retromobile

The automotive heritage industry relocates across the Atlantic Ocean this week, as Paris prepares to become the center of the automotive world once more with the staging of Retromobile, Europe’s most important International Classic Car Exhibition.

A 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B has taken out the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award, the de facto world championship for concours cars. This one-of-five car was displayed at the 1937 Paris Auto Salon, 1937 Milan Auto Show, 1938 Berlin Motor Show, and won the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Paris gave birth to the automotive industry, held the world's first motor show, was the birthplace of motorsport, and now through the annual Retromobile celebration, Paris offers the finest in automobilia available. ​Here's a sampling of the remarkable objects available this year.

Rétromobile has been running since 1976, when the most expensive car in the world cost less than $100,000 and long before the term retro had become fashionable. It is one of those places where auctions truly can throw up some remarkable objets d'automotive art. This year it did not disappoint.

The Bugatti marque was once the most revered of them all. Twice it has been resurrected, but several spectacular showings this week at Retromobile indicate the Bugatti name is returning to its glorious former levels.

Jaguar Classic has re-started production of its D-type race car, with the first prototype being shown today at Retromobile in Paris. Just 25 new D-types will be built, completing the 100 units originally planned for production in 1955.

One of the stars of Retromobile was a collection of 10 AJS racing motorcycles (from 1949 to 1962) on the stand of Movendi with a price tag of €750,000 for the lot.

In our ongoing efforts to offer more useful auction reports, we've configured the most valuable, the biggest "no sales" and the more interesting offerings at this month's Retromobile auctions in Paris.

French superstar Johnny Hallyday​ scored two world auction records in ten minutes on the weekend when his 1989 Harley-Davidson Softail Springer sold for $298,193 and his custom Boyd Coddington 1953 Cadillac Serie 62 Cabriolet​ sold for $287,544.​​

​A Ferrari 335S​ Spider​ sold for $35 million (€31,360,000​) this Friday, becoming the second-most valuable car ever sold at auction. The car fell short of the world record of $38.1 million set by a Ferrari 250 GTO in 2014.

The "barnfind" Baillon Collection went under the gavel in Paris on Friday afternoon with most cars fetching in excess of their estimates, topped by a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider which sold for US$18.0 million to become one of the top five most expensive cars ever to sell at auction.

The Paris/Retromobile round of collectible car and bike auctions gets underway this week with sales by Artcurial, Bonhams and RM. Though dozens of cars will sell for more than a million dollars, the world's most important barnfind, the Baillon Collection, will be the star of the show.