The Artcurial Renault auction, held on December 7, 2025, helped bring in a huge €12 million to aid the development of a heritage centre for the marque on the manufacturer’s Flins factory site.
Due to open in 2027, the exciting new venue will be located 40km west of the capital Paris, on the site of the former production plant that built millions of Renaults from 1952 onwards – you can read more about that here. For the auction itself (formally tagged The Renault Icons: Sélection provenant de la collection Renault) 1000 registered bidders took part and 100 percent of the items sold, from Formula 1 machinery to concept cars, and from design models to engines.
Competition cars represented the principal highlights of the Artcurial Renault auction. The Renault Alpine A442 (1975-78, pictured above) – the very first A442 built and raced, at the 1977 Le Mans 24 Hours by Arnoux, Pironi and Fréquelin – realised a huge €1,278,080 against an estimate of €250k-€500k. Meanwhile, the Renault RE40-03 Formula 1 car (1983), winner at Spa-Francorchamps with Alain Prost, reached an equally impressive €1,198,000 against an estimate of €500k-€800k.
The Williams-Renault FW19 (1997), a World Championship-winning chassis retained in the collection since 1998, was the most sought-after item at the Artcurial Renault auction, selling for €1,312,400 against an estimate of €800k-€1.2m (main picture). And a Renault EF15 Type E engine (1986), used by Ayrton Senna during qualifying in Adelaide, sold for €225,080 (est €80k-€120k).
The Lotus 95T Formula 1 car (1984), designed by Gérard Ducarouge and driven to second place at the Detroit Grand Prix by Elio de Angelis, achieved €866,880 (est €350k-€700k).
Among the more surprising results at the Artcurial Renault auction were a 1957/1958 Cargo Liberty Ship scale model, which changed hands for €17,212, while a 1994 Renault Clio Williams Series 2 – preserved from new within Renault Sport – achieved €54,180 (est €20k-€30k). Of particular technical interest was the exceptionally rare 1983 Renault Maxi 5 Turbo Prototype B0 (pictured above), developed with the involvement of Jean Ragnotti, which was secured for €216,720 (est €80k-€120k).
The auction also featured notable display cars marking key chapters in the marque’s more recent story. A Renault R23-00 Show Car (2003), finished in Lotus colours, reached €99,932 (est €20k-€40k), while a Benetton-Renault B195 Show Car (1995) sold for €126,420 (est €20k-€30k). Looking to the future as well as the past, the Renault 5 GTL ‘Retrofit’ electric – a Roland-Garros special created for the R5’s 50th anniversary – was acquired for €26,488 (est €8k-€12k).
Delving further into the results at the Artcurial Renault auction, there were plenty of burst high estimates throughout the sale – even for rolling-chassis racing cars and show machines. A 1989 Renault 21 Supertourisme replica racing car sold for €44,548 against an estimate of €6k-€10k, while a 2009 Renault Mégane III Trophy maquette sold for €42,140 against a €5k-€8k estimate – that’ll make one hell of a gaming pod for Christmas (see above).
While the F1 and Le Mans cars were the stars of the show at the Artcurial Renault auction, other competition machines due plenty of interest. The above 1990 Renault 5 GT Turbo Group N rally car driven to second overall on the 1990 Ivory Coast-Bandama Rally by Alain Oreille sold for €69,832 against a €30k-€50k estimate (pictured above), while a 1994 Renault Laguna BTCC car sold for €48,160 against a €30k-€40k estimate. Elsewhere, an ex-Carlos Tavares 1988 Renault 21 Turbo racing car sold for €27,692 against a €15k-€20k estimate.
The Artcurial Renault auction saw a number of one-offs and prototypes, of varying levels of production readiness. The above 1993 Alpine A610 Evolution Le Mans, one of just two built, featured an uprated 280bhp and other tweaks; sadly sale of the standard A610 were so poor that the plan didn’t come to fruition. This example was the official car of Jacques Martin, managing director of Alpine’s Dieppe factory from 1985 to 1998. Estimated at €30k-€40k, it sold for €102,340.
Further details
For more information on the Artcurial Renault auction in December 2025, head here.
