Not that there's ever a need for an excuse (let alone a good one) to visit Paris, but if for whatever reason you need one, Rétromobile Paris more than fits the bill.
The vintage car show, founded in 1976, is one of the best shows of its kind on the planet. It draws classic car lovers from all over the world to the City of Love, with tens of thousands of attendees traveling to Paris just for the 50th-anniversary edition earlier in the year.
It's an event that brings together high-profile auction houses, a marketplace for vintage car parts, and exhibits that tell the wonderful story of the history of the automobile. It's a great place to meet like-minded enthusiasts celebrating how cars have changed the way we travel.
Rétromobile isn't like The Quail in Monterey or The Bridge at the Hamptons, but it is a great place to see some of the best vintage cars around, and if you're a collector, you know you can't exactly casually walk into AutoZone and expect to find that vintage carburetor for your next rebuild.
The Paris Expo Porte de Versailles location simply makes the show more appealing. If you're unfamiliar with the place, it's France's second-largest exhibition center, which hosted some events during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 169,000 sq m space also hosts other major events like Foire de Paris, Salon du Chocolat, and Mondial de l'Automobile (Paris Motor Show). If the show has always been on your list of events to attend but, for some reason, you've never made the trip, the organizers have made things a little easier.
For the first time in its history, the show is packing its bags and coming over to this side of the pond. Going by the moniker Rétromobile New York, the show runs from the 19th to the 23rd of November 2026 at the Javits Center. For four days, attendees will be treated to curated exhibitions from dealers across the globe, heritage divisions of top marques, museums, and auction houses.
To make things more interesting, there'll also be a display of art, photography, and haute horology at the event, which is anchored by Richard Mille and Gooding Christie's.
So why New York? Well, it's no secret that this side of the pond is home to around 50% of global car collectors, and what better location than the undisputed global epicenter of finance and commerce?
For an event like this, it's only fitting to choose one of New York's premier event venues: the Javits Center in Manhattan's Hudson Yards neighborhood.
We plan to reach out to Gérard Neveu, the show's CEO (and former endurance racing boss), to learn more about the specific reasons for bringing the event to New York. Maybe we'll also get insider details about what to expect at the inaugural New York event.
For now, everything we know points to a show that will be as good as the one in Paris. While you won't have the joy of authentic macarons, baguettes, Croque Monsieur, or views of the Eiffel Tower, the Big Apple has its own special appeal. There's New York's legendary culinary scene and Miss Liberty, who also happens to be French.
