For more than 110 years, Renault has had its official showroom in Paris on the Champs-Elysées, at number 53 to be precise. Today, it is the Atelier Renault, opened in its present form on 8 November 2000. Various themed exhibitions are held every year and the space has outgrown its role as a showroom.
The Champs-Elysées is one of the most expensive streets in the world where all the famous brands have their offices. Renault, of course, is one of them. The odd side of the big avenue is the so-called 'cheap' side, because the other side has more hours of sunlight per day and is therefore more attractive to walkers and the catering industry. This must have been a factor in 1910 when Louis Renault rented 53 Champs-Elysées and founded the Garage des Champs-Elysées.
Photo: The showroom in 1910 before it was painted
The first photographs from 1910 show that the ceiling in the showroom was in need of a serious facelift but even so, the cars were displayed on the white/black tiled floor. Of course, this was not the image for a reputable manufacturer and therefore it is clear from the images from 1911 that the interior had undergone a refurbishment.
The interior was very classical in appearance with a beautiful void on the first floor of the rear section and a view through to the magnificent staircase that led from this floor upwards, as the building on the street side had a higher showroom, and the floor above was thus higher.
Photo: ... and after it was finished.
It was only natural that Renault would buy the building and in 1913 they did. The first photos show a relatively small facade with a large, centrally placed arched window behind which the showroom is located. Next to it are two glass fronts with entrance doors, with smaller arched windows located above them. Above are four rectangular, opening windows with a continuous balustrade in front. The name Renault can be read above the large arched window, and a little later the brand name also appears in illuminated letters on the roof. Daylight enters the building not only through the windows on the street side, but in the rear section mainly through an immense skylight. The photos from 1910 show frames on all sides of the loft, which were closed after paintwork was carried out in 1911. This did not remain the case, however, as photos from the 1920s show that these windows were opened again. In the middle of the back wall of the showroom, there is a double door leading to the workshop. Halfway up, we find another passage in the right-hand wall, and in the front part is the staircase that leads to the first floor. In the front of the showroom, too, there is a void on both sides. It is remarkable that almost the entire building is symmetrical in construction, both inside and out, but that one column seems to be missing between the front and rear sections of the showroom.
Photo: A beautiful Renault 40 CV from 1925 parked half on the pavement in front of the showroom at number 53 Champs-Elysées.
During those years, many passers-by gazed in awe every day at the most beautiful models or open-topped cars on display. The branch was a fully-fledged dealership with both showroom and workshop. The modest size became a disadvantage in the 1920s. The space became too small to properly exhibit the ever-growing range of models. Fortunately, in the 1930s Renault was able to buy the adjacent premises, which doubled the width of the showroom. The existing lower facade was first modernised. The brand name was placed above the entrance and slightly higher, illuminated letters indicated that Renault also exhibited its trucks here. Later, the existing facade was demolished and rebuilt in the same style with large arched windows. The entire top floor of number 51 was demolished. From 1933 onwards, the two originally separate buildings became a single unit, also on the inside, in which the style of number 53 was fully adhered to. Renault not only exhibited its passenger cars, but in those days, buyers of vans, trucks and tractors could also visit number 51/53. Additional exhibition space were also set up behind the familiar showroom, and various models could also be marvelled at in the basement.
Photo: The image from 1933, one tightly constructed facade.
The historic-looking building remained in use almost unchanged until 1959 when, over a three year period, it was completely rebuilt and reopened in 1962. The rigid concrete construction overshadowed the beautiful style of the first showroom. The large exhibition area displayed all the Renault models in a modern way, and in the large glass showcase at the front, a different showcase featured every few months. Incidentally, this was also the case in the existing building in the years after the Second World War. Window dressers could let their imagination run wild here. At the same time as the inauguration in 1962, a restaurant was opened at the back of the showroom purely for customers collecting their cars or waiting for repairs. Renault imported this formula from America. The success was enormous and the French press immediately started talking about the pub, so Renault soon decided to officially call it the Renault Pub.
The next extension followed in 1966 when the top floor of the building was utilised for a permanent museum where a number of famous models from Renault's history were displayed. It was also the first car museum in Paris. The permanent collection included the 1899 Type A the famous 1932 Reinastella RM2, a very early 4CV, the 1902 Paris-Vienna Type K and, last but not least, a Taxi de la Marne. Tens of thousands of visitors each year experienced Renault history in a nutshell. The progressive nature of the concept is shown by the fact that it remained virtually unchanged for 37 years, until the doors were closed in early 1999 and Champs-Elysées 53 was closed for almost two years for works. After the renovation, the space was highly multifunctional and was completely rearranged in a thematic way a few times a year. It is no longer just a showroom, but a place where Renault presents its image to a public of millions.
Photo: Tractors, trucks, vans and buses on the Champs-Elysées.
Photo: Black and white tiles will remain the theme for decades.