Within the current Renault it’s Renault Classic that takes care of the manufacturer’s heritage. Apart from a 15-men strong staff and an impressive historical archive, Renault Classic’s chief Hugues Potron is custodian of a fleet of 750 classic vehicles to illustrate Renault’s rich heritage. During late March and early April groups of journalists from a variety of European countries were invited to learn about Renaults exiting backgrounds and also drive a range of the heritage cars.

As a professor in economical history, specializing in motor manufacture Jean-Louis Loubet was present, too. In some 90 minutes he took the invitees to the cars, explaining the key features of every model. A piece of cake for the professor, who would have been happy to talk passionately about these cars for a lot longer.

Several of the cars on display are in for a jubilee of their own. To start with there is of course the first of the Renault, the A-type, which is just about 120 years old now. But apart from that there’s the AX of 1908 and also the 1928 Reinastella with its eight-cylinder engine. There’s the Rallye Monte Carlo victory of the Dauphine (1958) and the launch of the Floride in the same year. More recent anniversaries are for example 40 years of the Renault 18 and 30 years of the Renault 19. And let’s not forget the Le Mans victory of 1978 and the Renault 21 Superproduction of 10 years later.

The further standard production cars on display in Renault Classic’s hall were ordered chronologically. A certain era is often tied to social developments of its day and that’s why motoring developments can well be told through contemporary models. The motorcar starts its life as a toy for the wealthy few and it’s no surprise that the owners of these early motors originally were the persons to gain all the attention. He – or she – was mostly seated in the back of the vehicle; lavishly equipped limousines and landaulets are proof of this.

Renault’s AG model, better known as the Marne Taxi, is another landmark model. Where most manufacturers up until 1905 assembled their cars at one or two at a time, Renault was commissioned to build 500 to 1,000 cars at a time, thanks to a number of taxi agencies. To cope with such capacities, production needed to be expanded and streamlined from a very early stage, that’s for sure. But question was also what happened once these taxi cabs were built and sold? The answer was: export! Real mass production as seen in the US followed later during the second half of the 1920s.

After WW1 Renault started offering their so-called Sports-models, which encouraged owners to become drivers, too. Small model cars are there in the 1920s and 1930s, but there’s no doubt that they are still for the lucky few. The Americans may have had their affordable mass-production vehicles; it takes several more decades for the Europeans.

In the mid-1920s Citroën had a huge marketing success with their tracked vehicles that master the African deserts. As an answer, Renault came up with rugged six-wheeler vehicles with two driven rear axles and double sets of wheels all-round. But the journeys that these cars were taken to, do more than just gain publicity. It’s the time of upcoming tourism and with it, Renault formed the basis of a service line with a series petrol filling stations, airstrips and hotels of their own.

Remarkably, only a relatively small number of pre-1927 Renaults survive. The reason is WW2, in which ageing vehicles were being seized in order to feed the steel industry, which obviously ran at full force. And then there’s the financial crisis of the 1930s. Big expensive cars were not much in demand at the time. Consumers who were in the market for a car preferred lightweight four-seat saloons. Renault attempted to enthuse these customers for their Primaquatre and Celtaquatre models, but question is if they went far enough in the quest for an economical vehicle. With its lightweight monocoque construction, the Juvaquatre appeared to be doing well. But its technical innovations and even its fair price were no arguments anymore when war breaks out. The model’s career never the less spans until 1960.

Renault’s real ‘people’s car’, however, came just after the war in the shape of the 4CV. Although that doesn’t necessarily mean it was a working class vehicle; the 4CV was mainly targeted at the middle classes, who came up slowly but surely in those days. It became a huge success, though, and the model was the France’s first to reach the million-number. The Dauphine, conceived and constructed in the same way, doubled that number to 2 million later.

At the end of the 1950s the countryside was being taken over by the city. Suburbs arise and people started to use their cars more and more for commuting and daily shopping. This demands for practical cars, which were widely employable and more functional than ever before. Renault’s answer was the R4 and the spacier R16 later. With their big tailgate and foldable rear seat, these clever cars stretched the possibilities and opened the markets even more. Front wheel drive gave them more interior space and a flat floor. And the number of models continued to grow throughout the 1960s, when the more traditional saloons such as the 8 and 10 with their engines in the back, kept on being marketed while the much more modern R12 was launched, too. For coupé fans there were the 15 and 17, while the top-end was being served with the six-cylinder 30 TS from 1975-on.

And there’s motor sports. Renault plays a leading role in them from as early as 1899-on. There’s no way to miss about that in Renault Classic’s hall: Formula 1- and Formula 3 cars, Monte Carlo Rally cars, Edwardian racers, BTCC racers, world speed record vehicles, world champion rally cars, Paris-Dakar veterans, cup racers, rally cross cars and many more.

It’s hugely impressive to see so much of Renault’s heritage being presented in just one day. On static displays from the works collection and from Renault Classic’s workshop, but also on the road, being driven as if they are ordinary cars! Losange Magazine had test drives in a Vivastella, a Juvaquatre Coupé, a Domaine, a 4CV, a 5TL, an Estafette, a 20 TS plus a 4GTL. Expect reports in upcoming issues.