Factory stages bring an incomparable flair to classic car shows with grand design, unique masterpieces, and lots of substance for the fans. Rétromobile is one of the biggest A-listers in our books, as it brings together an unrivalled variety. Italian, British and German manufacturers also participate, and local heroes always stand out.
These stages are usually backed by factory support, but the past few years struck manufacturers. As a result, Retromobile was undoubtedly smaller and had to count on much less factory support. Still, as it turned out later, this show was among the best-equipped ones. Now, let’s count down the stages, from the sleekest to the most impressive ones.
The Facellia was a true rarity even for the Facel Vega brand
Year after year, you will find many specimens of the defunct Facel Vega brand at Retromobile. This year, the show delivered less, but a few Facel Vega models were among the exhibits and auction lots.
One of the most striking specimens was the Facellia coupé. This ultrarare French sports car was produced by Facel Vega between 1960 and 1963 to compete with lightweight sportscars of the era, like the Dolce Vita Alfa Romeos.
This car is a 1960 pre-production model exhibited at the AutoSalon Paris. After the expo, the vehicle remained at the factory for about 1 year for finalisation.
The car participated in several racing events (mainly touring car races) and remained in the hands of the same owner for nearly 50 years.
Mini’s presence was reduced to a club meeting
BMW’s factory facilities abstained this year, so the MINI brand had to rely on club presence. There were several interesting specimens of all ages, sizes and colours.
Maximum effort Morgan: the Super 3 is brand new, even if you can’t tell : )
Morgan showcased its entire 2022 model line-up, though many classic stages featured more modern-looking cars.
The four-wheeler on the right is a Plus Four 1962 TOK Edition in homage to a car that won the 2-litre class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1962.
On the other side is the latest Morgan model, the infamous three-wheeler Super 3. The lining may be more up to date, but it’s far from being futuristic.
The tech under the aluminium sheets changed a lot though: the iconic V-2 had to give way for a Ford supplied three-cylinder engine, producing 120hp.
The Mercedes Museum remained absent, but that didn’t matter
It’s been some time since Merc had a factory representation (we recall them from 2016). Still, the Swabian brand was more than well represented by specialists, thanks to the brand’s long-standing reputation of valued classics.
HK Engineering is always ready to sport a few Gullwings, but many others brought along classic stars from various decades.
The Peugeot Citroën DS Adventure took back quite a bit but still delivered a good show
For some time, this has been a mainstay of Retromobile, with the 100th anniversary Citroën exhibition from 2019 as an absolute highlight.
We also adored the line-up of six presidential DS limousines in 2018 as an all-time highlight.
At the beginning of this year, even their mere participation was questioned, so the PSA stage was already a positive development. At the same time, the three brands exhibited in a single exhibition space that was more petite than some of the clubs in the past. While the PSA chambers featured some remarkable cars, the focus was clearly on car club contributions.
The Citroën component included two modern cars: one was a concept, the My Ami Buggy Concept, an all-electric mobility device (even the brochure said so, we just called “the thing”) with an adventurer style.
The other was a production model, though you could hardly tell: the all-new Citroën C5 X, was described as an heir to Citroën’s grand tourers. We are also sure it inherited the legendary Citroën craziness too.
These two modern Citroëns were surrounded by six classic vehicles belonging to collectors. With the help of L’Amicale Citroën France, the stage featured a Rosalie 10, a Traction Avant 15/6, a 2 CV Sahara, a Méhari US, a CX 2000 Pallas and a BX 19 GT. The latter celebrated its 40th anniversary.
The blue 1961 Citroën 2CV Sahara is a special edition made in only 694 examples. It is all-wheel-drive, and its nickname derives from the fact that it was sold to the oil companies that worked in the Sahara.
On the other side of the stand, three DS models were awaiting visitors.
The two magnificent classic models (a 1973 SM Opéra and a Pallas DS 23) were escorting a 2022 DS 9 E-Tense 360, the current electrified flagship of the DS Automobiles range.
Lamborghini revived a legend in Paris
Lambo’s factory classic car division is a regular guest at Retromobile. The Sant’Agata-based Polo Storico usually presents two (well, rather one and a half) cars, but they surely make a lasting impression with them year after year.
This year the main attraction was the rebuilding of the very first Countach, the yellow LP 500. Designer icon Marcello Gandini’s concept car was the star of the 1971 Geneva Motor Show.
After three years of product development, this LP 500 was destroyed in a crash test. In 2017, Polo Storico revived the concept at the request of a recurring customer collector with an offer they could not refuse.
The challenge was considerable, as Polo Storico had to work without plans. They invested some 25,000 hours of labour in collaboration with specialists.
Nissan brought a truly diverse trio to illustrate its past and future
The Nissan stage formed a lovely story arc to connect the brand’s past, present, and future (and the press release filled some of the gaps 😊 ). Nissan exhibited three models that could not be more different: a white 1972 240Z coupe, a blue 1976 Patrol off-roader and the 2022 Ariya 100% electric crossover.
The white 240z is one of the most iconic Nissans of all time and a true game-changer for the Japanese car industry and the sports car segment. This car combined the emerging reliability of the Japanese brands with affordability and mass production.
The 240z was produced from 1969 to 1974, and some 116,000 cars were sold, followed by the successive updates of the 260Z and 280Z models. The sporty Z coupés are still in production, almost uninterrupted since the ’70s.
The concrete specimen exhibited at Retromobile is a 1972 240Z, in white colour and close to showroom condition, with its 2.4 litre 6-cylinder engine delivering 150 horsepower.
The blue Nissan Patrol L60 is from 1976. The Patrol model was born in 1951 following a call for tenders from the Japanese police (hence the name). The first Patrols were derived from the Willys Jeeps familiar to the Japanese since World War II. In 1960, the new Patrol Type 60 broke bread with the American model. The L60 was designed to face the most challenging terrain and equipped with appropriate specs, including a 3.9-litre in-line 6-cylinder engine developing 145 horsepower.
The last car of the trio could easily be a concept car, but it’s actually a production model.
The Arya is Nissan’s first all-electric “coupé crossover” and heralds a new chapter for the brand’s all-electric vehicles.
This model is built on Nissan’s brand new CMF-EV platform and spearheads Nissan’s new design philosophy, what the brand calls timeless Japanese futurism.
Here we take a rhetorical break as we reach about half of the gallery. We continue with the largest and most memorable stages in the following article.
If you click on 2 below, you will find over 80 photos in the gallery. Before clicking on the next page, take a deep breath, as loading the pictures might take some time.
