Paris, France
January 28 to February 1st, 2026
50 years of Retromobile !
In 2026, Rétromobile will celebrate its 50th anniversary, so we can expect a rich and varied program. What a long way it has come since the small exhibition in the old Vincennes train station near Paris to the international event that now brings together the biggest international dealers, as well as numerous collectors and classic car clubs.
A sign of this success is the growing presence of manufacturers presenting recent models based on their history, bringing out a few gems from their museums or reserves for the occasion. This is what BMW will be doing for this edition, with a presentation of several “Art Cars,” a concept that is also celebrating its 50th anniversary.
BMW and Art Cars
The first Art Car appeared at the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans. Herve Poulain, a famous auctioneer and amateur racing driver, convinced BMW to provide him with a BMW 3.0 CSL to be painted by Alexander Calder, one of the major artists of modern art, and then entered it in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driven by professional drivers Jean Guichet and Sam Posey and Herve Poulain himself. Since then, around twenty BMW Art Cars have been presented, each one a unique work painted by internationally renowned artists.
To mark the 50th anniversary of its Art Cars, BMW has set up the “BMW Art Car World Tour,” lending or exhibiting a number of cars for events and museum exhibitions all around the world. The first Art Car was at Le Mans Classic in early July, and several models were at the Louwman Museum for a dedicated exhibition.
Copyright photos Automobile Museums, aucun droit d’usage ou de reproduction
This first Art Car is also featured on the Retromobile 2026 official poster. For Retromobile, BMW will present the seven cars that participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1975 and 2024, decorated by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Jeff Koons. It is also an opportunity to look back on BMW’s presence at Le Mans, with the 3.0 CSL, 320, M1, V12 LMR, M3, and M Hybrid V8.
Stay tuned…
The full Retromobile program will be unveiled in the coming weeks, and you will find the latest information in this blog. At the same time as Retromobile, the brand new “Ultimate Supercar Garage” show will be taking place, dedicated, as you might expect, to the rarest and most exclusive cars on the planet.