A colossal project to design a new museum
Heir to an initial museum dating back to the 1960s, and remodeled several times, the M24 revolves around two large spaces: the first building, dating back to 1961 – completely renovated and an extension designed by Frédéric Audevard; for a total area of 8,600 m².
During the construction of this new building, many companies of various backgrounds managed to work together concomitantly and very efficiently. The Museum of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in its former form was to remain open until the evening of the 2025 edition of the Mans Classic (early July), while the completion of the M24 is planned ahead of the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The project M24 asserts a strong architectural identity, directly inspired by aerodynamics, speed, and the emotion inherent in the world of car racing, particularly in the spirit of the prototypes engaged in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The museography dedicated to immersion
The Immersers, a Nantes scenography company, was tasked with highlighting the collections through an unprecedented museography in the automotive world, with the sole aim of bringing the viewer closer to the legend. With immersion as the guiding principle, Raphaël Daguet and his teams prepared more than just a visit, but a story told in the most beautiful way.
In 2021, the ACO and Richard Mille approached us to design with them the M24 – Museum of Motor Sports. We accepted this collective project as a true entrepreneurial project, with its opportunities and risks. Each brought their own unique perspective: the ACO, the result of a local vision that transformed craftsmanship into industry, then into art; Richard Mille, with the eye of a jeweler convinced that the most beautiful jewelry deserves the most beautiful showcase; Frédéric Audevart, who thought of the setting – the place, the volumes, the functionality; and us, The Immersers, commissioned to bring movement, life, and imagine the spectacular moments of the project. Our method is narrative: to write and present a story that travels through time, using technique as a means, never as an end. Telling a story well is first and foremost about sitting people around a narrator. We are a collective of creators and architects who design experiences of wonder.
In this sense, the M24 is a journey. The cars honor us with a stop to let us immerse ourselves in their lives as champions: meeting the drivers, the mechanics, finding oneself among enthusiasts. The narrative unfolds in ambulation between Saturday and Sunday, between 1923 and 2026 – a double movement to tell the two times of car racing: History and the race. The visitor strolls between the eras, from the weighing in the city center, the moment when the 24 Hours come into communion with the public, to the finish, passing through all the memorable stages of the Le Mans classic, during all the memorable periods.
This double timeline ensures total immersion, close to the legend of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The intention to immerse the spectator is embodied in a material, a space where it is possible to touch replicas of steering wheels and suits. Three other highlights particularly embody the intention to immerse the viewer: the life-size diorama, a real risk-taking to stage life moments, or the night experience, which uses technology to travel in this intermediate time between periods. To tell the introspective moment of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the most ambitious immersive rooms was designed. Finally, the three gigantic abstract frescoes of 30 m – 6 m, a tribute to Pierre Soulages, testify that these cars have become works of art.
The M24 is probably the most theatrical museum of car racing. Of course, it was difficult to imagine exhibiting such significant works, as a car is very different from a painting. Our ambition was to create temporal capsules, life capsules and encounters – with drivers, teams, the people of enthusiasts – so that this place is moving, sensational, historic. We are proud to have taken the means of this great ambition.
