French cars from lost manufacturers are a common sight at Retromobile. This 1950 DB HBR cabriolet by Antem was produced in 32 examples; some competed in great motorsport events like Le Mans and Sebring.
Photos and captions by Hugues Vanhoolandt
In 1947, Bristol entrusted Carrozzeria Touring to create the body for their new 401 model. Only 7 or 8 cars finally received the Touring body. 67 years later, one of them went back to Touring to receive a totally new body that you see in the background, the old one being kept by the owner.
The Peugeot-based 402 Darl’Mat cabriolet of 1938. Emile Darl’Mat, who was a Peugeot dealer in Paris, started to build sporty cars on the 302 and 402 chassis. 104 examples were built; 32 cabriolets, 52 roadsters and 20 coupés.
Also from Peugeot, this 203 cabriolet is a special version made by the Swiss coachbuilder Worblaufen in 1951. Although the front part is common with the 203, the body is specific from the A-pillar to the rear end. Worblaufen built twenty of these cars, ten in four place form and ten in 2+2 versions like this one.
Another special from Peugeot was this 403 created by French craftsman Marcel Bernard in 1956. The donor car has been shortened and lowered to become a two-seater equipped with a new dashboard and improved power. A small range of cars was intended but never went into production.
To commemorate the centennial of WWI, Renault exhibited the famous ‘Taxi de la Marne’ in which the French soldiers were carried to the battlefield to stop the progress of the German troops in 1914.
The Renault Espace F1, first shown 20 years ago at the Paris Salon, is equipped with the 3.5 liter V10 which was powering the Williams cars, so dominant in Formula One at that time.
Citroën showed the C10 Prototype from 1956. Its body was inspired by a drop of water, the perfect aerodynamic form, and could carry four people with luggage at more than 60 mph.
Bodied by French coachbuilder Chapron on an extended wheelbase Citroën SM, the four-door Opera was first shown at the 1971 Paris Salon.
The Mylord cabriolet is another variant of the Citroën SM, also bodied by Chapron. One of seven made, these cars are very valuable today as this one sold for $750,000 at the Artcurial Auction.
The Amilcar C6 was like a small version of a Grand Prix car. Fast and competitive, this one had no less than three Le Mans starts, four Bol d’Or and two Spa 24 hrs.
In the same ownership since 1958, this Talbot-Lago T26GS was driven by Fangio and Rosier at Le Mans in 1951 and by Rosier and Trintignant in the 1952 Monaco Grand Prix.
This Bugatti Type 59/50B was driven by famous French drivers Jean-Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist during its racing career spanning from 1935 to 1938.
This one-off Alfa Romeo 1900C Super Sprint, bodied by Boano, comes from the Righini collection in Italy. A similar coupé was built for Juan Peron, President of Argentina at the time, but fitted with a 6C 3000 engine.
The Alfa Romeo 'Romeo' van was produced from 1954 to 1963 and many used the twin cam straight four engine from the Giulietta.
Wearing its 1954 Carrera Panamericana livery, in which it retired with Mieres, the Osca MT4 2AD s/n 1142 also competed at the Mille Miglia (10th OA), the Targa Florio (retired) with Cabianca and the Tour de France (retired) with De Portago, all in 1954.
Swiss exclusive car broker Lükas Hüni always shows tremendous machinery in Paris, or in Essen next month. One of the three Ferrari 250 LM Stradale Speciale versions was on display, featuring leather trim and a Plexiglas cover over the engine.
Retromobile usually houses the biggest auction sale of the year in France. This year was no exception with the most expensive lot being this exclusive Ferrari 166 MM bodied by Belgian coachbuilder Oblin in 1954. This was a post-auction sale at nearly $3.5 million.
In addition to its normal display of exclusive cars, Lükas Hüni held an exhibition about Lancia cars. One of the most interesting examples was the rare D24. Designed by Vittorio Jano, it won the 1954 Targa Florio in the hands of Piero Taruffi.
After a 2nd place at Le Mans in 1967, this Ferrari 330 P4 (s/n 0858) was converted in a 350 CanAm spider to compete in the US. Recently brought back to its original configuration, it is seen here at the back of an original Ferrari race transporter.
It seems that young boys are still attracted by race cars. So, there is hope for the future of our passion - here, fascination with an Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 Daytona.