EXCLUSIVE: Ralph Lauren to Exhibit Car Collection Classics for the First Time

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Feb 25th 2011 at 8:02AM

Images exclusive to Luxist, courtesy of Ralph Lauren; click for high-res gallery

Some of the most precious gems in famed fashion designer Ralph Lauren's incredible car collection will be exhibited for the the first time ever in Paris this spring. Lauren's collection, in our opinion the finest one in private hands on the planet, features impeccable examples of the rarest and most valuable vehicles in the world. We can reveal exclusively that four of his exquisite automotive works of art, which have never before been seen in public, will be on view at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris from April 28 – August 28: a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM; a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Scaglietti; a 1956/1958 Jaguar XKSS; and a 1931 Alfa Romeo Monza 8C 2300.

13 other Lauren cars will also be on display during the exhibit, entitled The Art of the Automobile: Masterpieces from the Ralph Lauren Collection, including an amazing 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (above), a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, and a 1938 Bugatti 57 SC Atlantic Coupé. The last two alone are worth about $30 – $40 million each, and are among the world's most expensive cars. The Paris exhibit will focus on European models created between the 1930s and the 1990s, "illustrating the evolution of car design in the 20th Century." They were selected by curator Rodolphe Rapetti and will be arranged by scenographer Jean-Michel Wilmotte, with the "kinetics" and sound of the vehicles conveyed by means of various films and recordings. The museum will also be producing a luxe book to celebrate the occasion.

Gallery: Ralph Lauren's Cars Headed to Paris

This marks only the second time a group of cars from Lauren's collection, which numbers about 60 carefully-curated examples, has been shown publicly. In 2005 a selection of them went on display at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts; of course the collection has been added to and refined in the past six years. As Vanity Fair reported, Lauren recently finished turning a former storage facility near his Bedford, New York estate into a private automotive art gallery / garage to house the collection, every example of which is kept in pristine working condition for the billionaire designer to drive whenever he feels the urge.

Other eye-popping autos in Lauren's collection that will be included in the exhibit in Paris include a 1929 Bentley Blower; a 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK "Count Trossi"; a 1933 Bugatti Type 59 Grand Prix; a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 Mille Miglia; a 1950 Jaguar XK120 Alloy Roadster; a 1954 Ferrari 375 Plus; a 1955 Jaguar XKD; a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing Coupé; a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder; and a 1996 McLaren F1 LM. A number of them have served as inspiration for items in Lauren's various clothing, furniture and accessories collections. Stay tuned for more.

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