Jalopnik: Renault

French Rally Champ Blasts Through Paris In Rendezvous Tribute

Raphael Orlove — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST

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One of the greatest automotive films is Claude Lelouch's C'etait un Rendezvous, a nine-minute high-speed run through the streets of Paris ending with the hero getting the girl. French rally driver Jean Ragnotti paid tribute with his own drive through Paris, only with a slightly different ending. More »

Watch Flame-Spitting Hatches Go Crazy On The Track

Raphael Orlove — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST

There's wild oversteer, brutal crashes, NASCAR-grade drafting, and it all comes from pint-sized European econoboxes. This is the 1981 European Championship of the Renault R5 Turbo Cup. They're tiny, they're adorable, and yet they're also these fire breathing mid-engined monsters. Watch them tear each other to pieces. More »

Why The Renault Avantime Is Still So Heartbreakingly Cool

Peter Orosz — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:30:00 EST

After driving the new BMW M5 to death, our friend Nino Karotta, a.k.a. Hungarian Wolverine, is back with something completely different: a pleasant, autumnal ride in a Renault Avantime, the greatest modern GT to emerge from Europe. More »

This car’s interior is covered in pasta

Wes Siler — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST

"For me, a car is like cooking," says the Italian chef who covered the interior of this one in Penne. "It is a discovery, a movement, a journey to other people." In addition to this pasta car, there's one that's been filled with Louis XIV furniture and one that's been made into a library. More »

Close the gap with the 1983 Renault Alliance

Tom Joslin — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST

As this commercial demonstrates in a very literal and somewhat silly manner, the 1983 Renault Alliance was the car that closed the gap between European technology and affordability. More »

Watch a French hatchback take down a 911 GT2 RS on the 'Ring

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST

The Porsche 911 GT2 RS is the fastest, most powerful road-going Porsche ever to slither out of Weissach on its belly. The Renault Megane RS is 250 horsepowers' worth of Volkswagen GTI bait. Here they are together on the Nürburgring. And, go. More »

Lotus is the new Lotus

Peter Orosz — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EDT

The incredibly confusing mess of the two Team Loti in Formula One has, as expected, apparently been resolved at an FIA meeting. From next year on, the gold-and-black Lotus cars will be called Lotuses, while the yellow-and-green Lotus cars will be called Caterhams. More »

American cars just aren't French enough

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EDT

I'm no Francophile. I like certain French directors and adore certain French women. I can't stand French hip hop but I'll be damned if I don't love a French car. The stranger the better. And most French cars are weird in a way that American cars should be. More »

The 2011 Belgian Grand Prix in Crayola

Peter Orosz — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:30:00 EDT

We’re back! After a four-week summer break, Formula One has returned to Spa-Francorchamps. And it was overtake city, crazy qualifying and terribly gorgeous drives. Warning: spoilers. More »

Lotus Renault puts a Senna in its F1 car

Justin Hyde — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:30:00 EDT

Confirming widespread reprorts, Lotus Renault said today that Bruno Senna, nephew of racing great Ayrton Senna, would run the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, bumping Nick Heidfeld. This can't be just another marketing ploy by Lotus, right? More »

The 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix in Crayola

Peter Orosz — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EDT

There really is nothing like the glory of changing weather conditions for sprinkling fairy dust on a Grand Prix. A shot of rain on a cool day was enough to turn the tedium of the Hungaroring into a sparkling race to remember. It also didn’t hurt to have the sultan of capricious weather on the grid, hungry for a win. Warning: spoilers. More »

German crash test is a scary reminder of what happens when cars and trucks collide

Tom Joslin — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EDT

If you needed another reminder why you really don't want to get rear ended by a commercial truck while sitting in your car, here it is. This German crash test is intended to show what happens when a truck plows into cars parked behind another stopped commercial truck. More »

The sound of 62 years of F1 cars launching

Bill Caswell — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 10:30:00 EDT

The sound of an F1 engine has changed so much over the years. While I like the high pitch whine of the current cars, it sounds more like a missile being fired than a race car. But I shouldn't complain as I'm sure one day they will be electric or something that doesn't make any noise. That'll really suck. Because I like the noise. More »

