Salon · 2026
Rétromobile
January 28 – February 1, 2026Paris Expo Porte de Versailles · Paris
The fixture
Paris opens the European year. Rétromobile fills the halls at Porte de Versailles with dealers, marque clubs, restorers and the first great auction week of the season — Artcurial, RM and Bonhams all sell within the same few days.
It is a salon in the old sense: the place where the trade sets its asking prices for the year, where barn-finds surface under hall lighting, and where the winter’s restorations make their debut.
The Paris week sets the year’s asking-price baseline — HICONIUM reads the room before the lawns open.
- Dates
- January 28 – February 1, 2026
- Venue
- Paris Expo Porte de Versailles
- Place
- Paris (FR)
- Type
- Salon
- Dated from
- retromobile.com
Results from this fixture feed the ledger — record sales, class wins and documented outings land in the affected cars’ files.
The origin
1976
Rétromobile first opened at the disused Gare de la Bastille in Paris in February 1976. It followed Alpha Auto, a 1974 temporary exhibition at the same station, mounted to promote Éditions Atlas’s automotive encyclopaedia. Jean-Pierre Jouët organised Alpha Auto and asked former restorer Marc Nicolosi, of the Garage du Collectionneur near Avallon, to source cars. The success led to a permanent show joining cars, clubs, parts and magazines. François Melcion joined in 1977. The show moved to Paris Expo Porte de Versailles for the 1981 edition.
How it runs
- Five-day show
- The 51st Rétromobile is scheduled for 3–7 February 2027 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. Halls 4 and 7 bring together manufacturers, clubs and federations, event organisers, press, automobilia and parts vendors, dealers, auction houses, restorers, insurers and car-art galleries.
- Parts and automobilia
- The Village Pièces & Automobilia occupies Halls 7.1 and 7.3, offering reproduction parts, manuals, automobilia and maintenance products. The Bourse de Pièces is in Hall 7.1 and brings together specialists in original components for classic vehicles; in 2027 it is scheduled for 4–5 February.
- Thematic exhibitions
- Each edition combines exhibitors with themed displays. The 2026 programme included exhibitions on rallying from the 1960s to the 1990s, Steve McQueen’s vehicles, Bugatti railcars and mechanical curiosities, and BMW Art Cars. Earlier displays have included Citroën Kégresse vehicles and Porsche tractors.
- Official auction partner
- Gooding Christie’s is the official auction partner for the 2027 edition, with a sale announced in Pavilion 7.2. The organiser records a Gooding Christie’s auction in Hall 7.1 on 29 January 2026. Artcurial’s past Rétromobile sales are historical results, not the current partner designation.
On the record
- 1976
Rétromobile opened at the Gare de la Bastille from 14 to 22 February 1976. The organiser identifies Marc Nicolosi as co-founder and recalls pre-war Bugatti, Delahaye, Hispano-Suiza and Citroën vehicles among the cars displayed.
- 1981
In 1981, after five editions, Rétromobile moved to Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, with Marc Nicolosi as director. The move followed growth and lack of space at Bastille; the station was not demolished until 1984.
- 1993
Rétromobile’s organiser says an auction was first held at the show in 1993. The source names neither the auction house nor an official-partner lineage, so no further auction history is stated here.
- 2015
On 6 February, Artcurial held Rétromobile 2015 by Artcurial Motorcars in Paris. Lot 59 was the Roger Baillon Collection’s 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, chassis 2935GT, sold for €16,288,000.
- 2016
On 5 February, Artcurial’s Rétromobile 2016 sale sold Pierre Bardinon’s 1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti, chassis 0674, for €32,075,200 including premium. The €28 million hammer was a euro and sterling record; it ranked second in US dollars.