Why you need to be at Retromobile in 2025

Citroën Peugeot Renault

I’d always imagined it would be like the NEC Classic Motor Show but more French. A bit like a big car show but infused with an essence of Elf, Gitanes and Pastis. I was wrong.

I’d been talking about going to Retromobile for years. For many reasons it didn't happen, but for 2024, and in the spirit of 'you’ve got to get on and do the things you want to do' – I decided I was going. And so, late January saw me pointing my Hyundai (2020 i30 N Line, so not very Petrolbloggy) at Dover for an Irish Ferries 15:30 sailing to Calais and then down to Paris.

After a pleasant day mooching around the French capital and seeing the automotive sights, Friday morning dawned with a great degree of excitement. This was Retromobile day.

The first thing you need to know is that it’s nothing like the NEC Classic Motor Show. Well, it is a series of big exhibition halls filled with cars, and the parking is really, really expensive, but that’s where the similarities end.

Firstly, Retromobile is hugely impressive. I spent the first half-hour of my day in complete awe. Encountering a Peugeot 806 Procar after a Renault 5 Turbo 2 and one of those Citroën Berlingos with the classic H Van-style bodykit in the first five minutes does that to you. The variety of cars is incredible and the trade stalls will concern many bank managers.

There’s the manufacturer and professional stands; the Renault stand drew me in like a moth to a flame by featuring a Dauphine Gordini, new Rafale and an aeroplane. It was nothing if not eclectic. The show was also the venue for the launch of the colour options for the forthcoming R5 EV (bright green for me, please). Volkswagen brought one of every Golf, while Škoda had a selection of SUVs whose names I couldn’t recall, together with classic ’60s Superbs and the newer Voltavia – a ’60s Octavia Combi with an electric motor up front.

From there, there are myriad specialist auction houses and dealer stands. Absolutely everything on these was far outside my budget, and aside from the Ferrari F40, which is the only supercar I’d really like, they didn’t really appeal. That said, Artcurial’s Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder did leave me wondering about revisiting my Ferris Bueller fantasies if I suddenly became incredibly wealthy. And although browsing at cars I’ll never be able to afford is fine, the real action, for the likes of us, lived in Pavilion 3.

That's because Pavilion 3 is the home of ‘Cars for sale for less than €25,000’. That's still a whole heap of euros, but it contained the sort of things you didn’t think existed and cars that are sprinkled with an essence of Petrolblog.

A 1988 Renault 21 TXE automatic with just 3842km on the clock, a two-owner-from-new Peugeot 505 GTi for only €8600, an immaculate Autobianchi Y10 Turbo, a Mk1 Mondeo with full factory bodykit, Citroën Xantia V6, and everything to fill your Real World Dream Barn under one roof. But there was one car that stood out, even in the company of these rare gems.

It was less powerful and rarer than the aforementioned Ferrari F40 and probably less useful. But how much did I want to own a brand new, zero-kilometre 1988 Citroën AX 10RE five-door in white? Very much indeed. With its painted wheel arches nestled alongside the rear passenger seat squab, it harked back to an earlier, happier age and one that would have been very welcome in my garage. Obviously using it would spoil its newness but as a thing to bring in the house and look at, it would have been perfect.

After a brief sit down, baguette and Gini to give me chance to compose myself, it was time for a return to the trade stands. If you like model cars, brochures, old signage and lots of other automobilia, then nerves of steel are required as the temptations are many and varied. And not always as expensive as you might expect, which makes it harder to avoid buying absolutely all sorts (and in this respect, reader, I must tell you that I failed).

There is, as you'd expect, an array of things you never knew you need to own. I escaped with my wallet lightened by only a handful of models and a couple of repro metal signs. It could have been so much worse or better, depending on the way you view these things.

Am I glad I did it? Absolutely. Paris itself is great and Retromobile is one of those shows that you’ve got to do at least once – it’s that good. My drive home left me wondering if I could give up working full time, work a couple of days a week and spend my free time driving round Europe going to car shows. Spoiler alert: I can’t.

There aren’t many shows where you’ll find something for every automotive taste, but Retromobile has it. If, like me, you’ve been considering going someday, do it. Dates for 2025 are confirmed, so you’ve got twelve months to plan.

Click here to see more photos from Retromobile 2024. You can also follow David on X at @LobsterDrives.