Ride along on the fastest FWD lap the Nürburgring has ever seen

Tom Joslin — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EDT

Renault broke their own 'Ring record this past week when they recorded a very impressive 8:07.79 around the Nordschleife. The time was good enough to make Renault's new Megane RS Trophy the fastest production spec FWD car to ever lap the Nürburgring. While watching the record setting lap we had to keep reminding ourselves the car in question was only a 265 horsepower FWD Renault and not a vehicle significantly more powerful or significantly more RWD. More »

The joy of a tiny Romanian car with an 850-hp Nissan GT-R engine

Justin Hyde — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EDT

For this month's Pikes Peak climb, the plucky Dacia team will tackle the mountain with a Duster, tweaked with a few modifications including a twin-turbo V6 from the Nissan GT-R boosted to 850 hp. Hello, world's hottest clown shoe. More »

Spy on Top Gear's hot-hatch romp in Lucca, Italy

Mike Spinelli — Thu, 26 May 2011 14:00:00 EDT

Looks like Top Gear's planning a show on mini hot hatches like the Abarth Fiat 500, Citröen DS3-R and Renault Clio RS. Bystanders caught them chilling in Lucca, Italy's Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, a space large enough for some serious paving-stoned hoonage. Great news! More »

F1 driver faces criminal complaint over Chinese night club fight

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:20:00 EDT

Adrian Sutil thought he escaped legal action after fleeing China following an incident where he accidentally/purposefully glossed Eric Lux — head of rival Renault F1-owning Genii Capital. Now Lux is pursuing legal action claiming "physical assault and grievous bodily harm." More »

Renault descendents press France to pay for stealing company

Justin Hyde — Fri, 13 May 2011 13:45:00 EDT

When the Germans left Paris in 1945, Louis Renault's Nazi-helping (and perhaps sabotaging) car company was seized by the French government — and never returned. Now seven of Renault's grandchildren want the government to surrender some cash. More »

What would you do with 46 engine-less Romanian cars?

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 09 May 2011 16:40:00 EDT

It sounded like a million-dollar idea: import cheap cars from Eastern Europe, convert them to electric power, and sell them in the US for $40,000 a pop. Now, someone is stuck with 46 engineless Dacia Logans. Bummer, or bummertunity? More »

The 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix in Crayola

Peter Orosz — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EDT

It always rains in Malaysia. It didn’t rain in Malaysia yesterday. Never underequipped when it comes to show biz, Formula One bridged the precipitation gap with a flying Russian (above), a jinxed Brit, and an old rivalry rekindled. A fun race—for second place. Warning: spoilers. More »

Here is the result of Renault's audit

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:45:00 EDT

Here's the full text of the press release of the audit of Renault Spygate. What's French for "don't be a bunch of unethical freakballs?" More »

Watch Vitaly Petrov's "yee-ha" jump during the Malaysian Grand Prix

Mike Spinelli — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EDT

F1 Driver Vitaly Petrov was in eighth place during the Malaysian Grand Prix today, when he ran wide at turn 7, then launched his Lotus Renault over the kerbing. The steering column snapped on impact. Podium for teammate Nick Heidfeld, though. More »

Renault rolls out special Dacia Duster just for French ski instructors

Ray Wert — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:00:00 EDT

Renault's Dacia brand isn't well known for going after the well-monied. Luckily, with this special Dacia Duster, they don't have to — they can go after their socialist French ski instructors. More »

The 2011 Australian Grand Prix in Crayola

Peter Orosz — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:00:00 EDT

After a winter off-season extended by the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Formula One finally returned on a windy autumn afternoon in Melbourne. Four months without a Grand Prix, it would have been a fun race even if it weren’t fun. But it was fun. Warning: spoilers. More »

Renault exonerates 3 ousted execs, admits errors in spy claim case

Ray Wert — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:15:00 EDT

Renault now says it wrongfully dismissed three executives accused of spying after French prosecutors found no substance in a complaint by the carmaker against the former employees. [Bloomberg via Automotive News] More »

