By Didier Gottardini
In the very exclusive world of classic cars, some names embody far more than a profession. They represent a vision, a culture, and an almost intimate relationship with automobiles. At the head ofArtcurial Motorcars, Matthieu Lamoure Over his thirty-year career, he has established himself as one of the major figures in the global car auction market. Portrait.
Behind the records, the legendary Ferraris, and the prestigious private collections, what emerges above all is the portrait of an absolute enthusiast, nurtured since childhood by design, motorsport, and the history of great machines.
A story that began with Hervé Poulain
The history of Artcurial Motorcars cannot be separated from that ofHervé Poulain, a pioneer in the sale of collector cars in France since the 1970s. Son of a Renault agent, passionate driver and visionary auctioneer, Hervé Poulain is also the man who had the revolutionary idea of mixing contemporary art and motor sport through the mythical BMW Art Cars entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
It is within this heritage that Matthieu Lamoure took his first steps. At a very young age, in 1996, he joined the teams at the Poulain-Le Fur auction house, participating in both the preparation of sales and the logistics of events. A total immersion in a world where passion is combined with hands-on work.
After an experience in Canada and then at Bonhams, where he notably contributed to the development of car sales around the Rétromobile show, he finally returned to Artcurial in 2010, recruited by Nicolas Orlowski, CEO of the group, to take over a department that was then in difficulty.
With his partner Pierre NovikoffHe gave the structure an international dimension, renaming it Artcurial Motorcars accordingly. High-end catalogues, professional photographs, global communication, and sales linked to major automotive events became the new pillars of a strategy that would permanently transform the house.
Matthieu Lamoure – Pierre Novikoff
The automotive market follows a generational logic
For Matthieu Lamoure, the recent surges in the supercar market are neither a surprise nor irrational speculation. They primarily reflect a generational phenomenon.
Today's collectors are looking for the cars that fueled their teenage dreams: Ferrari Testarossa, 288 GTO, F40, Lamborghini Countach or even Porsche 911 from the 1980s and 1990s. An emotional mechanism that he considers perfectly logical.
According to him, the car market functions like the art market: each generation values the objects that shaped its imagination. Buyers born in the 1970s are now reaching financial maturity and are investing in the models that populated the shop windows, posters, and magazines of their youth.
This reading also helps to understand the spectacular records observed in recent years on certain low mileage Ferraris or on collections sold without reserve price.
But beyond the investment, Matthieu Lamoure reminds us of a fundamental principle: a collector's car is bought first and foremost with the heart.
A rolling work of art
Therein lies, no doubt, the uniqueness of his vision. For him, an exceptional automobile possesses the same heritage status as a masterpiece painting or an 18th-century piece of furniture. To the aesthetic qualities of these works of art, the automobile adds its mobility and therefore its engineering, its engine.
A Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, a Jaguar E-Type, or a Ferrari 250 GT far transcend their mere mechanical function. They embody an era, an aesthetic, industrial genius, and a culture of movement.
According to him, the automobile is also a total sensory object: the musicality of an engine, the scent of leather, the touch of wood, the mechanical vibrations or the precision of a manual gearbox constitute an emotional experience that contemporary models sometimes struggle to reproduce.
This carnal relationship also explains why some vintage cars continue to fascinate despite the rapid technological evolution of the automotive sector.
Youngtimers: the future stars of the market?
Among the strong trends he identifies, Matthieu Lamoure highlights the rise of youngtimers. Sports cars from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s are now attracting the attention of collectors. Prices for pre-1980 vehicles have fallen by 20 to 30% for many, but when the asking price is realistic given the car's impeccable condition, documented history, or interesting provenance, there are always buyers.
All GTIs from the 80s/90s or certain BMW Motorsport models enjoy spectacular success, especially when they have low mileage and an impeccable history.
He also discusses the future potential of the contemporary Alpine A110, which he already considers a future classic thanks to its successful design and deeply emotional DNA.
According to him, younger generations remain deeply passionate about cars, contrary to popular belief. Social media, car spotters, and large car gatherings all attest to an undiminished enthusiasm for distinctive vehicles.
Electric vehicles: a transition that raises questions
On the issue of electrification, Matthieu Lamoure adopts a nuanced but clearly critical stance. He acknowledges the urban advantages of electric vehicles, while questioning their ability to evoke the same emotion as traditional internal combustion engines. Not to mention the major problem of recycling the millions of batteries, which he considers a serious concern for the future.
The absence of sound, vibration or visible mechanics seems to him to distance the automobile from its original passionate dimension.
He believes, however, that some electric cars could also become part of collector history. This is particularly true of the first-generation Tesla Roadster, which is already sought after at auction.
Regarding the future electric Ferrari, he is much more reserved. While he finds some interior details cleverly designed, he regrets a design that he considers too far removed from Ferrari's historical emotional codes.
A profoundly human passion
Throughout the interview, one element kept recurring: behind the cars, it is above all the human encounters that mark a career.
Matthieu Lamoure notably mentions his relationship with Jean-Pierre Beltoise, whose personal collection he would later sell, including a legendary Matra that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1973. Alain Delon, HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, Johnny Hallyday, Jane Fonda, his life is marked by thousands of encounters and extraordinary coincidences.
Because in the world of car collecting, each car carries a memory, a family history and sometimes even a part of an intimate life.
He also observes with lucidity the excesses that this all-consuming passion can sometimes cause, particularly in certain inheritances where children seek to turn the page on an automotive obsession that has sometimes taken precedence over family life.
This human dimension, often invisible to the general public, is nevertheless at the very heart of the profession. And what makes Artcurial unique is precisely its use of videos to highlight the human stories behind a particular collection or automobile.
The automobile as living cultural heritage
At a time when the automotive industry is facing profound technological and environmental changes, Matthieu Lamoure remains convinced that classic cars have a bright future. Because they represent much more than just a means of transport: a cultural, aesthetic, and emotional heritage.
The automobile transformed humankind's relationship to time, space, and freedom. It gave rise to designers, engineers, drivers, and dreams. And it is precisely this cultural dimension that continues to fuel the passion of collectors worldwide. In this vision, the classic car will not disappear. On the contrary, it will continue to embody a form of rolling art, a "mobile, inhabited sculpture," a living witness to the industrial and emotional history of the 20th century.
