As the clock strikes midnight, the walkways surrounding Place Vendôme, an area of Paris that sees thousands of tourists and commuters pound the concrete every single day, takes a short rest bite as the traffic calms. As the surrounding restaurants restock their spaces and prepare for the next horde of guests, a distant rumble can be heard. Growing louder, the sound becomes jumbled in a symphony of engine noise, for this isn’t just one car, this is eight. Eight of the rarest, innovative, and collectable cars on the market right now, all bound for Retromobile 2024, and more specifically the stand of Messina Classics.
2023 Mercedes-AMG Project One
It’s perhaps Mercedes-AMG’s most anticipated car in existence, one that promised unrivalled thrills, F1-derived technology, and exclusivity beyond your wildest dreams, and the AMG Project ONE lived up to its much-debated online persona. A staggering 1,063 horsepower is produced from its 1.6-litre V6 engine, with a little help from four electric engines, allowing it to rocket from 0-100kph in just 2.9 seconds. It might have a matching checklist as the current F1 car seen out on the world’s circuits, but perhaps the Project ONE’s best feature is the fact you can pop to grab lunch in it!
2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach Edition
Alongside the outrageous Mercedes-AMG and looking equally as space-age is Porsche’s own hypercar, one that was born from the brand’s love for innovation and development. Continuing on the legacy of the 959 and Carrera GT, the 918 was launched incredibly over ten years ago now but has aged into its unique styling perfectly. This Weissach Edition takes the 918 to another level, fitted with Magnesium wheels, titanium chassis bolts and multiple pieces of exposed carbon fibre to ensure it can keep up with the fastest of cars, even a decade later.
1954 Jaguar XK 120 Carrozzeria Pinin Farina
A car that will undoubtably steal the show when it arrives at Retromobile, and one we recently featured in our Market Finds series. This Jaguar XK120 is a true piece of mid-century history, being built specifically for Max Hoffman, the man whose strong influence over some of the world’s biggest car makers led to the production of BMW’s 507, Mercedes-Benz’s gorgeous 300 SL and even Porsche’s 356. Offering style and elegance in its exterior, and a lavish leather interior to match, this is one car you need to make a beeline for when you enter the event!
1947 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Colli Spider
Finishing the gruelling Mille Miglia is one thing, but to finish first in class and sixth overall is truly remarkable, and is exactly what this Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 did in 1948. Driven by gentleman driver Giampiero Bianchetti, the car would continue its racing life into the coming years, and was restored to an incredible standard over a four year period, allowing this thoroughbred racer to continue where it left off, competing in every Mille Miglia event since 2016!
Elsewhere on Messina Classics’ jam-packed stand (Hall 1 R089), you’ll discover an undriven McLaren Senna GTR, the iconic Ferrari F40 from 1989, and a low mileage Porsche Carrera GT. Oh, and perhaps the best until last, Ferdinand Piëch’s daily driven Porsche 959 prototype, a car we featured back in 2020!
