A whole lot of history
Renault’s story goes back more than 120 years, so it’s no surprise that the French marque’s 800-strong collection of historic models is bursting at the seams.
Ahead of the opening of its new heritage centre in Flins-sur-Seine, France, in 2027, Renault has decided to have a clear-out.
It’s tasked Artcurial Motorcars with finding new homes for around 100 of its classic vehicles, which span more than a century of motoring. What’s more, most of them will be offered with no reserve.
The auction will take place in Flins-sur-Seine on 7 December 2025. Here are some of our highlights, presented in chronological order.
Prices are given in GBP£, EUR€ and US$; all conversions were correct at the time of writing
1. 1901 Renault Type D (est: £44-61,500/€50-70,000/$58-81,000)
Renault, Peugeot, De Dion-Bouton, Panhard and other French car makers ruled the roads at the turn of the 20th century.
An evolution of the 1899 Type A, this single-cylinder voiturette joined Renault’s heritage collection in 1965 and it’s one of the firm’s oldest-surviving cars. It will be sold with no reserve in December.
It was restored in the 1990s, but Artcurial says it will need a once-over before it’s back on the road.
There is still plenty of time to get it ready for the next London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in November 2026, though.
2. 1933 Renault TN6A (est: £10,500-16,000/€12-18,000/$14-21,000)
Renault’s TN-series buses operated in the French capital from the 1930s to the 1960s, during which time they transported millions of Parisians across the city.
This six-cylinder model’s destination sign reads ‘Saint-Lazare’, a railway station in Paris, although Renault can’t confirm the exact route this bus operated on because the city’s public-transport archive was destroyed after WW2.
This charming, green-and-white Renault TN6A will cross the block with no reserve.
3. 1949 Renault 4CV (est: £7-12,500/€8-14,000/$9500-16,000)
This 4CV was restored in 1994 and it’s one of the virtual exhibits in Renault’s digital archive, The Originals Museum.
It’s covered just 59,976km (37,267 miles) since it was new.
If you’re a Renault fan, you’ve probably noticed that this is a Luxe model, with chrome overriders, quarterlights and a white steering wheel. It’s marked with no reserve in December’s auction.
4. 1960 Renault Floride (est: £9-13,000/€10-15,000/$11,500-17,500)
If you went to Disneyland Paris in the early 1990s, you might remember this turquoise Renault Floride.
Visitors could pose for a photograph perched on this classic Renault.
For that reason, this Floride has a reinforced bonnet and extra-durable paintwork.
The no-reserve sale includes a hardtop roof, too.
5. 1963 Renault 4 (est: £350-700/€4-800/$450-950)
Renault acquired this early R4 in 2009 and used it for its ‘Forgotten garage’ exhibition, where it was presented as a barn-find classic.
Artcurial says the bodywork is ‘fairly sound’ and this unfinished project has its original engine.
Ready to take on the challenge of restoring it? It will go under the hammer with no reserve in Flins-sur-Seine, France, on 7 December.
6. 1975 Renault-Alpine A442 (est: £220-440,500/€250-500,000/$289,500-578,500)
A turbocharged evolution of the A441, the A442 took Renault to the top of endurance racing – and this was the first one built.
Chassis 442-0 finished third in the 1000km races at Monza and the Nürburgring in 1975.
It was also one of four Renault-Alpine A442s that started Le Mans in 1977 (it was driven by Didier Pironi, René Arnoux and Guy Fréquelin), but all failed to finish. It was back at Le Mans in 1978, as the team’s reserve car.
The engine and suspension are incomplete, so it will require some work if the next owner plans to take it racing.
7. 1981 Renault RE27B (est: £176-220,000/€200-250,000/$231,500-289,500)
Frenchman Jean-Pierre Jabouille piloted this Renault Formula One car during the 1980 season, before it was handed over to René Arnoux for testing at the start of 1981.
It was back on the grid for the United States, Argentine and San Marino Grands Prix in 1981, and its best result was Arnoux’s fifth-place finish in Buenos Aires.
The sale includes a binder filled with the car’s history, however Artcurial notes that its twin-turbo V6 is incomplete.
8. 1983 Renault 5 (est: £5500-7000/€6-8000/$7-9500)
This Renault 5 was donated to the French marque’s collection.
The bodywork was imperfect, so the team in Renault’s heritage department decided to have some fun and decorated it as a faux police car.
This black-and-white hatchback will be sold with no reserve, however it will need to be serviced before it’s back on the road.
9. 1983 Renault Maxi 5 Turbo prototype (est: £70,500-105,500/€80-120,000/$92,500-139,000)
If the Renault 5 on the previous slide is too sedate for your liking, then how about this rally car? Currently, it’s more show than go, though, because it’s missing its engine and fuel tanks.
Renault believes this car was a Tour de Corse Group B machine that was modified with improved Maxi 5 Turbo components and used as a development car by rally driver Jean Ragnotti.
The next owner might be able to unearth more about this car’s history. It will be sold with no reserve in December.
10. 1983 Renault RE40-03 (est: £440,500-704,500/€500-800,000/$578,500-926,000)
This race-winning F1 car took Alain Prost to the top step of the podium at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1983. It also started on pole twice that year, at Spa and Monaco.
