PHOTOGRAPHY & WORDS: Tom Horna

L’Art de l’Automobile (The Art of the Automobile), is the name of the rather spectacular classic and exotic car garage based in Paris, owned by Arthur Kar. As the name suggests, L’Art de l’Automobile is a great mix of eclectic art, automobiles and in this instance fashion.

During my recent one-day visit to Paris, I thought it will be a good idea to pay Arthur a quick visit to his special showroom; L’Art de l’Automobile. I only gave Arthur a few hours notice which wasn’t a problem for him or his team.

On my arrival, I was welcomed by a huge variety of extremely rare classic and exotic cars. No messing around here, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Astons, Zagatos, Rolls Royces, you name it! The place was a petrolhead’s dream but more importantly, full of cars which are super rare and carefully selected by Arthur to his personal liking.

Browsing the showroom it wasn’t difficult to realise that it is owned by a very passionate person with a love for not only cars but also art, fashion, interiors and I guess pretty much everything! Shame that I had only a very quick chat with Arthur as he actually had a meeting at the same time I arrived.

Anyway more about the showroom itself… almost every wall was covered with arty posters displaying strong statements like ‘You Are What You Drive’ or Arthur’s iconic Mercedes G-Wagon sitting on bricks. There was also no shortage of some of my favourite modern art pieces like KAWS or SUPREME’s signature red bolt cutters. The entire experience was something like I’ve never seen before………I certainly loved the vibe in here.

With the fast changing and younger classic car industry, it’s clear to me that L’Art de l’Automobile is a game changer… it is also clear to me that this is the future of classic car dealers. Younger generations with fresh and innovative ideas making car dealing more about passion and lifestyle rather than the investment itself.

A huge thank you to Arthur and his team for having me!