Renault Avantime (French to British English)

The **Renault Avantime** is a car produced by Matra for Renault between 2001 and 2003. Like the Renault Espace, the concept was proposed and developed by Matra. The Renault design centre, including Thierry Métroz, was involved in the design of the vehicle. Early abandoned by Renault, only 8,557 examples of this model were produced. Marketing and maintenance were carried out by the Renault network.

The Avantime model was preceded by a concept car presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1999. It broke new ground by being the first and only "Coupéspace": a concept that was on the borderline between MPVs and high-end coupés like SUVs.

It was proposed by Matra to Renault to renew the workload of the Romorantin plant, with the Espace being transferred to Renault's assembly plants. The model was aimed at the Renault Espace's traditional clientele, who were free from the constraints of the family, had strong purchasing power and were attracted by the difference and non-conformity of a vehicle.

Its spectacular design surprised above all by its half-moon rear window, inspired by the Renault Vel Satis concept car, but also by its very elaborate rear lights, its raw aluminium arches and its fully glazed roof. For its designers, *the design of the bow should not give any indication of the design of the rear*.

Inside, the beige and black interior is sleek, airy and very bright, with four individual leather seats and top-of-the-range equipment including Xenon lights and GPS.

The Avantime concept is powered by a 3.0 V6 24-valve engine with 207 PS and a 6-speed manual gearbox.

In September 2014, on the occasion of the Paris Motor Show, the Concept Car was exhibited in a hall tracing "Automobile and Fashion".

## The production vehicle

In 1998, Louis Schweitzer, CEO of Renault, and Philippe Guédon, CEO of Matra Automobiles, signed a partnership agreement. It provided for the development by Matra and the marketing by Renault of a new top-of-the-range product, an image vehicle that was a precursor of the design of the range to come, which was to appeal to a wealthy, modern and non-conformist clientele. It was to take over from the Espace at the Romorantin and Theillay plants. It would take the name of the concept from which it is directly derived: Avantime.

In October 1999, the production Avantime was exhibited at the Frankfurt Motor Show. In June 2001, it was presented to the press. Its very original design remains extremely close to that of the original concept car, but in the end differs little from the Espace III, from which it takes elements, and then from the Vel Satis, with which it is often confused.

95% of the design and technical solutions found on the concept are retained, such as the raw aluminium upper structure, pantograph doors, integrated front seats, abundant glass surfaces and pillarless structure enhanced by a panoramic sunroof at the front and a fixed glass rear roof. The Espace III platform is used, with almost 50% of the parts used. Among other features, the long doors have an off-centre kinematics opening (from the Matra P41 project), which makes it easier to get on board in a reduced space. The 4 side windows can be opened without a central pillar.

However, it suffers from finishing defects. According to Le Monde, "when you close [the door] a little hard, all the windows of the first models start to shake. The window joints hiss, the glass roof creaks and the interior materials do not exude quality.

The launch took place in September 2001. A very artistic advert, featuring French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, was broadcast with, for the first time, the slogan: "Renault, creator of cars".

Technical constraints (bodywork without central pillars, double door kinematics) as well as certain assembly defects delayed its launch, which led to it being mocked as the Aftertime. The Avantime was released at about the same time as the brand's other top-of-the-range car, the Vel Satis, which also had a non-conformist style but was visually quite similar to the Avantime, which led to a serious confusion in the public mind.

Potential buyers, but even more so the distribution network, are confused by this unusual vehicle. For example, the Avantime was criticised for having only two doors, whereas this was its very concept: to be an "MPV coupé". After one year, the 3,900 registrations recorded are far from the modest objective of 15,000 set by Renault. Matra could not bear this failure as other projects, including a car without a licence, turned out to be dead ends.

In a highly dieselised French market, only one petrol engine was offered. It was the 3-litre "V6 ESL engine" (type L7X) and only with a 6-speed manual gearbox, the diesel engine being launched a year later.

Two trims are available: Dynamique and Privilege. The latter can be complemented by the Exception Pack, which gives access to a wider range of colours for the upholstery (Taquille blue, Ash grey, Pearl grey, Volcano grey, Inca red and Amazon green).

In April 2002, the F 2.0 Turbo petrol engine (type F4RT) is introduced, equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox, and the 3-litre V6 ESL engine (type L7X) becomes available with a 5-speed Aisin-Warner Proactive automatic transmission. The Expression trim level would soon be added to the range from below.

In June 2002, the G 2.2 dCi (Diesel) engine type G9T, equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox, was added to the range of engines from below.

In January 2003, the Helios limited series, based on the Expression trim level, was introduced with enhanced equipment and a more affordable entry price.

However, on 26 February, Matra announced the closure of the Romorantin factory. Renault announced that it would not take over production of the Avantime.

In May, after only 8,557 Avantime cars were produced in 22 months, production was stopped. Around 4,000 vehicles were exported, mainly to Europe.

Despite the exceptional response to this unusual vehicle in the international trade press, its remarkable comfort and driving pleasure, the Avantime turned out to be a commercial failure, handicapped by its disconcerting atypicalism as much as by its top-of-the-range positioning, which its random finish made inaccessible. On the other hand, it remains the forerunner of a long line of vehicles mixing inspirations, which we would call a crossover.

In addition to the aesthetic and practical aspects, it is worth highlighting the very high road qualities of this model: in November 2008, it was tested on a circuit by the presenters of the famous British TV show Top Gear, who were impressed by the Avantime's road holding. In an interview in Italy, the engineer Nicola Materazzi, who has developed some very powerful cars (Lancia Stratos and Ferrari F40, among others), explicitly mentioned the Avantime as having exceptional handling and stability.

## Avantime in cinema

The Avantime appeared in the 2006 film Children of Men, but in a prototype four-door version that was not released.

It also appears briefly in a Renault brand film in 2011, in the form of its 3D shots.

More recently, the vehicle makes a brief appearance in the 2018 film Ready Player One directed by Steven Spielberg.

## The future of the Avantime model

On 3 September 2011, 200 Avantime owners gathered at the Linas-Montlhéry Autodrome (Essonne) to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the model's launch, in the presence of the original designers (including Thierry Métroz, who has since moved on to Citroën and DS), with the support of Renault, which is finally recognising this vehicle as part of its creative heritage.

Considered as one of the most recent collector cars, the Avantime is experiencing a revival of interest from lovers of rare vehicles. The reliability of its technical base, derived from the Espace III (running gear, electronics, ventilation, etc.), its structure fully protected by a 270°C zinc bath and its polyester bodywork make it easy to preserve without corrosion. In addition, the top-of-the-range equipment level enables it to compete with contemporary production and to maintain its use as a grand tourer. The engines, widely used in the Renault range, but also in the PSA range (V6 ESL 3.0 engine of the 406 coupé, 607, 807 or Citroën C5, C8), ensure an easy source of spare mechanical parts. In the end, the stylistic audacity that confused and slowed down potential buyers at the time of its production has become a major asset of the model over time.