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Renault racing

Marquis of Mystery Part 3

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Marquis Catalogue

By Roy Smith

Read Part 1

Read Part 2

Shattered Dreams
Unknown to all parties, Reed was being poorly advised by the men he had recruited to put the “Marquis”, the name they had given to the proposed fiber glass car, into production. A former Chief Design Engineer at Ford who had joined PlastiCar was not up to the mark, and he and his colleagues got off to a bad start. They found it difficult to full appreciate the concept of the rear-engine design which they would have on the Marquis, planned to be a direct copy of the Rédélé “Renault Special” which would be made after the Rogue.

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Marquis of Mystery: Dreams of Glass

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Announcing the Rogue.

In Part 1, Smith described the search for the elusive “Marquis” which resulted in the amazing barn find of the Rédélé Special Number 2 in Pennsylvania. Part 2 deals with an eager American businessman, Zark W. Reed, who had a plan for Jean Rédélé and his car. Above, the Rogue; was this design by French racing driver Louis Rosier really the “Marquis”? And what is the connection to Rédélé? Read on.

By Roy Smith

Dreams of Glass
1953 witnessed the first Chevrolet Corvette to roll off the assembly line in Flint, Michigan. The concept of an all-glass-fiber production sports car had just become a reality. Glass fiber had arrived on the scene many years before. In the 1880s a glass maker from Massachusetts by the name of Edward Drummond Libbey had first discovered that glass in fiber “staple” silk-like format could be woven as a fabric – he even had a dress made that was exhibited at the Chicago World Fair in 1893.

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Marquis of Mystery Part 1

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From the VeloceToday Archives, August 2012

A rare barn find in the States leads Roy Smith to Alpine’s Jean Rédélé, French Champion Louis Rosier, the post-war US sports car craze, Porsche champion Bob Holbert, and back to France for Retromobile, all in search of a car that never existed. An incredible story in three parts.

By Roy Smith

“The car belonged to my father, Raymond Buckwalter; he drove it for a while, and then parked it. I soon found out why he parked it when I wanted to drive the car for a few months in 1958. Every time I turned the motor off and left it for a while, the car wouldn’t start again without a push. This kind of thing you remember, believe me! I always parked in the same parking lot and the attendant always saved a spot for me. Five days a week they would push me to get it started. I guess my father figured I couldn’t go shopping unless I could find some kind person to push it a few feet, but as I was a young lady at the time, I always found some kind gentleman to give me a push. It was the battery; something was draining it. Rather than fix it my father liked to challenge me and he would often laugh at how I managed these small challenges. Now the memory of it makes me laugh – I can just imagine me in a parking lot at my age trying to get someone to give my car a push! When I went to get it painted in the late 90s we found traces of blue, so I assumed that was the original color.” —Mary Ann Wood

Photo of the strange French special taken by the Wood family in 2009.

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Renault’s Racing Heritage Part 3

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1951 Renault R 1063.

1951 Renault R 1063. (photo Renault Communication)

Story by Gijsbert-Paul Berk

There was more than just record cars at Montlhéry. Only a few people will still remember that, during the fifties, the small Renault Quatre (4CV) shown above was a very successful participant in a large number of European rallies and road races, and even won its class several times in the famous 24 hours’ endurance race at Le Mans.

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Renault’s Racing Heritage Part 1

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Three generations of Renault record breakers on the concrete oval of Montlhéry. From left to right: the 1956 Etoile Filante turbine car, the 1934 Nervasport a and the 1926, 40 CV Spéciale Type NM . (photo Renault Communication).

Three generations of Renault record breakers on the concrete oval of Montlhéry. From left to right: the 1956 Etoile Filante turbine car, the 1934 Nervasport a and the 1926, 40 CV Spéciale Type NM .
(photo Renault Communication).

By Gijsbert Paul Berk

Recently Renault invited a number of automotive journalists to the famous Montlhéry race track south of Paris for a demonstration of a number of their classic competition cars. Officially it was to commemorate that the French company has been over 115 years actively involved in motor racing, record breaking and rallying. But it also proved to be an unique opportunity to see and hear these wonderful machines in action. [Read more…] about Renault’s Racing Heritage Part 1

Goal Achieved: Alpine Clinches the LMP2 Titles

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Alpine A460 n°35 Baxi DC Racing Alpine at Le Mans, 19 June 2016 CREDIT: ALEXANDRE GUILLAUMOT / DPPI

Story by Roberto Motta, Photos by Media Renault – DPPI MEDIA

One round before the end of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Signatech-Alpine won the LMP2 Teams’ title, while Nicolas Lapierre, Stéphane Richelmi and Gustavo Menezes secured the Drivers’ crown.

