Visiting Retromobile

Paris in February. Such a romantic place to take a loved one for Valentine’s Day. Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Montmarte and as an extra gesture you could take a trip to one of Europe’s top indoor classic car shows, Retromobile. This takes place at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, an easy ride on the Metro from the centre of the city. RSM was there for 2008’s show but has held these photos back in the hope they might inspire you to jump on a plane or a train and visit this years event.

The most striking first impression when entering the halls was of the professionalism of it all. It was carpeted throughout, there were many manufacturer-sponsored displays and even those with less financial backing were impressive. Not surprisingly, instead of the never-ending numbers of MG’s, Triumphs, Fords and Jags at UK shows it was all Citroen, Peugeot, Renault and Simca with a fair smattering of other European models of both the exotic and “cooking” variety.



The strangest vehicle was without doubt the 3 wheeled Mathis 333 but numerous coach built ‘30’s cars, “barn find” Bugattis and historic race cars were also highlights. The artwork, sculptures and automobilia on display were a spectacular accompaniment. The show also has reputation for die-cast vendors and there was an astonishing quantity of scale models available.



From the UK it would be possible to visit this show in a day by catching an early Eurostar from the magnificent refurbished St Pancras Station though spreading the trip over a couple of days might well be a more relaxing alternative. 2009 dates are 6th –15th February and it is open as late as 10pm on certain days.

 

Visit www.retromobile.fr for more details on the even, and head to our Flickr gallery of the event for more visual treats!