Renault To Celebrate Three Anniversaries at The Retromobile Show in Paris

This year’s Rétromobile Show (February 5-9, Porte de Versailles, Paris, France) will see Renault celebrate three notable anniversaries: 100 years since Parisian taxis (consisting primarily of Renault Type AG1 models) were requisitioned by the French Army to transport wartime troops from the capital to the front of the First Battle of the Marne. The 50th anniversary of the Renault 8 Gordini, the iconic French Blue car with white stripes, which made the joy of sporty motoring an affordable reality for a whole generation. The 30th anniversary of the ground-breaking Renault Espace. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

OneShift Editorial Team

04 Feb 2014

The first Parisian taxi, the Type AG found itself elevated to fame during the First World War. In 1914, the German army marched upon Paris. In order to hold the enemy back, it was necessary to despatch French troops to the front – a task that fell to Paris’ plethora of taxis. 600 of them were consequently called into service to transport 3,000 men, which resulted in France winning the First Battle of the Marne and earned the vehicles their ‘Marne Taxi’ sobriquet. The vehicle on display at the show has been restored, especially to mark this centenary.

Five legendary Renault 8 Gordinis, including a type 1134, prepared by Renault's competition department will also be on display. The Renault 8 Gordini is one of the most popular sporting models ever produced by Renault. It is indisputably the Renault 8 Gordini which boasted a top speed of 175 km/h for an unrivalled low price. Launched in 1964, this automotive icon brought the joy of sporty driving to an entire generation.

The Espace saga, told through eight display vehicles from the original concept right up to the current-day model, with a special space reserved for the extraordinary Espace F1. The Espace was first presented to the media in April 1984, before going on sale in July. The model's versatility took observers by surprise, with the five rear seats all being removable and the front two revolving when the vehicle was stationary to create an impromptu living room. Renault introduced its slogan ‘Voitures à Vivre’.

The Espace F1 was designed to celebrate the Williams-Renault team's third consecutive Constructors' crown in the 1994 Formula 1 World Championship and the sixth title for Renault's V10. It went on display at the Paris Motor Show in October 1994 and even acted as the Safety Car at certain circuits.

Credits: Oneshift News Team