“The Boston D Party” – Retromobile Paris Citroën Celebration
A contingent of Citroën enthusiasts from North America will be traveling to Paris in February for the “75 years of the DS” being celebrated at Retromobile. The group includes; Fernando Juan Alva Mirás, Mark Krahn, Lon Price, Bruce Ehrmann, Chrisso Rheault, Hervè Katz, Tomas Urmeneta, Gilles Motte, Mitch Lindborg, Chris Dubuque, David Cossitt-Levy and George Dyke.
To truly make the trip truly memorable, and to honour the 149th birthday of André Citroën, Fernando Juan Alva Mirás is organizing a special dinner on February 5 that he refers to as “The Boston D Party ™️”. (A clarification: “The Boston D Party ™️” is the little gathering he put together earlier this year in the week before Rendezvous. In June he hosted the party in Boston for all the Citroën enthusiasts and had it open to all connector car enthusiasts. The party in Paris is “The Boston D Party ™️” second event.)
It will be held at Mama Paris West 20 Avenue de la Porte de la plaine, 75015 at 8 pm.
André Citroën’s grandson, Philippe Citroën and his wife will be present for the festivities!
If you are attending Retromobile and would like to join the party, tickets can be purchased here: https://www.mixily.com/event/2202268338963705685. (This is an intimate event limited to 50 people. If you would like to attend, please act fast.)
One of the event sponsors is The Piston Foundation, based in Stamford CT, who’s aim is to help build a new and diverse generation of tradespeople in the collector car industry. Fernando is one of the foundation’s advisors.
As many Citroën owners in North America have experienced — there is an acute shortage of expertise in servicing and restoring their cars in both the USA and Canada. The Piston Foundation is trying to address this concern by offering scholarships for students across the country with an interest in classic cars and connecting them to specialized courses in community colleges and apprenticeship in restoration shops where they can gain both expertise and knowledge of entrepreneurial opportunities in this field.
Founded by Robert Minnick, Chairman, just 4 years ago, The Piston Foundation to date has awarded 53 scholarships to students aged 19 to 27.
The foundation has also gained recognition overseas, having been nominated in the UK for the International Historic Motoring Award celebrating the very best of the international classic and collector car worlds.
While the skills that students develop can be applied within a number of industries including marine and aerospace, Jeff Mason, President and COO, explains that that primary goal of The Piston Foundation is to support education and interest opportunities in a career of collector cars. He points out that it is a private foundation working for the car community with 100% of the funds received by car enthusiasts going directly to the scholarship program.
In the link to the party there is the means to donate to The Piston Foundation.
Support of The Piston Foundation is an investment in the community itself.
Fernando will be hosting another “The Boston D Party ™️” in Boston on June 11, 2025 — the Wednesday before Rendezvous.