Renault was founded by three brothers at the dawn of motoring, in 1898. Louis Renault – who later took sole control of the business – would become the most famous. Fernand died young, while Marcel was killed, aged just 31, after crashing in the 1903 Paris-Madrid race.
These city-to-city races on open roads captured the imagination of the public and of early car makers, including Renault. They were especially popular in France, where motor racing was born.
When they fell from favour, motor racing migrated to closed public roads and, increasingly, to dedicated circuits. A Renault would win the first-ever Grand Prix, the French, held in 1906 on the outskirts of Le Mans. Other familiar marques competing included Fiat and Mercedes.
Renault has been closely involved in motor racing ever since, and still competes in F1 with its wholly owned Alpine brand.
The Parisian company’s early models included luxury limousines (King Edward VII was an owner). It quickly moved into mass-produced cars, trucks and tractors, and would become France’s biggest vehicle maker. After World War 2, Renault was nationalised. (Louis would die in prison in late 1944, accused – in that frenzied post liberation period – of collaborating with the Nazis.)
Post-war, Renault motorised France and produced some of Europe’s most famous and innovative cars, including the Renault 4 (one of the world’s first hatchbacks), the 5 (now reimagined as a cute new electric hatchback, the 5 E-Tech), the Espace (the first modern MPV or ‘people carrier’) and the Zoe, Europe’s first modern mass-produced electric car. There were imaginative vans too, notably the front-wheel drive Estafette van of 1959 – precursor to the highly popular Trafic.
It has a reputation for imaginative design, technical innovation and motorsport success. It introduced the first turbo car to F1 (in 1977) and won the F1 world driver’s championship (with Fernando Alonso) in 2005 and 2006.
In 1996, Renault returned to private ownership, and in 1999 began a technical and business alliance with Japanese car maker Nissan. As well as Alpine, it owns the Dacia brand, bought from the Romanian government in 1999.
Hendy currently represents Renault at 8 outlets.
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