- A classic model from the 1910s

- Older restoration, quite well preserved

- Attractive project: rare and interesting

When it unveiled its Type AX at the 11th Salon de l'Automobile, at the end of 1908, Renault caused a sensation. For all that, it was not an upmarket model, far from it: it was a simple car, powered by a sturdy one-litre twin-cylinder engine, which was cheap to buy and run. Thanks to its success, the little 8CV continued to evolve over the next few years and was joined in 1913 by the Type EK, which would replace it. A somewhat more substantial model, the EK had the 1.2-litre ‘twin’ from the AG (the famous ‘Taxi de la Marne’), a slightly longer chassis and a three-speed gearbox. It was one of the models still in production at the start of the war and appeared in Renault’s 1916 price list as the ‘9HP voiturette’.

According to the production records, this example left the factory on 23 May 1916 and is thought to have been sent to Lisbon. It was from Renault Venezuela that it was recovered in 1993 to join the Renault Collection. About 20 years ago, following some transmission problems, it was partially stripped down, but the restoration was not finished. Fitted with a well restored green bodywork, its windscreen, controls, hood and upholstery, but missing its steering wheel and some parts for the rear axle, it represents the basis for a restoration which will be of interest to lovers of cars from the beginning of the century who wish to acquire a classic of its kind.