Like every year, we went to the show Rétromobile which brings together in Paris a multitude of cars, each more exceptional than the other.
From the first clunkers to the latest, most exclusive Supercars, including boats, tanks and even planes, all the icons that have marked the history of locomotion are present at Porte de Versailles until the end of the week. And, good news, the show has largely returned to its pre-Covid level, not for the quality which has always reached new heights, but for the quantity which translates into a plethora of vehicles all capable of dilating the pupils of the more refractory from environmentalists, like for example the presentations of German and Italian sellers, or the fantastic Renault stand...
But, will you tell me what Rétromobile is doing on a motorcycle site with a very strong MotoGP focus?
Second good news, the show wants to open up to motorcycles, and the 2024 edition already largely reflects this by welcoming manufacturers, such as Yamaha, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, BMW and other Triumphs.
But if the stands of the latter, clean and well stocked, presented part of their range or their history of good quality compared to the old used motorcycles for sale or the space reserved for Gérald Motos (the only place where we found a MotoGP), the highlight of the (central) 2-wheel sector undoubtedly went to the large stand hosting theMonneret exhibition.
Philippe Monneret, you know ? Worthy heir of his illustrious father Georges, raised on a motorcycle bottle from a very young age before becoming a racing driver then incidentally co-presenter of MotoGP on the channel which previously broadcast them on Canal+, while learning to ride a motorcycle in Parisian showbiz through his motorcycle school…
The man, with the help of a few friends, had done things well, managing to bring together in one place a good part of the machines used by Georges, 19 times French champion, 499 times race winner and holder of 183 records of the world, and by himself, including the Yamaha “Finacor” with which he won the 24 hours of Le Mans motorcycle race in 1991.
With the aim of retracing the Monneret saga, the exhibition is necessarily touching, imbued with humanity, touching even, whatever the two-wheeler presented, including the most modest like the Peugeot 104 with which Philippe Monneret became a 24 Hour record holder with his father at the age of 13!
The evening was an opportunity for great reunions, with the presence of Jean Pierre Castaldi, friend of Georges Monneret, orEric de Seynes, who started out in motorcycles as the “handyman” of Philippe Monneret. You didn't know that, eh...
Philippe Monneret: "So you know, this saga, at least I am a little responsible for this part (modern motorcycles), but before that there was my father, a huge champion eh, and it's not so easy to being the son of Georges Monneret. I wanted there to be a few people here who were dear to me. So we of course invited Jean-Pierre Castaldi, because he's the only one here who saw Georges Monneret race on the Koehler Escoffier 1000 cc from 1935. And I would like to give the floor to someone with whom we experienced incredible things. Éric, you can come, Éric de Seynes, who is the boss of Yamaha. We started with Eric. Well, I was 15 years old, my father said to me “hey, on the island of Puteaux, you are a director, you manage for school with the Peugeot Rallyes that are there. And one day, I saw a young boy of 12 arrive who was passionate about motorcycles, and who cheated me a little, as I can tell you now. He was really passionate and after a while he said to me “my grandfather doesn't give me enough pocket money, so I won't be able to come”. I must have been motivated, because I said to him “listen, this is what you are going to do, you help me bring in and take out the motorbikes, and the 5 francs for the afternoon, I will offer them to you”. Except that 40 years later, he is boss of Yamaha, and what's more, he is chairman of the board of directors of Hermès. So I wonder if I have any parts of Hermès, now, 40 years later, that’s the question I wanted to ask you.”
The response ofEric de Seynes, we will perhaps put it on video for you, just like that of the good-natured parade which followed, retracing through costumes and music the different decades crossed by the Monneret family. Nice !
Obviously Philippe Monneret has a sense of spectacle: he should have done television…
In any case, and even if in four hours we have probably only seen part of the show, we can only recommend that you go to Rétromobile AND to visit the motorcycle sector!
Besides, we won't provide you with any more photos, so as not to spoil too much the wonders that await you there...
