A vintage Renault, and its owner and chauffeur.
A look at this image section of the site, will reveal that OCC is no stranger to the "coal scuttle bonnet" Renault cars of the 1920s. Below is an example of a mighty (40CV?) four-door saloon/limousine (RHD) version of just such a machine, in truly immaculate condition. To the left is stood the car's chauffeur, whose responsibility was not just to drive the car on behalf of its owner (and his employer), but to also maintain it in such a manner that reliability whilst in use was assured, or at least as assured as could reasonably be expected, given that motor vehicle technology was still in its infancy, and road conditions and surfaces often left much to be desired. A young lady is sat in the rear compartment, looking back at her driver.
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The year 1933 is written on the reverse of the photograph. If this is the case, then the car was truly kept in tip-top condition as it would have been a few years old by this time. The chauffeur was clearly proud of "his" car. The paintwork glistens and the spare "Dunlop Cord" tyre - perhaps buffed-up using copious quantities of boot polish - has an equal shine to it. A later note on the back of the photograph gives the name "Kathleen", presumably a reference to the young lady.
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My guess is that the car shown below is a Renault 40CV, which at its launch was powered by a straight-six engine of 7.5 litres, later increased to 9.1 litres. If anyone can confirm the exact model of car shown, that would be appreciated. I'm also looking for model id confirmation of a similar Renault, one that had befallen an unfortunate mishap and features on this page of the site.
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Definitely an impressive-looking motor-car.
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Return to Page 20 in the motoring photographs archive, or visit the main index here.
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