Renault Car Books - History and Models

Renault, des automobiles de prestige

We think we know everything about Renault, and yet, who knows today that the Billancourt firm, alongside its popular cars, built a range of very prestigious models, with competitors such as Rolls Royce, Mercedes, Cadillac, Packard and so many others that have now disappeared.

In this book, the reader will discover or relive a particularly glorious era for the French automobile industry. The heroines of this saga have names like 40 Chevaux, the queen of the Roaring Twenties, Reinastella, whose reign corresponds to the dark years of the great crisis of 1930, Nervastella and Nerva Grand Sport, who introduced aerodynamics to the luxury car market, or their sisters Viva Grand Sport and Vivastella and, the crowning glory of the line, Suprastella.

Renault's photographic archives bring these superb and desirable cars back to life, using images that are mostly unknown. The commentaries, based on a detailed and rigorous analysis of everything that was written on the subject at the time, but also and above all on archives that have not been used to this day, make the reader a privileged witness to this true epic.

Information

Author:	C. Rouxel, M. Griselhubert, C. Gueldry, J. Dorizon
Details:	432 pages, 25 x 26.5 cm / 9.8 x 10.4 in, hardback
Illustrations:	500 b&w and 100 colour photos
Publisher:	ETAI (F, 2002)
ISBN:	9782726886168

Renault, un siècle de création automobile (3e édition)

For over a century, Renault models have been crisscrossing the roads of the world. From its origins, and for almost half a century, Renault has offered an extremely varied range of vehicles, ranging from small to large cars, even then remaining the only major manufacturer to continue producing luxury cars. The Renault catalogue is abundant, combining mass-produced products with cars of limited distribution, and therefore daring what its competitors refuse.

Nationalized in 1945, Renault launched into the popular car and committed to building a range, one of the first in Europe. Renault models take into account before others a demand marked by changes in society (rural exodus, urbanization, emergence of the middle classes, access of young people and women to automobiles, birth of the leisure society). Renault innovates and designs vehicles that mark their time.

The Renaults of the 21st century did not wait until January 1 2001 to be on the roads. While they are proud of the specific features that have made the brand famous, they are also equipped with a technical and stylistic audacity that allows a Renault to stand out in a globalized and globalized world.
This book, presented chronologically, reminds the reader that, from 1898 to today, the brand has never ceased to be a creator of automobiles.

Information

Author:	Jean-Louis Loubet, Claude Le Maître
Details:	328 pages, 31 x 23.5 cm / 12.2 x 9.25 in, hardback
Illustrations:	850 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	ETAI (F, 2017)
Series:	Héritage
ISBN:	9791028302153

Renault en Afrique - Croisières automobiles & raids aériens 1901-1939

Everyone knows about the Black Cruise or the Yellow Cruise of the Citroën half-tracks. But who knows about the similar expeditions carried out with Renaults crisscrossing the deserts of Africa at the same time? Renault is a car manufacturer, but who knows that it manufactured railway equipment, and, even more, aircraft engines, equipping in particular the famous Aéropostale, Mermoz, Saint-Exupéry... in their conquest of the African skies?
We remember the relatively erased role of women in the first half of the twentieth century. But who remembers those who accomplished exploits on the ground or in the skies of Africa in the 1920s and 1930s?

This book takes a new look at these little-known aspects of the great adventure of the automobile and aviation, and the development of Africa. It is as much a history book as a book of (authentic) adventures teeming with the most incredible anecdotes and facts, full of extraordinary and spectacular period photos, most of which have never been seen before and which the author's passion and tenacity have been able to bring up to date!
This book attempts to demystify and put back in their place the roles played by Renault and by women in the motorization of Africa and the opening up of its most isolated territories. Seen with a feminine eye, it gives us a very little-known aspect of the history of Renault and Africa, without neglecting the economic, industrial and technical problems.

Information

Author:	Marie-Christine Rouxel
Details:	256 pages, 25 x 26.5 cm / 9.8 x 10.4 in, hardback
Illustrations:	300 b&w and 50 colour photos
Publisher:	ETAI (F, 2003)
ISBN:	9782726893197

Renault sous l'occupation, fabrications forcées & projets secrets

This book explores the history of Renault during the Second World War, marked by the German occupation. Constrained by the Nazis, the factories produced mainly trucks for the German army from 1941, while the manufacture of automobiles was stopped. The Allied bombings on the factories in Le Mans and Billancourt in 1942 further hampered production.

Louis Renault, the founder of the brand, secretly continued his research for future automotive projects despite the occupation. This is how the famous 4 CV was born.
After the Liberation, Renault was nationalized and renamed "Régie Nationale des Usines Renault". Louis Renault was arrested for collaborating with the enemy and died in detention before his trial.

This book delves into the world of Renault through the stories of employees, the board of directors and the Renault family during 1939. It also explores the challenges encountered during the occupation, including the forced production of military vehicles and the firm's secret projects. Unpublished testimonies and photographic documents illustrate this tumultuous period.

Information

Author:	Patrick Lesueur
Details:	192 pages, 29 x 24 cm / 11.4 x 9 in, hardback
Illustrations:	profusely illustrated
Publisher:	ETAI (F, 2013)
ISBN:	9782726896938

Renault - L'innovation en mouvement (Autofocus)

Renault, an iconic French brand, stands out as one of the oldest manufacturers still in business. After World War II, Renault specialized in popular and mid-range cars.
To stand out and anticipate consumer needs, the brand has constantly innovated, creating bold concepts, including sports models. Even with the move to electric motorization, Renault maintains this avant-garde vision that makes it one of the most original manufacturers.

Explore fourteen models, from 1935 to the present day, representing the diamond-shaped brand's significant technological advances. This retrospective highlights Renault's history, highlighting its ongoing commitment to innovation and its leading role in the evolution of the automotive industry.

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Author:	Aurélien Gueldry, Cathy Dubuisson
Details:	160 pages, 29.5 x 25 x 2 cm / 11.6 x 9.8 x 0.79 in, paperback
Illustrations:	300 colour photos
Publisher:	Sophia Éditions (F, 2023)
Series:	Autofocus
ISBN:	9782385140168

Voitures Renault de collection

From the Type A of 1898 to the Twingo program of the 1990s, including modest family cars and high-end models from the interwar period: the Billancourt brand has undoubtedly acquired the title of major generalist manufacturer.

This book offers the opportunity to look back at the genesis of the most emblematic models, by evoking the various stakeholders involved in their creation and by detailing their technical characteristics and their ratings on the collector's market.

Information

Author:	Patrick Lesueur
Details:	256 pages, 26.5 x 21 cm / 10.4 x 8.25 in, hardback
Illustrations:	numerous b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	Editions E/P/A (F, 2017)
ISBN:	9782851208965