Rétromobile 2024 has a big surprise in store for visitors to its 48th edition (January 30 to February 4) in collaboration with the Dakar Rally. Following the announcement of exhibitions celebrating the centenaries of the MG brand and the UTAC Linas-Montlhéry Autodrome, this year the focus will be on a legendary motorsport event, the Dakar Rally.
The Dakar Rally is still a major sporting and human event, a true epic over 9000 kilometers, which was organized for the first time in December 1978 by the visionary Thierry Sabine. Over the years, the man who embodies the modern adventurer like no other has brought together riders and co-drivers from all over the world to test their own limits and those of their two- or four-wheeled machines.
Homage to the pioneers
As part of the 2024 edition of the Rétromobile, a unique exhibition will showcase some of the iconic vehicles that have shaped the history of the race. In addition, some of the biggest names in rally-raid sport such as Cyril Neveu, Claude Marreau and André Dessoude, to name but a few, will be on hand to talk about their experiences and answer questions from the public.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is Thierry Sabine's XT 500, on which he was reported missing for three days and four nights during the 1977 Abidjan-Nice Rally. He was rescued at the last minute and was so affected by the ordeal that a few months later he decided to embark on a new adventure: the Paris-Dakar Rally.
The 4L used by the Marreau brothers in the first edition of the rally and Daniel Nollan's Renault KZ "La Gazelle" will also be on display, recalling the beginnings of a competition that was primarily intended for amateur drivers.
Manufacturers such as Peugeot and Porsche, who shaped the 1980s and 1990s, will also be in the spotlight, with iconic models such as the Peugeot 405 Grand Raid and the Porsche 959 symbolizing their dominance at the time.
A category for classic cars was also created as part of the competition, in which 174 amateur drivers and co-drivers took part in a regularity race, the Dakar Classic.
Right up to the present
True to the motto "the past always has a future", Rétromobile will also explore the latest technological developments and exhibit the Audi RS Q e-Tron, which in turn symbolizes the third chapter of the Dakar Rally, which after Africa and South America has been hosted by the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula since 2020: Saudi Arabia. The next rally starts on January 5 in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, and ends after a prologue and 12 stages on January 19 in Yanbu.
"By reviewing more than forty years of history with this exhibition, we want to pay tribute to everyone involved - drivers, co-drivers, organizers, manufacturers, celebrities, amateurs, spectators, mechanics... - who have contributed to making this event the greatest rally in the world. Having had the opportunity to take part in the 2022 edition of the Dakar classic myself, I think I can say that the Dakar Rally is both a mechanical and a human challenge, one of those rare experiences that mark a person's life forever. As Thierry Sabine used to say: "A challenge for those who take part, a dream for those who stay behind". It is precisely this part of the dream that we want to share with visitors to the exhibition," says Romain Grabowski, Director of Rétromobile.
Further information about Rétromobile can be found on the website of the French classic car fair.
