2002 RENAULT AVANTIME V6 Lot n° 29

Serial Number VF8DE0T0626110634 Rare original color French title Produced by Matra for Renault between 2001 and 2003, the Renault Avantime aimed to win over Espace users who had no more children. Like the Renault Espace, the concept was designed and developed by Matra. Preceded by a concept car presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1999, it innovated by being the first and only «Coupéspace»: a concept that was on the edge of the monospaces and top-of-the-range coupes such as the SUVs. Its spectacular design surprised above all by its half_x0002_moon rear window, inspired by the Renault Vel Satis concept car, but also by its highly worked rear lights, its raw aluminium arches and its fully glazed roof. The interior is brightly lit, with four individual leather seats and top-of-the-range equipment including Xenon lights and GPS. The Avantime concept is powered by a 3.0 V6 24-valve engine with 207 hp and a 6-speed manual transmission. It is worth noting the very high driving qualities of this model. Tested in November 2008 on a circuit by the hosts of the famous British TV show Top Gear, they were impressed by the Avantime’s road holding. Despite the exceptional response to this unusual vehicle in the international trade press, its remarkable comfort and driving pleasure, the Avantime proved to be a commercial failure, handicapped by its confusing atypical nature as much as by its top-of-the-range positioning. In May 2003, after only 8,557 Avantimes had been produced in 22 months, production was stopped. With 168,250 km on the odometer, our car still has a long way to go. It is in beautiful condition and with its «Noir Nocturne» colour and beige interior, it stands out from the other models. This car is now mythical in more ways than one, a resounding commercial failure, too far ahead of its time, non-conformist design, avant-garde technical solutions... So many qualifiers that make this car a collector’s item in the making. It is the precursor of a long line of vehicles mixing inspirations, which we will call crossover