Car Events in France 2026
France remains one of the great heartlands of automotive culture, a country where motorsport, concours traditions, and a deep affection for mechanical beauty have been woven into daily life for well over a century. The 2026 calendar reflects that range beautifully. Whether you want to stand trackside at Le Mans, wander the halls of Retromobile, or watch 240 vintage Ferraris and Porsches blast through the countryside on the Tour Auto, there is something here for every kind of enthusiast. Here is the full rundown.
WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo | 22-25 January
The WRC season always begins the same way: on the frozen, half-lit mountain roads above Monaco, where the world’s best drivers wrestle hybrid rally cars through ice, snow, and bone-dry tarmac, sometimes all on the same stage. Rallye Monte-Carlo is as much a test of tyre strategy and local knowledge as it is of outright pace. The service park in Gap provides a stark contrast to the glittering principality below, and the atmosphere in both locations is entirely unique. If you have never stood on a hairpin in the Col de Turini at midnight, headlights slicing through the darkness, this is the year to fix that.
Retromobile Paris | 28 January - 1 February
Retromobile is the season opener for anyone who cares about classic cars, and it sets the tone for the entire year ahead. Over 620 exhibitors fill the halls at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles with everything from pre-war Bugattis to homologation rally specials, barn finds in varying states of patina, and freshly restored concours queens. The major auction houses hold their first European sales of the year here, so the market signals coming out of Retromobile tend to ripple outward for months. Beyond the commerce, it is simply one of the finest places in Europe to study automotive history up close, talk to specialists, and lose an entire afternoon without noticing.
Tour Auto | 3-9 May
There are rally events and there are touring events, and then there is the Tour Auto, which somehow manages to be both at once. Around 240 historic cars depart from Paris and spend the better part of a week crossing France on a route that changes each year, with the 2026 edition finishing in Biarritz. The entry list typically reads like a fantasy garage: 275 GTBs alongside Shelby Cobras, Porsche 911 RSRs next to Jaguar E-Types, all driven hard on closed stages between leisurely transfers through some of the most scenic roads the country has to offer. The Tour Auto is one of those rare events that looks just as good from the roadside as it does from behind the wheel.
F1 Monaco Grand Prix | 22-24 May
Very little needs to be said about Monaco that hasn’t already been said a thousand times, and yet the race continues to justify every superlative. The circuit is absurdly narrow, overtaking is nearly impossible, and the entire weekend unfolds against a backdrop of yachts, Belle Epoque architecture, and sheer noise bouncing off apartment buildings. The 2026 season brings the most significant regulation changes F1 has seen in years, with new aerodynamic rules and active aerodynamics reshaping the competitive order. Watching those new cars thread through the Swimming Pool section and Rascasse for the first time will be something worth seeing in person.
24 Hours of Le Mans | 10-13 June
Le Mans needs no introduction, but the current era of the race deserves special attention. The Hypercar class has brought factory programmes from Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota, Peugeot, Cadillac, BMW, and Lamborghini to the grid simultaneously, a depth of manufacturer commitment that the race hasn’t enjoyed in decades. The Circuit de la Sarthe, with its public road sections and the long Mulsanne Straight, remains unlike anything else in motorsport. The full experience stretches over four days: scrutineering in the town centre, practice, qualifying, the Drivers’ Parade, and then the race itself, from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. The shift from daylight to darkness to dawn is something that no television broadcast has ever fully captured. You have to be there.
Drift Kings Anneau du Rhin | 12-14 June
The Anneau du Rhin sits in Biltzheim, deep in Alsace, close enough to both the German and Swiss borders that the event draws a genuinely international crowd. The Drift Kings European Championship brings some of the continent’s best drivers to a tight, technical circuit where precision and car control matter more than horsepower alone. The atmosphere is grassroots in the best possible sense: loud, smoky, and full of people who genuinely know and love the mechanical side of the sport. If your usual automotive calendar skews towards concours lawns and historic racing, a drift event like this is a welcome change of pace.
Le Mans Classic Legend | 2-5 July
For 2026, what was previously a biennial event becomes annual, and the name changes to Le Mans Classic Legend to mark the occasion. Over 700 historic racing cars take to the full Circuit de la Sarthe, the same 13.6-kilometre layout used for the 24 Hours, with grids split by era running through day and night. The earliest cars date to the 1920s, and the latest to 2015, so you can hear everything from a pre-war Bentley to a Group C Porsche 962 within the space of a few hours. Beyond the track, the infield becomes an enormous gathering of car clubs, concours displays, and the sort of relaxed automotive socialising that has become harder to find at modern race events. The move to an annual format is very welcome news.
GT World Challenge Magny-Cours | 31 July - 2 August
Magny-Cours lost its French Grand Prix slot back in 2008, but the circuit in the Burgundy countryside has aged rather well as a venue for GT racing. The GT World Challenge Sprint round here features factory-backed GT3 machinery from Porsche, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Audi, and BMW in close-quarters battles on a layout that rewards late braking and clean racecraft. The relatively compact nature of the venue means spectators can see a good portion of the action without needing to trek enormous distances, and the paddock access at GT World Challenge events is notably more relaxed than at most international series. A fine way to spend a summer weekend.
Chantilly Arts and Elegance | 13 September
The grounds of the Chateau de Chantilly, just north of Paris, provide one of the most striking concours settings anywhere in the world. Peter Auto and Richard Mille’s Chantilly Arts and Elegance brings together a curated selection of rare and historically significant automobiles, judged on the lawns in front of the chateau alongside concept cars from contemporary manufacturers. The event also features a fashion component, with haute couture presented alongside the cars, which sounds improbable on paper but works beautifully in practice. The standard of the entries is extraordinary, and the whole affair has a quieter, more contemplative feel than the busier motoring festivals. Bring a good camera.
Mondial de l’Auto Paris | 12-18 October
The Paris Motor Show returns for its 91st edition, and while the landscape of major auto shows has shifted considerably in recent years, the Mondial de l’Auto remains one of the key dates on the industry calendar. Paris has always been a strong venue for European and particularly French manufacturers to make significant debut announcements, and the show floor blends production models, concept cars, and the latest developments in electrification and autonomous driving. Even if the format has evolved from the blockbuster press days of the past, the sheer variety of what is on display makes it worth a visit, especially if you can combine it with a few days in the city.
Epoqu’Auto Lyon | 6-8 November
Lyon’s Epoqu’Auto is one of France’s largest and most established classic car and motorcycle shows, filling the vast Eurexpo halls with a serious breadth of machinery. Dealers, restorers, parts specialists, and auction houses all converge here, and the show has a reputation for turning up interesting cars at reasonable prices compared to the more glamorous Parisian events. The motorcycle section is particularly strong, and there are usually several well-curated club displays and themed exhibitions that go beyond the usual static car show format. As a season closer, it rounds out the French calendar nicely.
Stay updated
The French automotive calendar is deep, and dates can shift. Corsa keeps track of every event listed here and many more besides, with filters, reminders, and a personal calendar so you never miss an entry deadline or ticket window.