Renault builds a Juke you won't have to explain to mom

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:00:00 EST

Professing admiration for the Juke requires a follow up of caveats like "it advances crossover style" and "not all cars should look the same." Renault's Captur concept approaches the same challenge as the Juke, but with a design requiring no qualifications. More »

This Renault Fuego will go to the end of the world

Peter Orosz — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST

Citroën SM designer Robert Opron's haphazardly futuristic Renault Fuego is not a car you can call bland. More »

The French get all the cool police cars

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:00:00 EST

French gendarmerie will have another reason to feel superior when they roll out in one of 70 new Renault Megane Coupé R.S. hatchbacks. Top speed's boosted to 160 mph and 0-60 mph time drops to 5.8 seconds. (Hat tip m2m!) More »

The four '60s women who drove French cars from Argentina to Alaska

Justin Hyde — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:40:00 EST

Renault marks the 50th anniversary of the Renault 4 this year with a series of events around the world. It never officially made the United States — except back in 1965, when the company sent four women to drive from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska. More »

Dita Von Teese strips for Renault

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST

Renault kicked off their "Va Va Voom" campaign for the little Renault Clio with Audrey Hepburn, Rhianna, Marlon Brando, and a little tease from burlesque performer Dita von Teese. Is this for the stripper model? More »

F1 Driver Robert Kubica injured in Rally crash

Tom Joslin — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST

Formula One star Robert Kubica was seriously injured this morning while participating in the Ronde di Andora rally in Italy. According to BBC Sport the 26 year-old is undergoing surgery after suffering fractures to his right arm, leg and hand. More »

The tangled paternity of Lotus Racing, simplified

Justin Hyde — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 10:30:00 EST

This year's Formula 1 grid features Team Lotus racing against Lotus Renault GP, with both sides hiring as many lawyers as engineers. At his Grand Prix blog, Joe Saward constructed this handy chart showing the complicated peerage. Although I think Peter's is a bit more simplified, this tells an entirely different story, doesn't it? Click for full details. More »

For $59,995, Turbo 2, Bank Account 0

graverobber — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST

Workers in France are guaranteed at least 31 vacation days a year, while Americans get none. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe R5 Turbo 2 is a good enough reason for a vacation, but is its price working for you? More »

Lift Your Spirits

Justin Hyde — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST

The next time I hear some suit extol the virtues of whatever small turbocharged car they're hustling, I'm going to show them this Renault R5 and say, "That's nice, but can it do this?" [Retrorides via Tumblr] More »

How to Drink and Drive Like an Argentine

Peter Orosz — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EST

Mate, the herbal infusion drunk all over Argentina, may seem like the ideal road drink: it's a pleasant brew of mild stimulants. It's also a scalding handful of water with a metal straw sticking out. And the roads are bumpy. More »

Driving for Steak in Rural Argentina

Peter Orosz — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST

There's not much driving to do in rural Argentina in the days of high summer. Until you realize you've run out of steak. Then it's time to fire up the vintage Renault and go hunting for a butcher. More »

This Car Should Be Upside Down

Peter Orosz — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 08:30:00 EDT

The Renault 4 may be a weird little French hatch but Madagascar’s native trees have got it beat: they grow upside down. More »

A Once-Common French Family Car Turned Fall Beauty

Peter Orosz — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:30:00 EDT

There may only be one Renault 16 in America. The remaining 1,845,958 are scattered all over the world. This is one of them, standing proud in fallen leaves. More »

Watch Four Drivers Put Two Wheels In The Air

Justin Hyde — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EDT

An old pro-car, anti-motorcycle maxim says "Four wheels good, two wheels bad." However, if you've still got two extra wheels that aren't on the ground, it's more like "Four wheels good, two wheels awesome." Here's four awesome two-wheels-in-the-air videos. More »

Renault-Packed Colorado Warehouse May Turn Earth Into Hell Project Neutron Star

Murilee Martin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EDT

Some of you might have wondered where in hell Rocket Surgery Racing found the 1956 Renault 4CV that served as the basis of their Index of Effluency-winning LeMons car. In the conveniently-located Warehouse Of French Hell Project Doom, of course! More »