A Renault 8 is an outright oddity in Brazil. Originally, just two cars were imported to the country by the Equipe Willys racing team. One of these survives. And it’s a car with a remarkable history.
Yellow and green form Brazil’s national colours and it’s for that reason that all of Equipe Willys works cars have been painted yellow with a broad racing stripe over the whole of their bodies. The team raced Gordinis and Interlagoses that were produced locally, so the Renault 8 seems a bit of surprise. How did it end up there?
We found it with collector, dealer and restorer of classic cars Mauricio Marx, who’s had it only since 2017. It turns out to be the very first car in which Formula One driver Emerson Fittipaldi won a race.
In late 1964 Willys Overland bought two R8s for its works team. They weren’t bought from Renault itself, but directly from Jean Rédélé. The Gordini name on the back and the large headlights suggest an 8 Gordini 1100. But one look under the bonnet proves that Mauricio’s car comes with the oval plate wearing the type R1130 tag. Mauricio: “That’s correct. In those days Brazil taxed import cars very heavily, based on their capacities.” And since the standard Renault 8 used a smaller capacity engine than a Gordini it was decided to use a standard car and give it the necessary modifications for rough roads, identical to the mods made to the 8 Gordini. All the separate Gordini parts were imported later on in order to be able to turn it into a proper 8 Gordini after all.
Like many racing drivers, Emerson Fittipaldi, too, started his career in karting. After that he moved towards the Renaults of the Willys works team. Mauricio knew this car was a works racer since the Fittipaldi name was seen on the shattered windscreen. The car had been repainted in Gordini blue with white stripes. By interviewing two former racing drivers it became more and more clear that this had to be the car used by the then-19 year old Emerson in his maiden race at the circuit of Fundao Island. He won, too. More talks to specialists confirmed this thought.
Mauricio: “I’d seen a picture in a 1965 magazine in which Emerson is standing next to a Renault 8, but at the time I had no idea whether it was a mere pose or more than that. Another picture eventually proved he’d actually driven the R8. Emerson is clearly visible through the windscreen.
Between November 21, 2017 and February 5, 2018 Mauricio and his team worked on the car’s restoration. They were in a hurry as they’d entered the car to the Amelia Island concours, which was to display of a number of Formula cars, driven by Fittipaldi, as a tribute to the driver. The Renault 8 had to be there, too.
And so the body was fully stripped and repainted in the signature yellow and green. All of the car’s mechanicals were overhauled and a 1.3-litre engine was now fitted. The original 1100 is still with the car, too. The team worked days and night towards the deadline of February 14th, when São Paulo hosted the anniversary party to celebrate 40 years of Renault in Formula One.
In the meantime, the car’s entry to Amelia Island had been granted. Mauricio chose the fastest way to get it there: by plane. But from the airport the R8 needed to make another 1,000 miles on a hired transporter. On March 7, 2018 the Brazilian couple arrived, the night before the concours was to start. A number of other ex-Fittipaldi cars had been parked in the hotel garage. The next day, the programme started with the Eight Flags Road Tour through the streets of Amelia Island. But then Mauricio’s personal highlight still had to come. After lunch he received a phone call from Emerson Fittipaldi himself, telling him he wanted to come over and have a look at his car 52 years after having driven it. “It became an emotional moment, especially for the racing driver himself. After all, this had been the car that had started it all. He signed the racing roundel on the car’s bonnet.”
After that moment all the cars were moved to the lawn for an official photograph. The humble Renault 8 was lined up with a number of spectacular racing cars. It was the icing on the cake to Mauricio. The public reaction to the car was overwhelming also. Clive Chapman, son to Colin Chapman and owner of the Lotus 72D which gave Fittipaldi his first Formula One title, was overjoyed as well, in seeing his car next to Mauricio’s, which had given Fittipaldi his first race win. Mauricio: “It was fantastic to see my humble Renault 8 gaining similar attention as several McLarens and Lotuses.
Losange Magazine paid Mauricio’s workshop a visit. A team of specialists works on a daily basis on some unique cars in what has to be a unique country location either. Mauricio is a twinkle-toed enthusiast who manages to share his attention with all of his staff, guests, friends and customers, who come and say hello. It may also be a notable that he continues to use the Renault 8 to commute from his home in São Paulo to his workshop on a daily basis. His trusty four-footed friend never ceases to accompany him on the passenger seat.