Big Renaults - A thing of the past so a classic for the future

It seems that today, the only big saloons you see are German, but it wasn’t always so. Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s the Citroen DS and CX where as much style statements as means of transport. Peugeot’s 504, 505 and 604 were more staid but still imposing, however Renault’s offerings were limited until the launch of the 20 and 30 models. However into the 80’s and 90’s big French saloons died away, achieving little success outside of their home country.

Renault aimed to change this by doing things differently with their Avantime , the name combining the French word "Avant" (meaning "ahead") and the English word "time". Styled by Patrick Le Quément, the Avantime was intended to combine the space of an MPV with four-place pillarless qualities of a coupé.

The Avantime was first shown in 1999 in concept form at the Geneva Auto Show and went into production two years later, manufactured by Matra, between 2001 and 2003. The design borrowed the automotive space frame of the first generation Renault Espace which used a load bearing galvanized structure with non-load bearing composite panels. The clever one-box design eliminated B-pillars and featured an aluminium structure, aluminum panels for the greenhouse and a full sunroof of strengthened heat-reflecting glass. One key feature which utilises this sunroof is a "grand air" feature where one button can open all windows and the sunroof, leaving the car almost as open as a convertible.

The interior luxury interior features four seats each with built-in seatbelts and Bridge of Weir leather and to facilitate access to the rear seats, two long doors feature a double parallel-opening hinge system (marketed as "double-kinematic") that maximized access with minimal outswing of the doors, though these have been known to be troublesome over time. The mounting points of the rear two seats are higher than the forward two seats, giving the Avantime "theatre" seating. All Avantimes feature a two-tone look created by the exposed aluminium of the greenhouse and a wide range of strong colours give the car a strong visual identity.

However the Avantime's sales were poor and when Matra decided to pull out of the automotive production business in 2003 (partly as a result of the financial loss incurred by the poor sales of the Avantime), Renault chose to discontinue the Avantime rather than move its production elsewhere.

Only 8,557 were built during it’s 2 yr production run and it’s rarity, combined with it’s unique looks and design features make the Renault Avantime a sure fire future classic. However in the meanwhile values continue to fall as it’s poor reputation for reliability, thirsty engines (though LPG conversions have been known), quirkiness and lack of a German badge limit interested parties.


We didn’t manage to find many actually for sale, but eventually found this lowish mileage Renault Avantime on Autotrader. This car is claimed to be 002 on the Avantime list although it was registered in September 2002. With only 62,000 miles on the clock, it features the larger 3.0 V6 engine and is mated to an automatic transmission which is the combination which best suits these heavyweights. Finished in “Steel Grey illusion” it features the standard luxury interior including two tone leather as well as the rare (at the time) Sat Nav. It’s got an MOT until end of July 2011 although it’s only taxed until end of February. The owner is honest in stating that it “needs a little t.l.c. to bring it up to spec” but doesn’t state what that might mean.


Nonetheless this is reflected in the price of £4,395, and as these switch from being large unloved saloons to recognised classics, further depreciation will be limited.