Renault Project 900 1959 by Autocult
The reversed Car
In
1959 two vehicles were built under the name ‘Projet 900’ at Renault, which had
a very unusual design: It was simply the visual “wrongness” of the usual
appearance of a car – the part that the viewer saw as the rear end was at the
front and the look of front end, which was generally equipped with a long
bonnet, was to be found at the rear end. Responsible for this reversed creation
was 53-year-old Renault engineer Fernand Picard, who already designed the type 4CV
and the shape of the model Dauphine.
Fernand
Picard had two bodies of the Renault 900 done by commissioned body makers. One
design was made by the Italian designers at Ghia and another one by the
Frenchman Andre Daniel. A third design; made by Robert Barthaud; did not progressed
beyond the theoretical stage. Both vehicles had in common that a V8 engine
served as a drive, but in one version it was installed close to the rear axle
whereas the other version had its engine fitted at the front. It is not known what
exactly was tested with the two experimental vehicles, but it is known that
extensive tests have taken place at the Renault site in Lardy. Only some
keywords became publicly known. The tests seem to have placed great importance
on safety aspects. However, these tests did not lead to the desired result.
Above all weak points it was probably the installation of the front seats directly
above the front wheels, which caused the most safety concerns. Overall, the
whole construction could not convey a feeling of great safety to the driver. Another
problem that could not be avoided was the trunk, which was only accessible through
the two rear doors. In order to ease the loading of luggage, the back seat
could be moved, but even this “trick” was very cumbersome.
Ultimately,
it must have been the multitude of apparently intractable difficulties that
brought the whole concept to a standstill. But this was only the technical
point of view. But there would also have been the extraordinary look, which –
to put it mildly – still needs getting used to today.
Description: | Renault Project 900 1959 |
Catalogue#: | ATC06041 |
Product Type: | Resincast |
Scale: | 1:43 |
Event: | Road, Concept Cars |
Colour: | - |
Drivers: | - |
Sponsors: | - |
Dates: | 1959 |
Race/Position: | - |
Release Date: | September 2020 |
Weight: | 450 grams |
Comments: | Limited edition of 333 pieces. |
About Autocult
A relatively new maker of very well finished resincast models, established in 2015. Very imaginative choice of subjects, often concentrating on the more eccentric episodes in motoring history! Production limited to 333 pieces of each subject, which often means that we get one delivery and that is it, so pre-orders strongly recommended!! Made in China for Germany.