When its competition career was over, it stayed with Renault and was rolled out for various displays, including at the 1998 Paris motor show and Rétromobile in 1999.
It was also exhibited at Le Musée National de l'Automobile in the 2000s and 2010s.
11. 1985 Renault 25 (est: £7-10,500/€8-12,000/$9500-14,000)
A Renault 25 for a very important person, this limousine was one of around 830 built by coachbuilder Heuliez.
But this one is even more special: it’s an armoured version that was constructed for Raymond Lévy when he was CEO of Renault.
It will cross the block with no reserve during Artcurial’s The Renault Icons sale on 7 December.
12. 1985 Renault RE60-01B (est: £176-264,000/€200-300,000/$232-348,000)
This is one of eight Renault RE60 F1 cars constructed for the 1985 season.
RE60-01B was mostly used for development work – it was driven by Patrick Tambay and Derek Warwick in multiple tests.
Its turbocharged V6 failed during its last demonstration run in 2007 and it’s been in storage ever since.
13. 1986 Renault 21 (est: £1750-3500/€2-4000/$2500-4500)
You might be thinking that this Renault 21 must have been manufactured by employees under the influence – and that’s because it was, sort of.
It starred in French comedy film Lévy et Goliath and was the outcome of a fictitious scene about an unfortunate mix-up of white substances in the Renault factory.
This quirky car requires two people to drive it: one at the bottom to operate the pedals and another up top to steer. It will be sold with no reserve.
14. 1988 Renault Espace (est: £5500-9000/€6-10,000/$7-11,500)
Renault organised the Grandeur Nature rally in 1988 to test the strength and reliability of the then-new Renault 19.
The route from Guinea in West Africa to North Cape, Norway, was 15,000km (9320 miles) and took five weeks to complete.
In all, 12 vehicles took part: eight R19s, two support trucks and two four-wheel-drive Renault Espace Quadras – and this was one of the latter. It will be offered with no reserve on 7 December.
15. 1990 Renault 5 GT Turbo (est: £26,500-44,000/€30-50,000/$35-58,000)
This Renault 5 GT Turbo won the Group N class on the 1990 Côte d’Ivoire rally, with Alain Oreille behind the wheel and Michel Roissard in the co-driver’s seat.
It’s been left mostly untouched since that first-in-class finish: its only other outing was at a historic event a few years ago, for which the fuel lines had to be replaced.
Other than that, it remains in remarkably original condition. Apparently, there’s still sand in the engine bay from its West African adventure in 1990.
Interested? This no-reserve lot will be for sale in the Artcurial auction this December.
16. 1993 Alpine A610 Evolution (est: £26,500-35,000/€30-40,000/$35-46,500)
Alpine planned an uprated version of the A610 with more power and wider wheelarches, but the model never reached production and just two were built – and this is one of them.
The other, an Electric Blue car, is still owned by Alpine.
This Ottoman Green A610 Evolution makes around 280bhp from its turbocharged V6 and the car sits on a set of tasty Gotti wheels.
It has 42,466km (26,387 miles) on the clock, however it will need some work before it’s ready to be driven again. This rare Alpine A610 will be offered without a reserve.
17. 1994 Renault Clio Williams (est: £17,500-26,500/€20-30,000/$23-35,000)
The Renault Clio Williams is one of the most desirable classic hot hatchbacks and this Series 2 car has been owned by its maker since it was new.
It once served as a staff car for Renault Sport employees. Today, the odometer shows 83,030km (51,592 miles).
It’s expected to sell for £17,500-26,500 in the Artcurial sale, however it will go under the hammer without a reserve.
18. 1996 Renault Twingo electric (est: £7-10,500/€8-12,000/$9500-14,000)
A Renault Twingo with a twist, this supermini is powered by electricity.
Its exact history is unclear, however it’s believed to be one of several electric cars constructed as part of a European research and development initiative.
Currently, it can’t move, but we hope the next owner can sort it out once they’ve placed the winning bid in December’s no-reserve auction.
19. 1998 Renault Type A (est: £26,500-53,000/€30-60,000/$35-69,500)
Don’t worry, we haven’t made a mistake, this car was definitely built in 1998.
It’s a replica of Renault’s first production car, constructed by the French marque to celebrate its centenary.
Eight recreations were produced, seven with rebuilt De Dion engines and one electric example. This single-cylinder car is one of the former.
20. 2001 Renault Clio six-wheeler (est: £2500-5500/€3-6000/$3500-7000)
This wacky one-off was an interesting project. It was built in 2001 by Renault employees as part of their metalwork training.
The car started life as a Clio II but was lengthened and given an open load space with grab rails – and a second rear axle.
Unsurprisingly, it can’t be road registered, however it’s functional and can be driven on private land – albeit slowly. This Renault Clio pick-up will be sold without a reserve.
21. 2005 Renault Clio III RS Concept (est: £5500-9000/€6-10,000/$7-11,500)
This concept was unveiled at the 2005 Frankfurt motor show. It previewed the Renault Clio RS that was released one year later.
The pearlescent red show car has been part of Renault’s heritage collection since 2006.
Along with many of the other lots in this incredible sale, it will be sold with no reserve in the Artcurial Motorcars auction in Flins-sur-Seine on 7 December 2025.
If you’d like to find out more about any of the cars featured in the slideshow, or to view the full catalogue, click here.