Rétromobile Brings Paris’s Classic Car Salon to NYC
A new way to explore automotive art and culture
For half a century, Paris’s Rétromobile has been an indoor gathering for car collectors, restorers, and culture enthusiasts. Now, the event is crossing the Atlantic for its inaugural American edition, taking over the Javits Center 19-22 November 2026.
Rétromobile is an indoor event that blends a trade show, art gallery, auction, and cultural event designed around emotion, nostalgia, and passion for cars. Visitors can explore historic automobiles, restomods, automobilia, and automotive fine art side by side. The flagship Paris salon dates back to 1976, when it debuted as an informal flea market for vintage auto parts with mechanics as the primary audience. As the event grew it added art, ephemera, auctions, supercars, and other elements.
We caught up with Gérard Neveu, CEO of Rétromobile New York, to learn how it plans to bring its European point of view to NYC. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the automotive and motorsport industries, including a decade-long tenure as CEO of the FIA World Endurance Championship where he championed hybrid technology and Hypercar regulations attracting major manufacturers and fans. Drawing on his international network and experience in the American market, Neveu aims to establish Rétromobile New York as a permanent fixture ion the American cultural calendar.
COOL HUNTING: Why now, and why did you choose NYC?
Gérard Neveu: “This year marks the 50th birthday of Rétromobile in Paris. When looking at global market statistics, over half of the world’s collector car volume and three-quarters of global auction value in 2025 were driven by American collectors. We chose New York because Paris and New York share a cultural energy—much like Fashion Week in both cities. Logistically, shipping vehicles from Europe to the East Coast is far simpler than moving them to the West Coast. Plus, placing the event the week before Thanksgiving positions it at the close of the year, outside the traditional summer car week season, when many tourists and locals enjoy the city.
How does Rétromobile’s philosophy differ from traditional American events like those at Monterey Car Week, and its Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance?
“A Concours d’Elegance is very selective, competitive, and focused on a field of judged cars. Rétromobile is more of a show and a celebration. You don’t come to fight for an award, you come to experience emotion and pass down a passion across generations. In Europe, collectors can be quite reserved about showing their cars. In America, collectors love to share. In New York, we are creating a dedicated collector gallery of cars purely for the pleasure of displaying them. It is an open space where you can appreciate fine automobiles, art, timepieces, and lifestyle items under one roof.”
What can visitors expect when walking into the 400,000-square-foot hall at the Javits Center?
“We want to offer an urban atmosphere. Rather than standard booth numbers or plain aisles, we are recreating Manhattan street signage. We have around 200 exhibitors, including international dealers, restorers, OEM heritage divisions, and publishers. Hosted with presenting partner Richard Mille, we will feature an artist gallery, restomods, automobilia, lifestyle exhibits, live restoration workshops and a multi-day live auction by Gooding Christie’s Auctions. We’re also featuring a classic watch gallery, food truck courts, and French hospitality.”
Beyond street cars, will there be any special tributes to historic motorsport?
“The official organization behind the 24 Hours of Le Mans will join us in New York with historic race cars to present their new museum initiative and preview upcoming endurance programs. We are also creating a dedicated motorsport island with IMSA and HSR to celebrate American sports car racing heritage.”
How are you connecting with the local tri-state collector community and the broader public?
“We are targeting three main groups: exhibitors, the core collector community, and the general public living within a three-hour radius. We’ve been organizing Cars & Coffee events with local clubs, motorcycle groups, and regional hubs. Our goal is to bring the whole family together and establish a long-term home in NYC.”
The US program also includes a selection of collector Larry Warsh’s 70 art cars from his CART Department (he’s also known for his Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat collections). CART Department will present an exhibition examining the automobile beyond utility. Works on view include Keith Haring’s 1971 Series III Land Rover Defender, painted in graphic motifs; the stripped-down 2004 Maybach 57 custom muscle car featured in Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Otis” music video; Ai Weiwei’s BMW covered in thousands of LEGO bricks; and Shepard Fairey’s 1937 Packard 115C Touring Sedan, layered with graphics exploring themes of wealth, power, and consumption. Additional featured vehicles include creations by Daniel Arsham, Damien Hirst, Kenny Scharf, Richard Prince, Olafur Eliasson, Zaha Hadid, Jeff Koons, and Barbara Kruger. The collaboration marks the debut of CART X—a new hybrid global platform established by Warsh that merges cars, art, music, and fashion to redefine how automobiles are appreciated in a broader lifestyle context and absorbed into popular culture, Warsh’s new platform spanning cars, art, music, and fashion.
Rétromobile New York (inaugural edition): 19-22 November 2026, at the Javits Center. Single-day general admission passes start at $70; VIP preview tickets cost $320. The Paris show will host its 51st edition 3–7 February2027, kicking off the European classic car circuit.
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