Racers galore: huge pre-war variety at Artcurial's Rétromobile sale

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With Salon Rétromobile just days away, so many of us are getting excited for annual pilgrimage to Paris, and a highlight of the trip is always the Rétromobile sale by Artcurial, which takes place this year on February 7-8th. The catalogue of cars is always exceptional, and this year contains no fewer than two veteran vehicles, six Edwardians, four vintage offerings plus eight delightful post-vintage cars, not to mention a 1930s autobus parisien and a great hoard of pre-war motorcycles. We've delectated over the catalogue for some time now, and we fancy you might like to do the same so, without further ado, here are some of the highlights.

We make no apologies for singling out a tricycle as one of the lots we would most like to own, partly because they're tremendously enjoyable but also because this particular example is delightfully oily-rag and furnished with rather a "hot" specification. The c.1899 Phébus spécial de course (50,000-70,000 euros) sadly has no history prior to emerging from a motorcycle and tricycle collection in south-west France, but is clearly a fine unrestored survivor. Its specification matches that of the machine described in the Phébus catalogue as a "special racing tricycle," based on J. Marcellin's Class B winner of the 1898 Paris-Amsterdam-Paris. It utilises an Aster engine in Phébus's own frame, it's something we would dearly love to see on the Veteran Car Run or the Pioneer Run, and it would be most appropriate for Team Jarrott races.

The other veteran is an extremely charming 1904 Darracq 8hp two-seater (no reserve, est. 60,000-80,000 euros). Discovered by Stanley Gilks, the owner of a motorcycle garage in Ickenham, Middlesex, in 1954, it was restored and then enjoyed by the Gilks family on 25 Brighton Runs up to 1996. It was then stored until being sold in 2015, and in the present ownership it has driven to Madeira Drive on several further occasions. With its 1950s Brighton history, it's very easy to think of this car as a sister to Genevieve, and with no reserve to meet, it could be a bargain.

The Edwardians are headed by a machine that might justifiably be called near-mythical. The c.1906 Gladiator (600,000-900,000 euros) racer is billed as "the oldest French grand prix car still in existence" and "almost entirely original." This is fascinating, as Gladiator had no significant presence in international motor sport in the 1905-08 period and certainly not in grands prix. Apparently, this car's engine and drivetrain was produced in 1905 and placed in a wooden chassis, but it's suggested that it was then raced by Léon Molon, the Gladiator dealer of Le Havre, to a class win at the Château-Thierry hill-climb on September 29th, 1906, undoubtedly with a steel chassis. It was also the fastest four-cylinder car at the Gaillon hill-climb, averaging 57 m.p.h. It was photographed for the Gladiator catalogues of 1907 and 1908, and appeared in a 1907 article in L'Automobiliste described as a Paris-Berlin racer. As the only nine-litre Gladiator built, it's thought it was tailor-made to Molon's own specification. Little else is known about it until it was discovered in 1960 in poor condition by the great collector André Malartre. He sold it to André Binda, who oversaw its restoration, which was completed in 1966. Since then, it has been enjoyed on many occasions in historic races and hill-climbs.

The most exciting vintage lot looks to be the 1923 Mercédès 10/40/65 PS Sport (160,000-200,000 euros), although sadly it has little history prior to being acquired as a project from a Hungarian collection in 2005. It was described then as being one of 50 supercharged Mercédès originally supplied to Hungary, of which three had survived. It will be noted that the chassis plate is missing, although the car appears to be wholly authentic and, in any case, looks marvellous. Having been mainly exhibited in a static capacity since its discovery, it will require some recommissioning.

A brilliant Bugatti and a dashing Delage

A likely star of the sale is the 1930/31 Bugatti Type 51 (1,700,000-2,300,000 euros), a works car with an outstanding history. It was one of the last batch of Type 35Bs built, and two which were rebuilt to Type 51 specification in 1931. Although completed too late for the Spa Grand Prix, it's thought this car, chassis 51154, was driven by Grover-Williams in the Nürburgring Grand Prix in July, 1931, but it appears to have been mainly used for testing, with both Louis Chiron and Robert Benoist acting as test drivers. In July, 1934, it was sold to industrial heir Claude Bossu of Roubaix, who, using the nom de course Barowski, raced it at Mont Ventoux and Montlhéry in 1934, the Grand Prix des Frontières, Eymoutiers and Lectoure in 1935, and Montlhéry and the Grand Prix des Frontières in 1936. In that last race, Bossu crashed and afterwards sold his car to Jean Delorme, a garage owner of Boulogne-sur-Seine. He also owned a modified single-seater, 51159, and appears to have put 51154's 1,500 c.c. engine in 51159, and vice versâ with 51159's 2,600 c.c. engine. After racing chassis 51159 at Montlhéry, advertised both cars for sale together. Around the dawn of 1937, 51154 was bought by 25-year-old Prince Bertil of Sweden, who would be well-known post-war as a great sports car enthusiast. The same year, the car was sold to America viâ Jack Lemon-Burton, and changed hands a few times, notably being owned during the war by the noted racer and collector Tommy Lee. Its most prominent owner in recent years was Ralph Lauren, who bought it in 1986 and commissioned a restoration by Crosthwaite & Gardiner.

The 1936 Delage D6-70 Spéciale (1,300,000-1,600,000 euros) would look very nice nestled alongside the Bugatti in one's motor stables. It has exceptional provenance, having apparently been constructed for the 1936 Le Mans with a Figoni streamlined coupé body, but after the event was cancelled it became a concours star instead. Its owner, Mme. Richer-Delavau, thus enjoyed it for a stint before handing it back to Walter Watney's Delage showroom in Paris. There, Louis Gérard bought it and, realising the chassis was intended for racing, decided to enter the 1937 Le Mans with his cousin Jacques de Valence. Approaching the race with enthusiasm rather than experience, they ended up finishing fourth overall first in the three-litre class, and then came third in the Paris-Nice. Desiring a more traditional racing body, Gérard returned to Watney with the result that an open biplace was built by Watney, with Louis Delâge himself having offered to finance it. Gérard and de Valence retired from the 1938 Le Mans with a blown head-gasket, but Gérard proceeded to finish second at the 24 Hours of Spa with Georges Monneret, then won the Tourist Trophy at Donington. For the 1939 season, it was raced at Brooklands and Crystal Palace with some success by the prolific privateer Peter Aitken, son of Lord Beaverbrook. Sold in 1946 to Pat Garland, it was then campaigned at Prescott and Shelsley Walsh, as well as in the Belgian Grand Prix and 12 Hours of Paris, up to 1948, when Garland retired from racing. It was eventually discovered in the 1980s and restored, still with its 1938 Le Mans body.

Of course, it wouldn't be the Rétromobile sale without a few weird and wonderful lots thrown into the mix, and one vehicle we would be very pleased to own is the 1926 Morgan-Monotrace (no reserve, est. 15,000-25,000 euros), a kind of car-motorcycle hybrid, with two inline wheels, proper seats for two passengers in tandem, a steering wheel, a 510 c.c. water-cooled engine and three speeds, plus stabilising wheels which lower to the ground when cornering. We have seen such vehicles in action at the Vintage Revival Montlhéry and are sure they are eminently useable!

They are just a fraction of the extraodinary pre-war lots being offered by Artcurial. Click here to browse the full catalogue.

Salon Rétromobile runs from February 5-9th at the Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris. For more information or to buy tickets, click here.

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