1969 - self-confident
The late 60s were a challenging time. The company earned solid money, but lacked a figurehead, as the Boulevard had been dropped and it never was the premium car Renoir wanted.
When the Wagner Automobile GmbH in Hetvesia got in financial trouble, Renoir wanted to aquire them in 1967, but CMT was faster and took the knowhow. So Renoir had to rely on the technology they had, and that wasn’t too much.
While a new flagship was under development since 1965, Jacques Grenaud urged for more resources for the “Renoir Professionel” division and presented a renewed Transporteur in February 1969 - and left Renoir a day after for CMT, as the competitor offered him a good job as product manager.
The flatbed variant of the Transporteur was the least successful, and Grenaud discontinued it - Renoir was trimmed for maximum profit, as large investments were made.
The T1000B recieved the updated engine from the 1965 Compagnon Luxe, Sport and the 1966-onwards Avenue. The two extra horsepower allowed for 17,7 seconds acceleration to 100 kph and 129 kph top speed - a small improvement, and the consumption dropped to 14,0 liter, while the price rose to $ 8.830.
Despite a better safety, the design was a reason to go for the new one, as Renoir focussed back on their early styling, looking unconventional and “different”, but offering solid and simple technology.
The sales were solid, and the T-series remained a popular choice among craftsmen in the new decade.
The passenger van returned, now called T1000BF. Higher customer expectations considering drivability and comfort led to the descision to fit the car with power steering. The power steering egalized the better engine economy, so the consumption remained stable at 15,1 liter. But the rather poor acceleration improved noticeably to 18,7 seconds. The modest, but not too low top speed improved by 1 kph to 129 in total. For $ 10.800 the car still sold mediocre but enough to stay in the portfolio.
To offer an alternative to larger delivery vehicles like the CMT Torpedo, Renoir stretched the T1000 to a length of m, offering cargo space. To ensure that the car will do the job, Grenaud urged for a stronger engine - and he got it.
When visiting the area outside the Automation world, he found an engine concept named “Diesel”. These cars had good torque at low rpm and were thrifty. As this worked - in a less serious attempt - good in the Série C, the Série D should be a Diesel engine running on regular gas as there was no Diesel fuel available.
The 2,3 liter four-cylinder engine had injection, as all Diesel engines in the other world had fuel injection, and its long stroke and very low cam profile perfectly simulated the behaivour of a Diesel engine. As this was only possible by using a very low compression, Renoir dared an all-aluminium engine as they expected low stress. The output was 73 hp at 4100 rpm, and the torque was 169 nm at 1500 rpm - just perfect for deliveries.
It was neither dirty and polluting nor as heavy as “real” Diesel engines, but it’s smoothness wasn’t good, just as in a real Diesel. But as that engine was primary designed for delivery vehicles, the shaking idle and raw revving were an acceptable price for torque and economy.
The car stretched from 4,1 to 4,2 meter, now offering 4330L cargo volume and 5700L passenger volume - if needed, but that’s what the official data sheet told. The car was quite pricey with $ 11.300, as D engines were not cheap to produce, but at least the service cost remained low with $ 360 annualy.
The engine allowed for better performance, even going uphill at full load (1373 kg) without too much trouble, accelerating with few load in 14,6 seconds to 100 kph and reaching 136 kph top speed.
The consumption was indeed lower, as it needed only 12,9 liter regular leaded. The T1000DF sold quite good and was the perfect car to test the quality and reliability of the Série D in professional use.
The much more interessing car came in May 1969, and it was the long-awaited flagship, called Supérieur.
Renoir wanted a design that was accepted all over the world for global marketing, but nevertheless it should carry the brand’s identity, look unconventiona and avantgardistic.
This difficult task was handed over to the Lavelle Studios. A Lavelle sign on the fenders was left, as this car was a real designer car.
The monocoque chassis did without solid axles, as a double wishbone in front and a semi trailing arm in the rear were used. The trim level was adequate for a large car with a length of 4,6 meter, as the premium interior with high quality materials and goodies like pneumatic central locks, rpm counter, oil pressure and temperature gauge, front and rear headrests, complex ventilation system, foglamps, power steering, standard AM radio and automatic transmission pleased with comfort and progressive design.
Surprisingly, the Supérieur was available with the 2.3 D engine, targetting those that needed a large car for long and frequent use, such as taxi drivers, salesmen and frequent travellers. The car was indeed very thrifty, but not the fastest, but strong enough for crowded city traffic or comfortable highway cruising.
The average consumption of 12,6 liter regular was really bearable for its time and considering the high trim level of the car. 16,9 seconds to 100 kph and 149 kph top speed were - as already said - nothing to stand out with, but enough for an economy premium sedan with automatic.
For $ 16.300 the Supérieur was even quite affordable, and it became one of the better selling cars in the premium family and commuter range, and it was a frequently-bought premium budget.
Most 23D models were bought by fleet managers that liked the mix of affordability, great comfort, economy and exclusive design, but consumers preferred the 19i model. This was exactly what Renoir wanted.
Very early models before March 1970 had “DIESEL” written on the rear, but this was confusing as it ran on conventional petrol, so the “DIESEL” badge changed to “23D”.
For $ 17.400 you could get a “befitting” inline six, but as this was still the Série B, it was handicapped with its rather small displacement of 1,9 liter. With all possible means, including injection like in the Série D, the engineers managed to get 86 horsepower from the old engine.
The economy surely wasn’t as good as with the D engine, but 13,6 liter were only one more, and you got a lot more smoothness and prestige, so the Renoir Supérieur 19i scored acceptable as “real” premium car, where the 23D failed with it’s shaking four-cylinder engine.
The Supérieur 19i was not one of the fastest sedans, but the engine still managed to push the car to 100 kph in 15,3 seconds, a noticeable improvement over the 23D, and 157 kph were at least enough not to get roasted from a midsize on the highway.
The 19i sold definitely better than the 23D and was a lot more successful than the Boulevard in the 50s, but it was not a giant success - it did neither lack comfort, nor styling and the price was not too high - but more power could have helped.
