classic automobile

A work called “Cheongsam Kingdom” featured a painting of a classic automobile superimposed over a looped video of a young woman in traditional dress behind the wheel, blowing LED smoke through a cigarette.

It is there that Mr. Lauren, 77, most often takes to the road, sometimes astride one of his vintage motorcycles, but more often behind the wheel of a classic automobile from a collection that includes a 1958 Ferrari Testarossa; a 1938 Alfa Romeo Mille Miglia; a 1929 Bentley Blower; and a 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK “Count Trossi” roadster, only one of which was ever manufactured.

Chief Executive Matthias Müller said Wednesday he sees ride-hailing as the foundation of a “mobility on demand” service, which he wants to build up as a “second pillar alongside the classic automobile business.”

And the reappearance of Han Solo’s freighter ship, the Millennium Falcon, is majestic to behold: It has the look of a classic automobile that’s fallen on hard times, slightly rusty and with a fender or a piece of chrome missing here or there, but somehow keeping all its dignity intact.

On Thursday night, 31 rare cars at RM Sotheby’s New York auction house revived the city's love affair with the classic automobile.