Behind the Scenes at Rétromobile Paris – Where Legends Roll In Before the Crowds

For most visitors, Rétromobile Paris begins when the doors open and the halls fill with people. For one photographer this year, it started much earlier – on a quiet Monday, with transporters still unloading and history quite literally rolling out onto the floor.

Arriving while the show was still being built offered a rare perspective. Cars were emerging from trailers, stands half-constructed, teams moving with purpose rather than performance. A few early conversations led to unexpected trust, and soon a pass was secured that allowed access inside the halls before the public ever arrived. That access changed everything.

Monday stretched deep into the evening. Until nearly 10pm, it was a case of moving stand to stand, camera in hand, documenting machines in their rawest form – unroped, untouched, unfiltered. As the night drew to a close, one final conversation at a stand turned into something more. The work caught attention, and by the end of the discussion an offer was on the table to shoot for them over the following days.

Rétromobile had already delivered before it officially began.
Tuesday started early. Very early. A quiet tip from someone at Mazda meant being on site around 6:30am for a special arrival – the Mazda 787B from the Le Mans Museum. Seeing that car before it was positioned on its stand was one of those moments that reminds you why you do this. No crowds, no noise – just one of endurance racing’s most iconic machines being gently guided into place.

Later that day, the focus shifted briefly away from Porte de Versailles and into central Paris. A visit to the Louvre Museum coincided with an RM Sotheby's auction held inside the historic venue. Among the highlights was the Ferrari F310 B, raced by Michael Schumacher during the 1997 Belgian Grand Prix – a striking contrast of modern motorsport history set against classical surroundings.

That evening marked Rétromobile’s opening night. With a pass granting access, the atmosphere was completely different. The stands were fully dressed, the cars perfectly placed, and the crowds still light. Industry figures, collectors, designers and familiar faces moved through the halls, creating a rare window where access, light and opportunity aligned.

For a photographer, it was gold.
Wednesday introduced something new – the Supercar Garage. A fresh section dedicated to the very best modern supercars and hypercars, it was still being organised throughout the day. That meant another opportunity to document cars in transition, and to connect with the people behind them while the pressure was still low and the conversations genuine.

After a long day surrounded by machinery and movement, the evening slowed down with something far more grounding – a quiet meal with family in France. A reminder that even during weeks filled with icons and engines, balance still matters.

Thursday, the final day, delivered one last standout moment. On the Bugatti stand, there was the opportunity to be personally shown around a new one-off creation by Jan Filip Schmid, Chief Exterior Designer and Head of Studio. A genuine behind-the-scenes insight into a 1-of-1 Bugatti – not through press releases or ropes, but through conversation.

The remainder of the day was spent simply reconnecting. Catching up with familiar faces, revisiting stands, and closing conversations that began earlier in the week before heading back to the UK.
Rétromobile is often described as a celebration of automotive history.

This year, it was also a reminder that some of the most meaningful moments happen before the doors open, after the lights dim, and in the quiet spaces where access is earned rather than advertised.

Pitlane doesn’t just document cars. Sometimes, it documents how you get close enough to tell their stories.