michelin’s headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand is home to L’Aventure Michelin, a unique museum dedicated to the company that transformed road transport. But the ‘black city’ also offers great hikes and unusual architecture
What’s L’Aventure? The Michelin Adventure is a celebration of the French tyre company, a major force in the development of road transport since it was founded, in 1889, by two brothers. It is a colourful interactive museum where the journey starts back in the 19th century, bicycling in knickerbockers, and ends up with hi-tech visions of the motoring future.
Hmmm. Is it all for petrolheads? Nope. With the cheery Michelin Man popping up everywhere, descriptions of food courtesy of the Michelin restaurant guides, and some amazing machines to inspect, it’s a treat for the whole family. Sure, tyre nerds and chemists are well catered for – the detailed comparison of a 1919 cord tyre with a 1923 model, and the technology behind the revolutionary radial tyre invented by Michelin in 1946 are not for everyone – but if that’s not your thing, just stroll on to something that catches your eye.
Such as? Spaces decked out like 19th-century streets, evoking the company’s roots; a Citroën 2CV “Dustbin” car smashing through a Michelin road map; a collection of those oh-so-French enamelled signs, which turn out to have been invented by Michelin and produced using local volcanic stone; a 10-wheel experimental car for testing tyres at high speed – all with written explanations in French and English.
Why go now? This year is the Michelin Man’s 120th birthday, and for a centenarian he’s doing very well. As Michelin tyre technology continues to develop, Bibendum – as he’s called in his home country – is in ever bouncier health, populating the museum in many guises, from his first rather scary incarnations to today’s jolly roly-poly fellow. At the end of the tour, the Michelin Man pops up in virtual form for you to take a selfie with.
Where is this “adventure”? At the company headquarters, in Clermont-Ferrand, which is bang slap in the middle of France and is the capital of Auvergne, a region that has more cattle than people. The Michelin brothers, Édouard and André, turned Clermont-Ferrand, an old cathedral city, into a company town in the 20th century. And it’s not because there were rubber plantations nearby – far from it, Michelin’s were in Vietnam.
