Renault toasts triple anniversary

IT’S A BIRTHDAY bonanza for Renault this week, with three important anniversaries set to be celebrated at the Rétromobile Show in Paris.

It’s 30 years since the debut of the Espace people-carrier, and although the model isn’t sold in the UK any more it still has a cult following across Europe. Each of the four versions makes up part of Renault’s installation.

Four special additional Espaces will join the fray, including concepts and pre-production models.

At the same time it is the 50th anniversary of the first Renault 8 Gordini, the rally star that brought fun, affordable French motoring to the masses. Five examples of the car, built from 1965-1970, will be on show.

The third birthday is a big one, with 100 years having passed since the French army requisitioned 600 Parisian Renault Type AG1 taxis to transport French troops to the rapidly advancing Western front in 1914.

The taxi’s crucial role in moving 3,000 troops to the First Battle of the Marne earned the model the nickname ‘Marne Taxi’. The one on show at the Rétromobile Show has been specially restored to mark the centenary.

The show runs from Wednesday February 5 to Sunday February 9, on the Porte de Versailles in Paris.

By Press Association reporter