As quirky as ever
Paris show rediscovers its ‘je ne sais quoi’ in style
if words aren’t enough, then the actions of British and American enthusiasts surely are: Rétromobile attracts them to Paris in remarkable numbers, despite the show’s relatively small size and its strongly Gallic nature.
Still, Rétromobile is now the biggest it’s been for years, taking over a second hall for 2016, and continuing to regain the charm that it was so well known for during the 1980s and ’90s.
What brings the charm? It’s not the venue, which is your typical modern exhibition hall in a not particularly attractive area of Paris: it’s the quirky nature of some of the exhibits. Most noticeable this year was the huge and wonderful two-tone blue 1955 Pathé-Marconi mobile TV studio, designed by Philippe Charbonneaux and built on a Panhard chassis to follow the Tour de France – one of several exhibits at Rétromobile celebrating the career of designer Charbonneaux, who was also responsible for the Delahaye 235, Renault 8 and 16, several presidential Citroëns and all manner of domestic items, from toothbrushes to televisions.
Though show visitors flocked around the PathéMarconi truck, they invariably rushed away again on hearing the thunder of the two other big stars of the show, the Fiat S76 ‘Beast of Turin’ of Duncan Pittaway and the 1905 Land Speed Record Darracq of Mark Walker. Both were regularly wheeled outside to be started and run up and down, spitting flames, trailing oil splashes and deafening onlookers in their wake. Brilliant stuff, and as popular in Paris as they were at Goodwood last year.
Even more bizarre than the huge mobile studio and monstrous Edwardian racers was the display of Les Rhomboïdes. These are cars with their wheels arranged in a diamond pattern (one at the front, one at the back, one either side), and together they made one of the wackiest displays we’re ever seen – the 1968 Automodule looked as if it had arrived straight out of a sci-fi movie.
Then there were the manufacturer stands, with regulars Citroën, Renault, Peugeot, Bugatti and Mercedes-Benz joined by Jaguar Land Rover, making its first appearance at Rétromobile to publicise its new Heritage restoration service with an Airfix-style display of its remanufactured panels.
For mass appeal, though, it’s also the specialists that Rétromobile relies on – UK dealers, most notably Fiskens, JD Classics and William I’Anson this year, plus Tillack (all the way from Los Angeles), along with mainland Europe dealers such as Lukas Hüni, The Gallery Brummen and Axel Schuette.
This year auction house Artcurial had relocated its sale cars to the new second hall, with its collection of Citroëns attracting as much attention as the Ferrari 335S that went on to set the record price.
Back down in the main hall, the motoring art section was arguably the best it’s been for several years, and appealingly varied in subject. Automobilia areas, too, were proving popular with visitors – it’s what Rétromobile is known for.
Other favourites? The little Dino 246 prototype sat in the corridor between the halls, Lukas Hüni’s lovely D-type ‘XKD 524’, and the unlikely Group 5 Renault 17 race car on the official Renault stand.
We can’t wait to see what’s at next year’s show…