Rétromobile 2025: inside France’s giant classic car show
Classic car shows can draw in massive crowds but Rétromobile is on a different scale…
We all love a classic car show, the very best events are able to turn large, and largely soulless, expo centres into bustling hubs of automotive grandeur. Ask any classic car enthusiast what their favourite event is, and the chances are Rétromobile in France would be high on the list.
Rétromobile, or Salon Rétromobile, is one of the biggest and best classic car shows in the automotive calendar, with spectators and exhibitors from around the world flocking to the annual event hosted at the Porte de Versailles expo centre in Paris. It was first held in 1976, so 2025 marks the 49th edition of Rétromobile with the event shaping up to be one of the best yet.
As you’d expect, there are plenty of French cars and manufacturers in attendance, but Rétromobile is truly a global event, with brands like DS, Jaguar, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Renault, and Skoda all on display. While understanding some French may help, Rétromobile is a very accessible event, and compared with the equivalent in the UK, it’s reasonably inexpensive; adult ticket prices start from 25 euros (around £20.80) if you buy on the day.
From 5-9 February 2025, the show will feature everything from the oldest production cars to brand new concepts from major manufacturers, decorated performance cars from the world of motorsport, as well as artists, traders, local car clubs and plenty of classic car auctions, which cater for collectors with a budget of a few thousand euros to well over a million. Here are the highlights of this year’s event…
What are the big car brands doing at Rétromobile 2025?
From industry heavyweights to smaller manufacturers, there’s plenty to see this year…
Bentley
One of the most famous British marques at Rétromobile is Bentley, and on display at this year's event is a Bentley Speed Six Continuation. The Bentley Speed Six is the most successful Bentley race car in history, winning at Le Mans in 1929 and 1930. While the car on display won’t be the original race-winner, the Continuation series car is built using period-correct materials and techniques, adhering to WO Bentley’s original designs. Alongside the Speed Six Continuation, the brand-new Bentley Continental GTC Speed with its 4.0-litre V8 hybrid engine is also on display.
Citroen
Over the years, Citroen has tried to keep its dinky Ami quadricycle looking fresh with a facelift and plenty of styling tweaks and nods back to the past – the most recent being a combination of cues from Citroen’s funky Oli concept and the 2CV. If the Ami unveiled at the 2024 Paris Motor Show wasn’t retro enough for you though, the new Citroen Type-Ami should be right up your boulevard. Under licence from Citroen itself, bodykit specialist Caselani has given the Ami a makeover, adorning the front of the quadricycle with a closed-off but retro-styled grille and large chevron logo similar to ones you’d find on the Citroen Type H van from the 1950s, as well as plenty of other retro-styling cues. Expect to pay in the region of 13,900 Euros (£11,500) for a brand-new Citroen Type-Ami or 5,000 Euros (£4,100) for the bodykit to fit to your own Ami.
DS
2025 marks the 70th anniversary of the Citroen DS, and what better way of marking this occasion than with a special exhibition? Titled “The DS, a work of art for 70 years”, the show will treat spectators to a collection of no fewer than 12 cars, including a completely original 1969 DS 21 Pallas, which will be lined up next to the brand-new DS No8, on show in France for the first time.
Taking centre stage is a reconstruction of the avant-garde DS Balloons model from the late 1950s. For those unfamiliar, the DS Balloons showcases a DS 19 resting on four balloons, symbolising the car floating thanks to its iconically silky hydropneumatic suspension. Initially designed in 1959 by Claude Puech, then Citroen advertising director, the car on display has been carefully recreated by GARAC (France’s national school of automotive professionals).
Other historic DS cars on display will include a 1972 DS 21 Prestige that was used by former French Prime Minister Michel Debré, a DS 19 Convertible from 1961 and the metallic grey DS 19 Totem Pole, which was first displayed at the 1962 Paris Motor Show.
Renault
Renault has once again taken inspiration from its past when designing its newest car, the Renault Filante Record 2025. The main source of inspiration for this streamlined electric car was an endurance and speed record holder from the mid 1920s – the Renault 40CV ‘des Records’. The original Renault 40CV was a flagship model for the French brand, with the car featuring a 9.1-litre straight six and a hydraulic servo-brake system; and while the Renault Filante Record 2025 won’t be gunning for any speed records or have a thumping 9.1-litre engine under the bonnet, its jet-like design and 87kWh battery with cell-to-pack technology should help it push the boundaries of energy efficiency, helping to develop tech that could find its way onto future production cars. It looks like the Mercedes Vision EQXX has an efficiency battle on its hands.
Touring Superleggera
At Monterey Car Week last year, Touring Superleggera unveiled its Veloce12 – a bespoke homage to the Ferrari 550 Maranello. At Rétromobile, the Italian coachbuilders pulled the covers off a very special Auzzro Cielo blue Veloce12, as well as a beautifully restored Maserati 3500 GT from 1959, sitting alongside an unrestored barn-find from 1961.
What else does Rétromobile offer?
Of course, classic cars are the main attraction at Rétromobile, but there’s plenty of other displays to immerse yourself in.
A tribute to Formula One
The 49th edition of Rétromobile will pay tribute to France's involvement in Formula One. Not only can you get up close and personal with a collection of French cars from the likes of Ligier and Renault, the display also looks to the future ambitions of France, French manufacturers and French drivers. Other historic Formula One cars, like Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F399 and F2002, are also on display.
The classic car and classic bike auction
A classic car show wouldn’t be complete without an auction, and Rétromobile is no different. Those with deep pockets will be paying close attention to the 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB which has an estimate in the region of 2.2–2.6 million Euros (£1.8-2.2m). If this is a little on the expensive side, there’s plenty of attainable cars with estimates under 20,000 Euros (about £16,700, including a 1974 Honda Z600, a 1981 Fiat 850 Sport Coupe and 1983 Volkswagen Golf GTI. Fans of anything on two wheels are also catered for with plenty of motorbikes and scooters being hammered away.
If you are looking for the ultimate collectors’ car, head over to the other side of the city, where auction house RM Sotheby's is hosting its European Flagship sale during Rétromobile week. This year there will be plenty of eyes on the 1965 Le Mans-winning Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti, which has a starting bid of ‘in excess of €25 million [£20.8m]’.
Classic car memorabilia, art, and clothes
Not only does Rétromobile give you the opportunity to buy the car of your dreams through many different auctions, you can also buy everything from motorsport-related pieces of artwork, to memorabilia for your workshop and garage – including French manuals of your favourite cars. You can even fit yourself out with plenty of car-themed items of clothing.
Rétromobile is taking place between 5-9 February 2025 in Paris. But if you don’t get the chance to go to this year’s event, here’s our gallery of what you’re missing out on…
What's your favourite highlight from this year's Rétromobile? Tell us in the comments...
