Renault Type C
Just as with paintings, cars nowadays can be restored whilst retaining the authentic sheen, known as patina.
This Type C, the first Renault four-seater, is a good example. During restoration accumulated wear and tear were preserved thanks to specialist cleansing, retouching and painting techniques, executed with surgical precision. The car is in running order.
In this ‘tonneau’ body the passengers enter the car via a door at the rear of the vehicle. The radiators are mounted on either side of the bonnet. The white tyres are correct for the period; the addition of zinc oxide to rubber made the tyres white. At a later stage carbon black was added to improve durability.
This actual car was displayed at the World Fair in 1900, where the Renault brothers first presented themselves as an automobile manufacturer. Their company was two years old at the time. The 3.5 hp engine was a De Dion Bouton unit, as fitted to quite a few cars of that period. Renault later started producing their own engines.