We tend to think of vehicles such as yesterday’s Audi A6 Allroad that blur the boundaries between off-road vehicles and road cars as a recent development. But softroaders and crossovers, as we call them today, have a much longer history. This is the 1948 Jeepster, produced by Willys-Overland in order to sustain production levels after the Second World War. The Jeepster was RWD rather than 4WD. Snapped: Rétromobile Paris, 2014.
Yesterday, the Matra P18 prototype, today the Renault Espace product line to which it gave birth. Here are the first four generations of Espace, with the 1984 original in the foreground. The current Espace is the sixth incarnation. The first three generations were made by Matra, while later models were built by Renault itself. The most recent models have moved away from their people-carrier roots and are more SUV-like. Pic: #Retromobile Paris 2014.
Today, after Projet 900, another milestone on Renault’s journey towards a new practical vehicle type, in the form of the 1981 Matra P18 prototype, displayed here at #Retromobile Paris in 2014. Peugeot, the new parent of Matra’s original partner in the project, Chrysler Europe, decided not to proceed with production, and the P18 instead went to Renault, where it became the Espace. If only Talbot had been able to sell this instead of the Tagora.
A few weeks ago, I was explaining how Renault, with the R4, R6 and R16 was one of the pioneers in the introduction of a then-new body type, the hatchback. But long before that, the company had been experimenting with new, more spacious and practical types of vehicle than the three-box sedan/saloon, such as this, the 1959 Projet 900, with its rear-mounted 1.7-litre V8 (yes, really), snapped here at #Retromobile Paris, 2014. Weird back-to-front styling.
The 1977 Chrysler (later Talbot) Sunbeam was basically a reskinned short-wheelbase Hillman Avenger. But its 'opening rear window' style hatch was copied from the Imp, which also donated the Sunbeam's 928cc entry-level engine. At the other end of the range, the much more powerful Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, snapped here at #Retromobile Paris in 2014, was a competition success, winning the 1980 RAC Rally and the 1981 World Rally Championship. (1/2)
Today, a third Philippe Charbonneaux design, the Renault 8, seen here in sporty Gordini form at #Retromobile Paris (2014). As I mentioned before, Renault continued to develop its rear-engined car line alongside its modern FWD hatchbacks like the R4, R6 and R16. The R8 replaced the curvy Dauphine in 1962, and was still being made well into the 1970s. Also produced in Romania as the #Dacia 1100, the start of a whole different story.
Yesterday, I featured the 1965 Renault 16 sedan prototype by Philippe Charbonneaux, who also had a hand in the original R16 hatch. This mid-engined car from 1950 with three-abreast seating and central driving position is an example of his earlier work. It was designed for the French racing driver Jean-Pierre Wimille. Sadly Wimille, still active as a racer, was killed, and the project was not taken forward. Snapped at #Retromobile Paris 2018.
After the Rapid and the Superb, today a third old Skoda that lent its name to a modern car from the same manufacturer, the open-topped 1959 Felicia, snapped here at #Retromobile in Paris in 2014. The Felicia name was revived in 1994 for a revamped version of the Favorit following the takeover of the company by Volkswagen. The original Felicia very closely resembled the 1950s Octavia saloon/estate, a fourth Skoda model name that would later be recycled. #Skoda#WeirdCarMastodon#davidsdailycar
Today, we’re blasting away the cobwebs of Unexceptionality again with another super-exotic top Mercedes. This is the W196 R ‘Stromlinie’ (streamline) race car from 1954, a type in which Fangio won the French Grand Prix that year. The smooth enclosed bodywork was optimised for circuits with high-speed straights. The most notable technical feature was probably the straight-eight engine. Snapped at #Retromobile in Paris in 2014. #Mercedes#Fangio#Stromlinie#WeirdCarMastodon#davidsdailycar. 1/2