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Facel: "For the Few Who Own the Finest". In 2008 the Facel ll was voted by The British Daily Telegraph readers as one of the "Most Beautiful Cars of All Time". The Facel ll was very expensive and highly exclusive. Its handsome design led to famous owners, including Pablo Picasso, Lionel Bart, Lord Brabourne, The Chrysler Corporation (and Mrs Carr, Walter Chrysler's daughter), Joan Collins, Tony Curtis, Christian Dior, Stanley Donen, Charlie Drake, Max Factor Jr, Joan Fontaine, Ava Gardner (who bought three), The Marchioness of Huntly (whose car had full-harness seat-belts), Herbert von Karajan, Danny Kaye, Louis Malle, The President of Mexico, Princess Grace of Monaco, Yves Montand, Hassan ll King of Morocco, Baroness Sally Oppenheim-Barnes, William S. Paley, Prince Poniatowski, Anthony Quinn, Debbie Reynolds, Frank Sinatra, Ringo Starr, The Marchioness of Tavistock, François Truffaut, Robert Wagner, Sir Mortimer Wheeler, The Shah of Persia, and Sihanouk (King-Father of Cambodia). Race drivers Sir Stirling Moss, Maurice Trintignant, Tony Vandervell, and Rob Walker also had Facels.
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Styled by Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre, the DS was known for its aerodynamic futuristic body design and innovative technology, including a hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension.
The DS placed fifth on Automobile Magazine's "100 Coolest Cars" listing in 2005. It was also named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car magazine after a poll of 20 world-renowned car designers, including Giorgetto Giugiaro, Ian Callum, Roy Axe, Paul Bracq, and Leonardo Fioravanti.
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Unveiled as a concept car at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1999 and quickly presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1999, Avantime arrived on the market in early 2001.
The design was based on a new architectural concept. The unusual proportions respected the fundamentals of executive vehicle design: safety, comfort, ride, equipment. Through a subtle alchemy, Avantime combined the values of several types of vehicle. It had the “one-box” architecture, space, functionality and user-friendly features of an MPV, the design, drivability and dynamic ride of a coupé, and the exhilarating sense of freedom of a cabriolet, with an “open-air” function that dropped the side windows when the sunroof was opened, a feature made possible by the absence of B-pillars.
The double-kinematic hinge system on the doors provided easy access with minimal swing. The upper structure was made of aluminium. The latest result of Renault’s partnership with Matra, Avantime was designed to open a “third way” for Renault’s success in the executive market.
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Renault Avantime, the Renault luxury car: Executive luxury. A coupe-cabriolet-MPV concept for unique driving pleasure and traveling comfort. Maybe not the most obvious choice for businessmen on the move, but there are benefits. Firstly, it looks like no other competitor - and secondly, rampant depreciation ensures early examples cost less than a brand new family car. As well as that unique styling, what makes the Avantime desirable is its luxurious cabin. Standard equipment level is equally impressive. Improvements in technology, built quality and metallurgy mean that luxury cars are living longer and longer. With proper care and feeding they last forever. Keeping your executive car as long as possible saves you hundreds of euros per month; keeping it in good repair minimizes the environmental impact by ensuring that it runs as cleanly and efficiently as possible. Enjoy the time as it passes.
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The Citroën H Van, Type H, H-Type or HY is a light truck (or delivery van) produced between 1947 and 1981!
The distinctive corrugated body work was inspired by German Junkers (Aircraft) of the 1930s, (the three engined Junkers Ju 52, being the last to use this construction). The ribs added strength without adding weight, and needed only simple, low cost press tools. The flat body panels were braced on the inside by 'top hat' box sections, at right angles to the ribs.
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The 2CV was a great commercial success: within months of it going on sale, there was a three-year waiting list, which soon increased to five years. At that time a second-hand 2CV was more expensive than a new one because the buyer did not have to wait.
The "deux chevaux-vapeur”, literally “two tax horsepower” was an economy car produced between 1948 and 1990! It was technologically advanced and innovative, but with uncompromisingly utilitarian unconventional looks, and deceptively simple Bauhaus inspired bodywork, that belied the sheer quality of its underlying engineering.
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An interesting point about the Mehari was it's body which was made from: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS, a fairly common thermoplastic today but when the Méhari was made it was quite innovative to use for the 13 individual body panels that made up the vehicle.
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Renault wanted a car to promote it as a sporting brand (similar to the Renault 5 Turbo from a decade earlier). The Spider was intended to both serve as a racing car, in a one-make series organized by Renault, and as a road car.
Designed from the outset as a driver's car, the chassis was made of aluminium for its combination of low weight and substantial strength, while the actual bodywork is a plastic composite. Unusually, the Spider did not have a roof, either folding or hard-top. The gearbox and the engine were one unit transversally fixed in an oscillating hinge (an arrangement inspired by aeronautical design), which all but eradicated the interference of engine vibration with the chassis, and the pedals of the Spider were adjustable as well as the seat so the driver could achieve a better driving position.
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The Alpine A110 represents an interesting period in French automotive and motorsport history, and its “little engine that could” heritage, started by one man in a small Dieppe garage in the 1950s, proved itself completely true in the mountain passes of Europe’s toughest rallies.
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Renault achieved success with the modern and upmarket Renault 16, a pioneering hatchback launched in 1966! Production of the Renault 16 lasted until 1980. Even by this stage, when it was nearly 15 years old, the Renault 16 was still one of the most popular and highly rated family cars on sale in Europe. Nearly two million were made. Retired Renault styling chief Patrick le Quément made no secret of his admiration for the R16.
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