The firm tuned the standard model a few months after its introduction and sent it straight to the Monza track, where the records it set helped kick the car’s career into high gear. In the 1950s, Abarth saw no limit to the pocket-sized Fiat 500’s performance potential. Along with an improved intake and exhaust the 1000 Bialbero could produce 91 bhp – nearly 100 bhp per litre. Added to this was a special DOHC cylinder head that used hemispherical combustion chambers and an increased compression ratio. The car’s engine was a derivative of same found in the Fiat 600, but with an enlarged bore and stoke. These were specially built race cars that employed Fiat components and were tuned for motor sports. It used many of the same design principles from the 750 Record Monza and 700 Bialbero models which were produced in earlier years. With the introduction of the Abarth twin cam 982cc engine came the 1000 Bialbero. Three of the cars present were Abarth badged, and they were all very different from each other. There are a lot of photos here, but even so, there were things I missed, of course.įCA Group had a large stand to show off just a few models from each of their Italian brands. There’s an awful lot to see, so it really will take all day to try to take it in. Some of the cars are taken outside during the day, and fired up so they can drive around the exhibition halls, and this is always a popular diversion for those who want some fresh air. A number of themed displays are chosen for the event each year, and these are interspersed among the other exhibits. Cheekily, you have to buy their catalogue to gain access for a close-up view, which costs mode than the entry to the Rétromobile itself though you can see some of the cars that they are offering from the perimeter of their area.
French auction house Artcurial hold theirs during the event, and they take a large area of one of the halls with a display of the cars they have on offer. Several of the well known auction houses hold high profile sales in Paris around the time of the Show, though now that Rétromobile itself is limited to four days rather than then ten over which it used to be held, some of these are before the event opens and off-site. A growing number of Car Clubs have space – mostly quite a small space – in Hall 2, and there is always a vast autojumble area, as well as countless stalls selling paintings, prints and sculptures. Among them are not just the three French manufacturers, all of whom support the event with extensive displays, but a few others as well, and there are also many of the high-end dealers from across Europe, including such well-known names as Fiskens, Thiesen, Gallery Brummen, Axel Schutte and Swiss dealer, Lukas Hüni AG. In recent years, the event has expanded beyond the main Hall 1, which has allowed more space for those who wish to exhibit. Where else can you find World War One tanks, automotive jumble, humble car clubs and multi-million-euro collector classics all in one place? It’s all curated with typical French abandon, but as the hundreds of dealers and high-profile collectors in attendance prove, it remains a ‘must-go’ event, with over 500 cars on show, many of them of world renown, and often making their first appearance in public for some considerable time. It’s built up quite a reputation over the years, and the 2017 edition was the 42nd to be held. There are a small number of events in January, but things really get going with the Rétromobile, which many considered to be the calendar’s opening top-tier event, and rightly so. And this means that there is not much of what you might call a “closed season”, with just a few weeks around the turn of each year when the diary has a few blanks in it. When the hours of daylight are in short supply, and the weather becomes even more unpredictable, with snow and ice a very real prospect, the focus of car events across Europe switches from the outdoor to those which are held inside.