Travel back in time through this former industrial factory exhibiting a wonderful collection of antique trucks and automobiles!
Mélanie
Experience the vintage vibe!
Stepping in this unique place is a full promise of getting your senses tingling. Be prepared, you will be impressed! The setting first of all: a huge factory built of bricks, tiles and metal frames, located between the railway and the canal du Centre, where steam cylinders and rollers compressors were produced during industrial times.
You will be greeted by a warm, welcoming smile that comes along with some detailed explanations prior to the visit. Then, you enter the universe of these iron giants! Ready your senses for nostalgia overdrive, the experience is intense and goose bump moments are guaranteed. Indulge your inner child, you have come to the right place!
Bump into a movie star!
Adding to the "time travel" feeling is a striking impression of our humble size compared to the immensity of the shed housing a selection of classic trucks, buses, vintage objects, engines, vehicle equipment of all kind...
The smell of old engines and mechanics will seize you as you contemplate the many impressive vehicles or rather metal beasts, lined up next to each other. Then, the fantasy dream of jumping into one will get you. Let your imagination wander and lead you behind the steering wheel , driving through the desert for the most extraordinary adventures, such as in the Berliet GBC 8 6x6 Sahara, the first truck to cross the desert of Ténéré before leading the way through the trans-Saharan lines to supply villages and oil sites. Driven by Lino Ventura in the 1964 movie « Greed in the Sun », the legendary GBC 8KT "Gazelle" shines proudly among the other Berliet trucks of this movie, driven by Bertrand Blier and Jean-Paul Belmondo.
No matter one´s own, unique individual story, trucks and cars of Usine Aillot have written history themselves!
An unusual place driven by passionate people!
This remarkable vintage truck gallery is the work of François Gambut, an impassioned collector who made his dream come true: to showcase his impressive gathering of vehicles and share it with the public. As you stroll through the museum, you can actually feel the passion and love of this character for classic trucks and vintage objects!
At the end of the visit, do not miss the friendly associative bar managed by François, his partner Celine and a team of volunteers who share the same passion for old timers. Stop for a beer and a chat in this vintage patio full of intriguing memorabilia from the past, a true experience in itself!
In summertime, a variety of shows and concerts are organised to bring this gallery to life and delight the visitors, locals and tourists alike.
