Renault's 120‑year journey – told by its cars

It’s a question posed by an exclusive chance to see behind the scenes of its vast classic collection, housed in one of its production plants west of Paris and comprising an incredible 750 vehicles, including road cars, commercial vehicles, tanks, racing cars and everything in between. The doors to this incredible living museum are usually closed but have been opened on this occasion to celebrate the firm’s 120th birthday. 

Renault’s post-war history as a nationalised manufacturer and the genre-defining cars it built in this period are probably familiar. From rear-engined saloons like the 4CV, Renault 8 and Dauphine through to pioneering hatchbacks like the 4, 16 and 5 Renault has always had a knack for both reflecting and influencing the needs and tastes of car buyers at home and abroad. Lately, the Espace, Scenic, Twingo, electric models like the Zoe and the rebirth of the Alpine sports car brand have defined Renault’s recent history. But Renault was building cars for nearly half a century before all this. And this behind the scenes visit and tour of ‘le garage’ with social historian Jean-Louis Loubet is a revealing glimpse into an incredible heritage.

The 1898 Type A voiturette that started it all is a delicate, spindly looking machine but its three-speed transmission, shaft drive and differential were all cutting-edge technology for the time. Close by in the collection is a Type B, already boasting enclosed bodywork and replacing the handlebar steering with a more familiar wheel.

Placing the radiator behind the engine did away with the grille seen on most cars of the era, giving Renaults of the early 1900s and 1920s a distinctive look of their own – an instinct for style that’s carried through to the present day. Early icons include the AG1 that bagged the contract for a city taxi for Paris in 1905 (and was also sold to London for the same purpose), the stately 40 CVs and Reinastellas built to satisfy the tastes of the wealthy elite and the incredible Type MH 6 Roues, a multi-wheeled monster that helped slash the time taken to cross the Sahara. All of these and more are represented in the collection, a drive in the imposing six-cylinder Vivastella of 1933 underlining the fact that early in its history Renault was very much a luxury carmaker.

But as the Great Depression bit Renault needed to take cost out of its cars, innovation like unitary construction and independent front suspension making the 1937 Juvaquatre both affordable and capable of competing with domestic rivals Citroen and Peugeot.

The devastation of world war two brought about the personal humiliation of Louis Renault, who was labelled a collaborator for turning his factories over to German control and died in 1944. The 4CV developed n readiness for post-war recovery was newly nationalised Renault’s lifeline though, this simple, cheap and compact rear-engined car just the thing to get France back on the move. While it only had a 750cc engine it weighed a mere 600kg but had space for four. Driving one today is a lesson in minimalist engineering, this powerful symbol of post-war recovery prompting an emotional response in anyone who sees it. 

Not every car of the next half-century was as iconic. But, driven by a broader agenda of building cars to fit changing aspirations and lifestyles, highlights like the 4, 5 and Espace demonstrated Renault’s ability to create new market segments and cars to serve them. Designed with young drivers in mind – especially women – an early-model 5 is a lesson in clever use of design, materials and practical thinking that is as relevant today as it was when it was conceived in the late 60s. In the 80s and 90s the Espace and Scenic both created and defined the MPV market that, before SUVs took over the world, maximised internal space and creative ways to use it to help busy families get around for both work and leisure.

A day immersed in Renault’s heritage is but a fleeting glimpse at how big a part it has played both in French life and the wider automotive history. It’s a story that takes in politics, war, social change and more besides. Most of all it’s about cars, many of which you’ll be seeing out and about in this 120th year, not least at events like the Festival of Speed. It deserves to be quite the celebration.