- Based on the Renault R23-00

- Superb presentation in Team Lotus colours

- Spectacular collector’s item and show car

- No reserve

After going into Formula 1 in the 1970s with a single-seater and an engine that made headlines as the first to use a turbocharger, by the 1990s Renault had taken on the role of an engine supplier. Once again, the manufacturer did things differently, with an unconventional V10 configuration that stood in contrast to the V8 and V12 engines then in favour in high-level motorsport. Renault’s engineers believed that the V10 represented a better compromise between the space required and potential power, and the future proved them right, as other manufacturers such as Honda or Ferrari followed suit. But Renault had taken a lead and took advantage of it this time to win six Constructors’ World Championship titles between 1992 and 1997, five with the British team run by Frank Williams (Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Alain Prost and Jacques Villeneuve) and one with the Anglo-Italian Benetton team (Michael Schumacher).

Renault then took another break, leaving Mechachrome to supply engines to those teams who requested them, before diving back into Formula 1 when it bought the Benetton team in 2000 and became once again a team in its own right, with its own car and engine. First under the name Mild Seven Benetton Renault, and then Renault F1 Team from the 2002 season, Renault’s colours were once again seen flying high at Formula 1 tracks. With an engine developed under the direction of the famous Jean-Jacques His – undoubtedly one of the outstanding engine designers of his day, together with Bernard Dudot – the team once again won the world title in 2005 and 2006, with Fernando Alonso.

The R23 played its part in this glorious story. After a mediocre season in 2002, Renault developed the R23, which was more reliable than its predecessor, the R202, and allowed a promising young driver, Fernando Alonso, to win his first Grand Prix, which was also Renault’s first victory since its return to Formula 1.

This car is a show car based on the R23-00, with parts taken from the R23 and R24 series. For marketing reasons, it was painted in Team Lotus colours from the 2010s (the Lotus single-seaters at the time used Renault engines) and has been regularly displayed at various events.