French car enthusiasts are in for a rare treat as Renault opens its legendary design vault, putting decades of iconic wind tunnel models and prototype miniatures up for auction. Hosted by Artcurial Motorcars in December, the event lets collectors and fans own a unique piece of automotive history and witness the behind-the-scenes creativity that shaped some of Renault’s greatest cars.
The models up for sale are not toys or decorations. They are precision tools that Renault’s engineers and designers used to shape air flow, refine proportions, and evaluate every line before creating the final full-scale cars. Most of these pieces are crafted in a one to five scale, which balances accurate detail with the ease of moving and displaying them.
The collection covers more than sixty years of innovation. Bidders will find rare pieces from the late 1950s and 1960s, like the Berlin prototype, a sleek coupe from the sixties, and a never-built 1973 mid engine sports car. Classic favorites like the R4L 1968, Alpine A110 1971, and Twingo 1992 are represented as well, each carrying its own story and following among collectors.
Some modern models include the futuristic Megane 1988 Concept, the Pangea 1997 hybrid study, and the wild Reinastella 1992 vision of a flying car. The collection even includes unique pieces such as a ship filled with ninety tiny Dauphines and a panoramic train model from 1959. Formula 1 fans will spot scaled down cars from legendary drivers like Nigel Mansell and Fernando Alonso, making this auction a true time capsule of French automotive artistry.
While these models are miniature in size, their value is anything but small. Most are expected to sell for one thousand to two thousand euros each, but the rarest examples could fetch up to ten thousand euros or more. In fact, some of these small scale pieces are projected to command higher prices than full size show cars at the same auction.
So why is Renault letting go of such a significant collection? The company explains that it holds multiple copies of each model and is preparing to open a new heritage center near Paris in 2027. This space will permanently display the most important icons for public viewing, so auctioning the duplicates is a way to share its creative legacy with passionate fans and collectors. For anyone who loves cars, owning one of these models is a chance to hold a piece of the design process that changed the look of European streets for decades.
Started my career in Automotive Journalism in 2015. Even though I'm a pharmacist, hanging around cars all the time has created a passion for the automotive industry since day 1.
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