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Retromobile New York Takes Over Greene Street for Cars & Coffee

Retromobile New York Takes Over Greene Street for Cars & Coffee

More than 100 cars filled the cobblestones in SoHo on October 24, and the Retromobile stand brought a 1946 Lancia that's headed to auction at the Javits Center next month.

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SoHo's cobblestones have hosted plenty of interesting metal over the years, but rarely this much of it at once. More than 100 cars turned out on Saturday, October 24, when NYC Car Club and Retromobile New York took over Greene Street for a morning of cars and coffee.

It's hard to think of a better stretch of Manhattan for it. The cast-iron facades and uneven stones between Broome and Prince put every car at street level, close enough to lean in and study a badge or a weld. Nobody needed a ticket or a velvet rope. You just walked up, coffee in hand, and started talking to whoever owned the thing.

That's the point of a meet like this. The turnout said plenty about how ready New York is for what's coming to the Javits Center next month.

The Lancia on the Retromobile Stand

The car on the Retromobile stand earned a longer look than most. It was a 1946 Lancia Aprilia Barchetta Corsa, a one-off open two-seater built for Luigi Beretta, the Lancia dealer in Lecco, to run in Italy's postwar road touring events. Riva of Merate shaped its aerodynamic aluminum barchetta body, and Milan engine builder Luigi Pagani fitted his own crossflow head and twin Webers, nearly doubling output from 48 hp to 90. It's exactly the kind of dealer-built special that makes this era of Italian cars so much fun.

After a 1983 restoration by Giancarlo Cappa of KCA, it finished the 1000 Miglia in 1989 and came to the United States in 2006. Its current owner has kept it on the road ever since, with the 2007 Colorado Grand, an accepted entry for the 2008 1000 Miglia, tours through Sicily and the Veneto, and an award at Pebble Beach in 2008 along the way. Gooding Christie's will offer it at the Javits Center next month, and it may be eligible for the 1000 Miglia again, subject to Registro acceptance.

GALLERY-EMBED

Get Your Tickets for Retromobile New York

If the Lancia caught your eye in SoHo, you'll get another chance at the Javits Center. Retromobile New York runs Thursday, November 19, through Sunday, November 22. It's the first American edition of the Paris show that has anchored the European calendar since 1976, with more than 100 exhibitors ranging from international dealers and restorers to OEM heritage collections, clubs and museums.

Gooding Christie's holds its Retromobile New York Auctions on Friday, November 20, and Saturday, November 21, with both sessions starting at 11 a.m. Lots are on view Thursday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Billy Joel's motorcycle collection is part of the same sale.

One thing to know before you go: you need a Retromobile ticket to get in, and that includes the auction viewing. Tickets are on sale now at retromobile.us. Buy yours ahead of time rather than at the box office, and we'll see you at the Javits.

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