Rounding off an exceptional season that saw the team win four races including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Signatech-Alpine A460 claimed the LMP2 Category Teams’ and Drivers’ titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

In light of this prestigious result, Michael Van der Sandem, CEO of Alpine, said “…this victory is the best advertising medium that we could give to the production cars that will be on sale from next year.”

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March, 2016: Alpine, Alpine Celebration and Alpine Vision CREDITS: ANTHONY BERNIER

[Read more…] about Goal Achieved: Alpine Clinches the LMP2 Titles

Roy Smith at the NEC: An Old Friend Returns

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The A220 Apine 3 Liter Chassis 1731 at this year's NEC.

By Roy P. Smith
Color photos by Roy P. Smith
B&W photos courtesy Roy P. Smith and Veloce Publishing from Volume 1 of Alpine Renault- The Sports Prototypes.

November 14-16, 2014 was the scene of the now-enormous NEC Classic Motorshow in the UK. I was there of course and having been tipped off was not disappointed to see the Alpine A220 Chassis number 1731 on display, fully restored and in fully working order with Alpine specialist historian Tim Moores in attendance. Of course having written a book about these cars I knew well the vehicle in question and Tim had kept me informed of the recent happenings. As with all Alpine Sports Prototypes there is a story to tell, so here is a little bit about this one. [Read more…] about Roy Smith at the NEC: An Old Friend Returns

The Silent Champion

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What engine powered Red Bull to victory? Say that again?

Editorial by Gijsbert-Paul Berk

After the safety car-finish of Jenson Button in his McLaren-Mercedes at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the new World Champion Sebastian Vettel also got a warm round of applause from an enthusiastic Brazilian crowd. It was not only the 3rd consecutive World Championship for Sebastian, but also the 3rd time that Red Bull won the Constructors Championship.

However, in all the excitement over the Grand Prix of Brazil, most commentators and reporters failed to mention that this was a victory for Renault as well as Vettel and Red Bull. Fortunately the French sports journalist Jean-Louis Moncet, who writes for the magazine Auto Plus and does the race commentary for the French TV station TF1, did remember the role of Red Bull’s engine supplier, and was quite justified in doing so.
[Read more…] about The Silent Champion

Marquis of Mystery: Barn Find

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A rare barn find in the States leads Roy Smith to Alpine’s Jean Rédélé, French Champion Louis Rosier, the post-war US sports car craze, Porsche champion Bob Hobert, and back to France for Retromobile, all in search of a car that never existed. An incredible story in three parts.

By Roy Smith

Barn Find

“The car belonged to my father, Raymond Buckwalter; he drove it for a while, and then parked it. I soon found out why he parked it when I wanted to drive the car for a few months in 1958. Every time I turned the motor off and left it for a while, the car wouldn’t start again without a push. This kind of thing you remember, believe me! I always parked in the same parking lot and the attendant always saved a spot for me. Five days a week they would push me to get it started. I guess my father figured I couldn’t go shopping unless I could find some kind person to push it a few feet, but as I was a young lady at the time, I always found some kind gentleman to give me a push. It was the battery; something was draining it. Rather than fix it my father liked to challenge me and he would often laugh at how I managed these small challenges. Now the memory of it makes me laugh – I can just imagine me in a parking lot at my age trying to get someone to give my car a push! When I went to get it painted in the late 90s we found traces of blue, so I assumed that was the original color.” —Mary Ann Wood

Redele Found-in-a-barn

Photo of the strange French special taken by the Wood family in 2009.

[Read more…] about Marquis of Mystery: Barn Find

Renault hits 190mph—in 1956! Part II

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By Roberto Motta
All photos by Renault Internal / Press

The record
On August 17th, Albert Lory, his team and the French streamliner embarked on a airplane for the U.S.A. At the same time the U.S.A. subsidiary of Renault was mobilized under the leadership of Robert Lamaison, director of Renault U.S.A.
[Read more…] about Renault hits 190mph—in 1956! Part II

Ellery Garfield and the 100 mph Renault

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By Patricia Lee Yongue

Photos Courtesy of VintageMotorphoto unless otherwise noted.

renault.jpg
Ellery Garfield in the 1920s.

As a professor of American literature and culture specializing in the Lost Generation expatriates, I am usually on the trail of American writers in Paris. The discovery of another sort of expatriate, one who enriches my knowledge of auto racing history, delighted me. I have, however, been able to ascertain only a few details of the short, hopefully happy life of Ellerv Irving Garfield. [Read more…] about Ellery Garfield and the 100 mph Renault

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