AutoCult Renault Projet 600 (1957) (France)

About the Original

The Space Miracle

The beginning of the development of the car, which went down in Renault’s history as the ‘Projet 600’, dates back to the mid-1950s. It was the era when company president Pierre Dreyfus had ideas for a future city car worked out. Innovation for the future, even while turning away from well-known and classic car concepts, was the motto issued. The defining word to the in-house developers was ‘compact’, because this was to serve as a basic value for the test vehicles. This specification was based on the denser city traffic that was already gaining awareness at the time and the associated search for alternative cars that did not take up much space.

Under the responsible hands of Fernand Picard and Maurice Holleville, a completely new type of vehicle design was created based on the substructure of a standard Dauphine model. It was striking that there was no front bonnet and thus the front seats slipped directly over the front wheel axle – this was previously only known form trucks and vans.

Of course, the questions immediately arose as to where the engine was placed. This – an 845cc series engine – was placed by the responsible developers directly in front of the rear axle.

In 1957, the concept was finished and the design was brought to live as an original model at the Italian Ghia factory. However, this type did not find its way into series production.