Project X29: A free hand in the top segment
Different approach
There is always a contradiction with regard to French cars in the top segment,. On the one hand, one would like to match the high quality image of the German models but at the same time add a sense of 'joie de vivre'. In any case, during the course of the seventies it became clear that Renault had to adopt a different approach in the higher segment. Project X-29 was given the green light in 1978.
The new top-class Renault had to be an original car that did not resemble other models in the same segment, in which Renault hardly played a significant role outside France. Also, the new model should in no way resemble the mainly functional appearance of the Renaults 20 and 30. Of course Renault took a certain risk with this, because they wanted to defy tradition in this class. It was up to the designers to combine the brand’s known functionality with a special design. This would be a search for a compromise between creativity and reason.
Photo: One of the first mock-ups of the Renault 25.
Non-conformists
The concepts in the run-up to the Renault 25, which was the result of the X-29 project, would be tested against a strictly formulated target group of non-conformists who did not allow their feelings for a top class car be determined by standing or social status. In fact, the new, large Renault should be unique in all respects.
At the same time, the management expected the Renault 25 to be a car with a real Renault identity, which was why the designers were given considerable freedom by their superiors. The final result should be the best compromise between a saloon and a hatchback; in short, a functional car that did not forgo its beauty for this.
Photo: An image of the Renault 25 as a saloon car.
Des Voitures à Vivre
The new top-of-the-range Renault underlined the slogan 'Des Voitures a Vivre', although the advertising agency Publicis did not come up with this slogan until after the launch. Some of the prototypes already showed several typical features of the final product in their design, such as the convex rear window. The 25 was a car with which Renault had to conquer a new part of the market for the brand, but it was also a symbol of Renault's new image.
The “specifications” set out the conditions the new model had to meet, but also gave the designers a lot of freedom. Functionality was important, but the 25 should no longer have anything in common with the 20 and 30 in its design. It was believed that the design alone could make a car sell well. Throughout the project, there remained in-depth discussions between management and stylists.
Photo: A Renault 25 sedan converted into a 1:1 scale model.
Convex rear window
The project was a major challenge, and so stylists within Renault had to compete with each other to achieve the best end result. In the specifications, preference was given to a hatchback in a coupe-like form, although the possibility of a saloon model with a traditional boot lid was still a possibility at the design stage. At the same time, the convex rear window was quickly accepted as a fixed styling feature. After all, it was a feature that had already been thought of for the then-unlaunched Fuego. Based on the first sketches by Marc Deschamps and Robert Opron, a life-size model was made. This model 'M' was an idealised translation of the specifications that took no account whatsoever of technical feasibility. Based on this proposal, more new models were made.
Photo: A different interpretation of the panoramic rear window.
Bic-aéro
Gaston Juchet came up with the so-called Bic-aéro, while Jacques Nocher and Jean-Francois Venet worked on the second model. This one was named Rafale, intentionally after the aerodynamic Renault-Caudron aircraft of the 1930s. The Bic-aéro and Rafale both looked like saloons, but they did have a tailgate. In the end, the decision was made to continue with the Bic-aéro, partly because the convex rear window did not resemble anything offered by the German competition in this segment.
By the way, the various prototypes showed that both projects were slowly merging into one another in an almost symbiotic way. The new Renault featured a long wheel base with a short rear overhang. Renault President, Bernard Hanon, was partly responsible for the fact that the final Renault 25 was shortened by no less than 12 cm compared to the originally determined dimensions. "Why should we make our cars longer, when the Americans are busy developing smaller models", was his explanation. The car may be big, but it should not be exaggerated.
Photo: This front view looks like an oversized Renault 9.
Gaston Juchet
For the first time, Renault took streamlining very seriously. In 1979, the second oil crisis took place and the development of new models was focused on reducing fuel consumption. Gaston Juchet, an aerodynamicist by training, was very committed to this subject. The Renault 25 finally achieved a Cd value of 0.30 (TS even 0.28) and the nice thing was that this good aerodynamic result did not come at the expense of the design. The Renault 25 proved that an aesthetic design goes hand in hand with a favourable aerodynamic shape.
Photo: Three prototypes in a row show how the Renault 25 grows towards the final result.
Piece of wood
From the various pictures it becomes clear that they were playing with arrangement of the windows. There were concepts with an extra rear side window in cars that come close to the profile of the Renault 25. Also, to quickly visualise a new idea of a saloon, the rear was shaped on a piece of wood and then attached to the car. The closer the development department got to the final result, the more the changes were just details. For example, they were working on rear lights with a slight kink in the side.
Door mouldings
They were also playing with the idea of applying stripes in several places but in the end only those on the radiator grille would remain. Renault also tried this theme on the badge space and even on the door mouldings, which also vary in height and were mounted in such a way that they could easily be removed. It's also funny to see that several 1:1 models had two different sides, for example with or without an extra window.
Photo: A design study of the special dashboard of the Renault 25.
Personality
The dashboard by the Italian designer Marcello Gandini contributed significantly to the originality of the car as a whole and confirmed the personality of the 25. Here too, Renault took a risk which would not have been so great if they had been established in this segment for some time. The dashboard eventually became part of Renault's new image and the large, extended canopy could be found on various models for a long time to follow. The dimensions this created suggested an extra sense of space. The dashboard surface material was also new, it looked like felt/alcantara and the designers were very happy with it. On 26 October 1983, the last Renault 20 was produced at Sandouville. A month later (25 November 1983) Renault announced the arrival of the new 25 in the press and released the first pictures. And when in March 1984 the new, large Renault made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, its rise in the top segment could begin.
Photo: When the Renault 25 had just arrived on the market, Gandini was already sketching the dashboard for Phase II.