Paris, France, 8 – 17 February 2008
All the Threes – The sun shone brightly on the snaking queues at the Porte de Versailles in
Paris, for the 33rd running of the annual Retromobile classic show. This year the show
moved to two new halls in the exhibition complex, with the majority of the exhibits being in Hall
4, with further stands in the adjacent Hall 3.1, which included the Bonhams auction area. In
previous years the auction has been the province of Christies, but with the closure of their
motor auction division late last year, and the move of many of the key staff to the Bonhams
camp, it was logical that they would take over this aspect of the show.
Novelties, Themes & Anniversaries – A new venture this year was a procession of classic
cars running from beneath the Eiffel Tower through some of Paris’ major boulevards on a
30km route to the show on the opening Saturday morning, with models ranging from a 1931
Ford Model A through British classics like the MGA, to a Corvette and Facel Vega. One of the
major themes of this year’s show was “Les Femmes et l’Automobile” (Women and the Car)
with examples of women’s motoring fashion over the years, cars driven by well known female
celebrities, plus period photographs and accessories. “60 Ans de Jeunesse” was the phrase
which heralded the 60th anniversary of the launch of the Citroen 2CV on the French market,
the corrugated “shed” with its small flat twin engine, that took motoring to the masses, which
has become a classless classic. There was also a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the
BMW “M” series, which started with the M1 model presented at the 1978 Paris Salon. Today
the Peugeot marque is associated with mainstream models, but over the years they have
produced a number of luxury cars, and they presented a selection of these just inside the
main entrance, to illustrate their rich and varied history.
L’Aérotrain – Fifteen years before the French TVG (high speed train) system came into being,
the talented engineer Jean Bertin brought his ambitious Aérotrain project to the attention of
the French Government. The then President, Georges Pompidou, was enthusiastic about his
proposal, and provided financial backing to the project, and work was started on a track
between Paris and Orléans, the first stretch being 18km in length, on which the jet propelled
Aérotrain ran at 300kph on its cushion of air. The Aérotrain that made this run was destroyed
by fire in 1992, but visitors were able to admire the prototype “Aérotrain 02” along with archive
models, photos and film.
Bonhams Auction – The Bonhams auction presented around seventy cars along with a small
but select array of automobilia. The latter included a beautiful René Lalique “Vitesse”
opalescent glass radiator mascot, whilst the automobiles included a “barn find” ex- fire
service Cottin & Desgouttes four door tourer from the late twenties, an even earlier
magnificent example of a 1905 Panhard & Levassor 10.6 litres Model Q, a 1936 Bugatti Type
57 Atlantic Coupé, and an ex-Nubar Gulbenkain 1956 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith with a highly
stylised Hooper body featuring a full Perspex roof. Mercedes Benz was represented by seven
examples, including a 1928 26/120/180 S-Type supercharged 6.8 litre Roadster with
Saoutchik coachwork and a 1936 500 K Cabriolet A which has been owned by the French
artist Georges Mathieu for 50 years. At the sporting end of the spectrum amongst the
offerings there was a 1989 Sauber Mercedes C9, a V8 Cosworth powered ALD C2 sports
prototype from the same year and from an earlier era a 1927 Salmson Grand Prix car.
And the rest! - It is not only a number of major manufacturers like Citroen, Mercedes Benz,
Peugeot and Renault together with the numerous single marque car clubs, that provide
attractive displays, but also the numerous vendors who bring some superb vehicles to delight
the enthusiast. Perhaps one of the star displays in the latter category was courtesy of the
renowned British restoration shop Hall & Hall, their display included an Aston Martin DB3S,
chassis # DP101/30, a 1926 Bugatti Type 39A, chassis # 4802, a Ferrari 330 P, chassis #
0820, a 1971 Ferrari 312 B2 F1 car, chassis # 007, and a Dino 206 S, chassis # 022. La
Gallerie Des Damiers display included a pale blue “barn find” Cisitalia roadster, whilst
across the aisle Carrosserie Lecoq showed a pair of Lamborghini Muiras, a P400 and the
unique P400 SVJ Spider, chassis # 4808, presented at the 1981 Geneva Salon. E. Thiessen
from Hamburg showed a Maserati 350 GT Vignale Spider, chassis # 1011017, a Ghia G230S
Prototype amongst their offerings, and an Iso Grifo with a targa roof, chassis # GL 950 289,
the 1970 Turin Show car.
... Hall & Hall Inventory >>>
Open you wallet! - Apart from the main displays, the widely diverse selection of goods
available from the vendors in the trade, art and autojumble areas that surround the main
displays, provide a great attraction. These groups come from a number of European
countries, which makes for a rich diversity of goods on offer. The scale model area is always
a popular attraction, as not only is there an abundance of mainstream die-cast examples, but
you can admire some of the amazing creations amongst the artisan work of the handbuilt
masters, and pay accordingly! Another area always worth a visit is the art gallery, which
always has a fine display by some of the best artists in the motoring field. Retromobile offers
something for every classic car enthusiast, whatever the thickness of their wallet!
Keith Bluemel
02/2008
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