Renault- An Automotive Brotherhood

The French Renault Corporation is a renowned car producer that has been in operation since 1898, although it wasn´t officially founded until the following year. The Renault brothers, Louis, Marcel and Fernand teamed up with a friend, Thomas Evert, to create the company.

It was a match made in heaven. Louis already had experience in designing and building cars. His brothers, while Louis had been off studying engineering, had been working in the textiles firm that their father owned and had the business skills necessary to run a company like Renault.

Louis handled the design and production side of things, while Marcel and Fernand dealt with managing the business.

The Early Years

The first vehicle produced by the brothers was the Renault Voiturette 1CV. They let a friend of their father test drive the new model and he was so impressed with the design and handling that he bought it. The boys were off to a good start!

In 1899, Renault patented the first ever turbocharger and brought out the first production sedan. This early sedan was a true luxury car . . . it would take the average man ten years to earn the money to buy it!

Deciding that racing would be an excellent way to promote their vehicles, the Renault brothers began to participate in city-to-city races all over France. Louis and Marcel raced their own cars until 1903 when Marcel was killed in a crash during the Paris-Madrid race. His brother never raced again, although the company continued to showcase its vehicles in this manner.

At the very first Grand Prix in 1906, the Renault AK 90CV won not only the race, but international fame. That same year, Fernand had health problems and was forced to retire, leaving just Louis to run the business.

Wartime

Although Renault was already expanding to produce buses, taxis and cargo vehicles for commercial purposes before World War I broke out, they quickly adapted to the change and began to make tanks and military airplanes as well as ammunition.

Due to the company's outstanding design of aircraft engines, the Allies commended Louis Renault for his business´ contribution to their victory. When the war ended, Renault had been established as France's top private manufacturer.

Between the Wars

While the company began to flourish even more once the war ended, expanding into farm machinery and industrial products, there was a problem. The Renault cars, a luxury item, found it difficult to compete with the lower-priced "people's" cars that were flooding the market. With trouble in the stock market and a shortage of willing workers, Renault needed a better system.

In 1920, Renault signed a distribution contract with an entrepreneur named Gustave Gueudet, in an attempt to distribute his cars more economically.

The company continued to produce luxury cars, with the first post-war models featuring a radiator that sat behind the engine, unlike later models where it would be moved to its current front position.

By 1928, Renault had 7 different models available, ranging from the smallest, cheapest roadsters to the larger Monasix. This gave the public a good variety of options and helped increase sales. That year, Renault produced more than 45,000 vehicles, a sure sign of growth. They also began production of the 7-seat limo which featured a price tag higher than that of the Cadillac limo.

World War II

With another war looming, Renault began to produce a new car, the Le Grand. Unfortunately, they were never able to be produced in large quantities, due to the war and the few that were actually made were mostly used as scrap to produce war machines, since they were nearly entirely built of aluminum.

This time around, Renault supported Germany and built military trucks for the Nazis. During the liberation of France in 1944, Louis Renalt was arrested for producing forbidden vehicles and while waiting to defend himself, he died in prison. The circumstances of his death were suspicious, but no investigation was carried out.

Modern Times

After the war, Renault was seized by the French government. Despite the lack of remaining Renaults to continue the business, it thrived post-war, when it became a public company.

Renault continued to use racing as a publicity method with its newer vehicles. New models were designed and built, including the Renault Fregate, a race winner that was replaced by the Dauphine in 1960. Later came Renault 4 and the Renault 8, both of which were extremely popular for their day. The Renault 16, appearing 1966, was the world's largest hatchback.

Beginning in 1972, the company began to aim for more compact, economic cars with the oil crisis a big consideration. To this day, Renault is renowned for its well-built numbered cars, having reached the Renault 19.