The French Renault enjoyed much popularity on both sides of the Atlantic during the 1910s for its excellent quality of engineering and its distinctive front end, created by a radiator that was actually mounted behind the engine. Numerous variations were produced, outfitted with a wide variety of coachwork. They were a popular basis for formal bodies, crafted by some of the finest carrosserie of the Brass Era.

The Type V1 Series B offered here, a 20/30 horsepower model of 1908, was custom-bodied by the renowned French coachbuilder Million Guiet, a one-time carriagemaker that subsequently became one of the most revered shops of its era, especially for work on Bugatti and Hispano-Suiza chassis. Typical of its early jobs, this Renault is of somewhat formal line but exceptional craftsmanship, with moulded beltlines, curved sills, and handsome polished wooden window frames. In many ways, it recalls the finest closed bodies on Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost chassis.

An original “buff” logbook, included in the file, records its earliest known owner in 1951 as Miss D Nethisole of Heathland Lodge in Hampstead. The car next passed in 1964 to Leslie Thomas Hotston of Hampton. With no further owners recorded, it is believed that Thomas was the seller to Jim Boland, who acquired the car for his collection in 1973. It has remained since as one of the collection’s longest-term denizens. Once restored, the car was rallied extensively by Mr Boland. In 1977, he took the car back to its homeland for a tour with the Irish Veteran and Vintage Car Club that included Normandy, Lisieux, and Rouen.

Dated 1908 by the Veteran Car Club, as noted in a mounted plaque, the car still bears its original Renault serial number tag and Million Guiet sill plate. Handsome features include beautiful cloth upholstery in the rear compartment, accented by inertia-reel window blinds, a bulkhead-mounted clock, and subtle wood trim. In the typical fashion of the time, the windows are railroad-style, lifted up and down by straps, while the workmanship of the upholstery recalls the fine touch of an earlier time. A pair of folding jump seats are provided in the rear compartment as well, while the landaulet top can be lowered to accommodate fresh air and sunshine. Forward, the driver and footman ride on patinated leather upholstery under an open-frame wood ceiling—itself very charming. Please note, following a period of static display, it is recommended that the car is inspected by a mechanic prior to being driven.

An attractive and handsome machine from a collection noted for them, this is one of the most appealing cars of The Boland Collection, with great stature as one of its best-known residents.