There must have been something in the air in 1899 – some sort of mysterious atmospheric pressure that propelled motoring entrepreneurs off the starting grid towards success . For while Giovanni Agnelli was putting Italy on wheels , Louis Renault and his three brothers were doing the exact same thing in France , 500 miles north-west .
They founded their company a year earlier at Billancourt on the banks of the Seine , and the first car was the tiny ICV Voiturette , designed by Louis , which they promptly sold to a friend of their father ’ s . A dozen orders immediately poured in and Renault was on its way . By 1903 it was manufacturing its own engines , instead of buying them in , and in 1905 an urgent order for taxis brought huge expansion .
A Renault won the first ever Grand Prix in 1906 with Hungarian works driver Ferenc Szisz at the wheel . It was the start of a competition career for the marque that ’ s continued ever since , with notable success in Formula 1 ( especially with its turbocharged engines ), in sports car races at Le Mans , in rallying and speed record breaking .
The First World War saw Renault heavily involved in defence contracts , with production of its cars , lorries and buses suspended , and Louis was awarded the Legion of Honour for his contributions . Afterwards , he launched a farm tractor derived from
“ The Renault 5 Turbo 1 , which dominated the 1981 Monte Carlo , and 1982 Tour de Corse rallies .”
the Renault FT military tank design ! Renault vehicles became widely recognisable from their ‘ coal scuttle ’ bonnets and diamond-shaped emblem . The Second World War , though , was less happy for Louis Renault , who was accused of collaboration with the occupying Nazi forces , and he died in prison in 1944 .
Nevertheless , Louis had predicted the post-war clamour for small , affordable cars , which the newly nationalised company satisfied with the 1947 4CV , followed by the chic Dauphine in 1956 . Its next compact car , the 1961 Renault 4 , was the world ’ s first small , five-door hatchback , and was soon followed by the 16 and the 5 , all of which were enormously popular . The 1980s and ‘ 90s saw Renault creating more new car genres with its Espace people-carrier and Megane Scenic compact MPV .
Many of us , of course , have loved a Renault Clio as a peppy first car , but henceforth most people are going to experience Renault through the quiet hum of electric cars : it was one of the first carmakers to introduce a full range of emissions-free , plug-in models , and by 2016 the Zoe was Europe ’ s best-seller . -
Above : Louis Renault in his workshop . Below : The Renault factory in Billancourt , c . 1910 .
36 The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run