At last!
After two years of absence due to the health crisis, the Salon Rétromobile is reconnecting with the threads of its history.
Being in another hall does not change anything (pavilions 7/2-7/3): amateurs and devotees of old and prestigious cars will be able to share in the vibrant passion of what remains one of the most beautiful inventions of the Twentieth century.
An adventure that has its roots in France.
The proof that our country knows how to be at the forefront.
During the five days of the exhibition, the blue France will shine in all the aisles.
Starting with that of Amilcar, a young centenarian renowned for its production of microcars and which takes its name from the anagram of two of its founders - the financiers Joseph Lamy and Émile Akar -, associated with the driver André Morel and the engineer Edmond Moyet.
To discover
Our list of the best electric cars under 40,000 euros
What responsibility at the wheel of an “autonomous car”?
Amedee Gordini.
Renault
In 1927 and 1928, his 6-cylinder machines won numerous international records.
At that time, the young Amedeo (Amédée) Gordini had just settled in Paris.
Passionate about boxing, the Émilien wants to follow the exploits of champion Georges Carpentier.
After starting out as an apprentice mechanic in a garage in Suresnes, he set up on his own.
The man who has gold in his hands becomes a Fiat agent and prepares racing cars.
In 1934, he won the Bol d'Or at the wheel of a client's car.
A victory which earned him the financial support of Henri Théodore Pigozzi, the founder of Simca.
This contract leads to a harvest of successes - class victory at Le Mans and 22 world records at Montlhéry - but also to an dependence on small machines bearing the image of the swallow.
The Gordini team at the Aix-les-Bains Grand Prix in May 1950. Private collection
On September 9, 1945, in the Bois de Boulogne, he won the Robert Benoist Cup, the first post-war race.
His mini single-seater marked the start of his brand's career in Grand Prix.
Despite permanent financial difficulties, the craftsman on Boulevard Victor managed to work miracles, says expert and historian Christian Huet in Gordini, A wizard, a team.
Jean Behra won the French Grand Prix at Reims in 1952 at the wheel of a 6-cylinder F2;
Jacky Pollet dominated the Tour de France automobile in 1954 with the 2.5 liter barquette.
Fangio even made his debut at Le Mans in a Type 18S berlinetta that Artcurial sold at auction on Fridays.
The last part of the Italian's career is written in the orb of Renault with racing engines and models in his name.
The Renault 5 celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Renault
Despite the Alpine badge, the mechanics of the first sports version of the R5 owe a lot to Gordini.
Blowing out its 50 candles at Rétromobile, the city-dweller of the former Régie was the French precursor of a prolific generation.
Launched under the slogan “supercar”, the R5 is one of the greatest successes in our history.
The Turbo version turns it into a rally beast.
Alpine, another French manufacturer, another name steeped in history, is widely discussed at Rétromobile with the National Gendarmerie Museum which exhibits, for the first time, part of its collections.
Renault
Paris Expo, Pavilions 7/2 - 7/3, from March 16 to 20, Porte de Versailles, Paris 15th. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., late opening until 10 p.m. on 4 and 6 p.m. Admission: €20 (web), €24 (at the cash desk). Free for children under 12 (Retromobile.fr).
Lamborghini countach LP 500: the “dream-car” resurrected
Eros Maggi
Star of the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, the prototype of the Countach designed by Marcello Gandini, the style director of the Bertone bodywork, made an impression with its angular and futuristic lines.
Sacrificed in 1974 for the needs of the model's certification crash test, the LP 500 has just been reborn at the request of a collector.
Starting from scratch and using modern digital means, the Sant'Agata builder's Polo Storico restoration department has just brought one of the most important pieces in its history back to life.
Jean Bertin, a mobility visionary
bertin
The Aerotrain or the TGV?
The balance almost tipped in favor of the former.
This is what the exhibition devoted to Jean Bertin reveals to us.
In the early 1960s, this polytechnician relied on the work of his engineer Louis Duthion on the ground effect phenomenon to develop the Aérotrain, a train on an air cushion.
Supported by Pompidou, this means of transport, which reached 345 km/h during tests, was finally abandoned.
Never short of ideas, Bertin is also developing Tridim, an automatic, electric-powered cabin that is being demonstrated at Rétromobile.
