Renault looks back with satisfaction at the Concours d'élégance Paleis Het Loo, which was held in Apeldoorn last week. During this largest classic car event in the Netherlands, the 21.500 visitors - a record number - were able to admire about seventy special examples from the history of the French car brand. Three of them were awarded a first prize by the jury.
Pioneering Espace in the prizes
At the national Concours d'élégance on Saturday 21 June a Renault Espace of the first generation came out as the winner. The Espace is considered a pioneer in the space car segment. The Renault Espace also stood out because of its unconventional and durable structure of a plastic body and a galvanized steel chassis.
International
On Sunday during the international Concours d'élégance, a Renault Monaquatre from 1934 (Pre War class) and an Alpine 106 Mille Miles from 1957 (Post War class) won prizes. Laurens van den Acker, Corporate Design Director at Renault, was one of the jury members for the international competition.
Monaquatre and Alpine A106
With the Monaquatre, Renault was one of the first European manufacturers to launch a compact, relatively affordable car for the general public. The Alpine A106 is the founder of the sporting success story of Alpine and the precursor of the later A110. The Mille Miles version is rare.
Many special Renaults
The Renault display was delighted by the thousands of visitors to the Concours d'élégance Paleis Het Loo. This was partly due to the great diversity and quality of the models shown. Many exceptional Renaults had come to Apeldoorn, such as the pre-war Type DP Mühlbacher Town Car, the NN2, the Vivaquatre and the Celtaquatre. A striking presence was the bright yellow Renault 4 from the Wegenwacht, which together with beautiful examples of the Renault Frégate, Floride, Caravelle and Dauphine attracted considerable attention.
New Twingo
Finally, a lot of attention was asked for the new Twingo, which will make its appearance in a few months. Renault's newcomer stands out because these - except for some exceptional RenaultSport models - become the first series production model from Renault since the R8 and R10 that get rear engine and drive.