Bag a Clio Williams, a 5 GT Turbo rally special or an 80’s F1 icon in Renault’s unique 100-car auction
The Artcurial event at Flins near Paris will see 100 cars and 100 items of memorabilia for sale
Renault has leaned heavily into its history of late with the launch of the Renault 5 and 4, and the upcoming Twingo (not to mention designer collaborations with classic R4s, R5s, and the R17 coupe). So selling-off a bunch of that history at an auction hosted by Artcurial Motorcars in December seems like a slightly odd move at first.
Around 100 cars will be crossing the block at Renault’s Flins-sur-Seine facility on December 7th, giving private buyers the chance to pick up dozens of models from Renault’s earliest days through to more recent performance icons, plus plenty of racing cars too.
Considering the hundred-or-so models already exist in “several examples” in Renault’s collection though, the sell-off isn’t quite as drastic as it seems – and the cars are making way for Renault to display its remaining, remarkable 600-strong collection to the public, when it opens a new exhibition centre at Flins in 2027.
What’s in the Renault sale?
With worries about erasing history out the way then, what will be going up for auction? The earliest original model will be a Renault Type D from 1901, though combustion and electric-powered replicas of the even earlier 1898 Type A will also be for sale.
Road cars going under the hammer include classic models like the rear-engined 4CV and the soft-top Floride with its transatlantic styling. There’s a Clio Williams, a Sport Spider, and Alpines including a GTA V6 Turbo and an A610 Evolution.
Several concept cars, wind tunnel mock-ups and prototypes (both full-scale and 1:5 scale) will also be available to the highest bidder. These include R4s, R5s, and a “Supercinq” (the Gandini-styled second-generation 5, launched in 1984), as well as “an astonishing series of Twingos”.
Unusual concepts like 1989’s P.E.R.L.E, a pumped-up Trafic “Deck’up” van from 2004, and a model of 1992’s mad Reinastella flying saucer, made for Disneyland, are also appearing in the sale.
The motorsport collection is especially interesting. There’s a rally raid-prepared 5 GT Turbo “Bandama” and a 5 Maxi prototype (in the iconic red and blue Philips/Elf livery). An Alpine 442 endurance racer from the mid 1970s features as do a series of old Grand Prix cars, including the 1981 RE30, 1983 RE40, and 1985 RE60, all from the turbocharged era of the 1980s and driven by the likes of Jean-Pierre Jabouille, René Arnoux, Patrick Tambay, and Alain Prost.
Alongside the cars will be a huge collection of memorabilia, from “railcars, clocks, boats and prestige mock-ups”, to old F1 engines, helmets, race suits, and Renault F1 promotional items. In all, around 100 pieces will join the hundred cars being auctioned. More than 90 per cent of the lots will be offered without reserve.
It will be a rare chance to pick up some of Renault’s history directly from the manufacturer – and it’s reassuring to know that the rest of Renault’s massive collection will be staying right where it belongs, ready for the public to enjoy in 2027.
