Retromobile New York opens November 19 at the Javits Center with 100-plus exhibitors, a Gooding Christie's auction, and a floor built to look like Paris with an American accent.
For the first time in its 50-year history, Rétromobile is leaving Paris. Retromobile New York opens Thursday, November 19 at the Javits Center in Manhattan and runs through Sunday the 22nd, four days of collector cars, dealers, restorers, artists and a live auction under one roof. It is the first edition of the show ever held outside France, produced by Comexposium, the organizer behind the Paris event since 1976, in partnership with duPont REGISTRY Group, which also owns speedarticle.
Gérard Neveu, the show's CEO, told duPont REGISTRY the timing was never much of a debate. "The question was no longer 'why now?' but 'why not now?'" he said, pointing to record auction results at Monterey this year and a younger crowd finding its way into the hobby. November closes out the collector car year without crowding anyone else's weekend. On the city, Neveu cited the concentration of collections, specialists and auction houses in the United States, and a market where, by his count, more than half the world's classic cars live. "We are not replacing anything that already exists," he said. "We are adding a new international meeting place that connects American collectors with the wider global community."
What that looks like on the floor is more than 100 exhibitors spread across 400,000 square feet. The dealer roster reads like a Paris hall shipped over whole: Fiskens, Girardo & Co., Joe Macari and Lukas Hüni from Europe, Autosport Designs and Hyman Ltd. from this side of the water. Spyker is coming. So is the organization behind the 24 Hours of Le Mans, along with Historic Sportscar Racing and smaller specialists like Detroit Metal Shaping Co. and 1600Veloce. Richard Mille, the presenting partner, gets its own space and its own cars.
Gooding Christie's is the official auction house and will run a multi-day live sale during the show. The headline consignment announced so far is a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider once owned by Steve McQueen. Billy Joel's motorcycle collection is also crossing the block. Organizers say Jerry Seinfeld's Porsches will be on the floor. Beyond the cars, CART Department, the platform founded by collector Larry Warsh, is bringing art cars from Ai Weiwei, Keith Haring, Futura, Jay Z and Shepard Fairey. The exhibitor list runs on through watch galleries and a Michel Vaillant presence for anyone who grew up on the comics.
Asked what separates this from everything else on the American calendar, Neveu started with what it isn't. "Retromobile New York is not simply a concours, a swap meet, a Cars and Coffee, an automotive department store or an art gallery, but it brings elements of all these worlds together," he said. In the show's own announcement he put it shorter, calling it "the world's most exciting pop-up garage."
The harder job, he said, has been balance. Applications poured in from companies and collectors. The work since has been making sure every corner of the hobby shows up. "Visitors will recognize the same quality of experience, attention to detail and authenticity that have defined the Paris event for decades," Neveu said, while the New York show builds "its own identity, shaped by the city, the American market and the extraordinary people who define the collector community in the United States."
He is already talking in terms of years, of collectors from well beyond New York marking the show on their calendars unprompted. "Ultimately, success would be hearing conversations end with a simple promise," he said. "'See you in New York in November!'"
Retromobile New York runs November 19 through 22 at the Javits Center, 429 11th Avenue. Tickets and the full exhibitor list are at retromobile.us.
