Renault

The World's Greatest Automobile Aficionados

From James Dean to Gianni Agnelli and Paul Newman to Steve McQueen, automotive journalist Robert Puyal presents portraits of eighty icons of the automobile world in his lavish, stylish new book Behind the Wheel from Flammarion. The cover (above) features the coolest photo of the ill-starred Dean driving his famous Porsche 550 Spyder that we've ever seen, demonstrating Puyal's penchant for finding the image juste. Organized by decades, the book begins with pioneers of the automotive industry such as Louis Renault and the ultra-stylish Jean Bugatti, progressing to the likes of Agnelli, Enzo Ferrari, McQueen and Newman, to modern-day aficionados such as Horacio Pagani, who designs his own supercars, and famed Ferrari collector Nick Mason of Pink Floyd. Amongst them are champion racing drivers and a couple of fictional characters as well. Even director Quentin Tarantino rates a mention for giving muscle cars so much screen time.

Gallery: Behind the Wheel

Tags: books, Bugatti, cars, classic cars, coffee table books, Enzo Ferrari, Gianni Agnelli, James Dean, Pagani, Paul Newman, Porsche, Renault, Steve McQueen

New Deal Means Infiniti Will Get Mercedes Power

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

New deals, mergers and joint ventures are constantly being brokered in the automotive industry. And many of them involve Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler. The ink on the German automaker's divorce from Chrysler is barely dry, and they recently penned a cooperative deal with Aston Martin. But now another could see increased cooperation between two of the world's biggest players.

The deal has been signed between Daimler chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche and Carlos Ghosn, who presides over the Renault-Nissan Alliance, including their luxury division Infiniti. The partnership will allow both to benefit from each other's strengths in a variety of ways. Among the first will see four-cylinder Mercedes engines transplanted into the Infiniti G range. Both automakers note that, while their products compete in the same arena, customers don't typically comparison shop between these two brands specifically.

Gallery: 2010 Infiniti G37 Sedan

Tags: alliance, carlos ghosn, daimler, dieter zetsche, dr dieter zetsche, infiniti, infiniti g, infiniti g37, luxury cars, mercedes, mercedes-benz, nissan, renault, renault-nissan alliance

2010 Geneva Motor Show: Les Françaises

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

It's been said before, but it warrants repeating. The French can do upscale fashion. And they can do cars. (If you're in the market for a minivan or budget hatchback, at least.) Combining the two, however, has traditionally been a sticking point for the country's automakers. But that doesn't mean they're not working to rectify that problem.

Nowhere has that been more evident than at this year's Geneva Motor Show. In the hallowed halls of the Palexpo, Peugeot, Citroen and Renault each unveiled their plans for taking their products into a new level of premium. Follow the jump to see what they had in mind.

Tags: 2010 geneva motor show, 5 by peugeot, citroen, citroen ds, citroen ds high rider, Citroen DS High Rider concept, citroen ds3, citroen ds3 racing, citroen survolt, geneva, geneva 2010, gordini, peugeot, peugeot 5, peugeot 508, Peugeot SR1, peugeot sr1 concept, renault, renault gordini

Continue reading “2010 Geneva Motor Show: Les Françaises”

Flavio Briatore Seeks His Day in Court

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports, Crimes and Misdemeanors

It's hard to feel bad for Flavio Briatore. The billionaire playboy is credited with expanding the Benetton empire around the world, and then went on to manage its Formula One racing team. When French automaker Renault bought the team, he became team principal, taking on a public role within the glamorous sport. Along the way he also started a handful of other racing series, acquired an English football club, opened luxurious resorts around the world under the Billionaire brand and proceeded to date some of the most glamorous models and actresses on the world stage, fathering a child with none other than Heidi Klum. But his career came to a grinding halt last year with the so-called "crash-gate" affair.

According to accusations, Briatore ordered his driver Nelson Piquet Jr to crash in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, helping his team-mate Fernandlo Alonso win the race. Briatore was both boss and manager to both drivers, and when Piquet blew the whistle, Flavio was kicked out of the sport by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, the international governing body that supervises the sport.

Briatore has since won an appeal against the FIA in French courts, but says he'll never manage another F1 team again. Instead, he's suing the FIA again for damages caused to his reputation and to his driver management business. He may be cleared to race again, but Briatore's out for blood.

Source

Tags: billionaire, briatore, crash gate, CrashGate, f1, federation internationale de lautomobile, FederationInternationaleDeLautomobile, fia, flavio briatore, FlavioBriatore, formula 1, formula one, Formula1, FormulaOne, renault, renault f1, RenaultF1

Flavio Briatore's Race-Fixing Scandal

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Crimes and Misdemeanors

Millionaire playboy and Formula One head Flavio Briatore is the center of major controversy today. Briatore, famous as much for his freespending and modelizing ways as his racing career, has stepped down as the head of the Renault team. Briatore told the Daily Mirror that he made the move for the good of the team amid allegations of race-fixing. Both Briatore and the team's executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, left their posts after Renault refused to contest allegations that former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. was asked to deliberately crash in last year's Singapore Grand Prix. His crash benefitted the team's other driver Fernando Alonso who went on to win the race.

Members of the Renault team are set to appear before the International Automobile Federation (FIA) in Paris on Monday and face the possibility of being expelled from competition. Now that Briatore and Symonds are no longer part of the team Renault may not be banned but will likely face a fine or some other action. Piquet has already testified that he was told by Briatore and Symonds when and where to crash .According to CNN, Renault's chief operating officer Patrick Peralta has said that Briatore and Symonds are solely responsible for the incident.

Source

Tags: flavio briatore, FlavioBriatore, formula one, FormulaOne, renault

Renault F1 Team Collection

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Napkin rings from gearbox hubs, a mirror made from a disc brake and a bottle coaster made from a wheel speed sensor are just some of the unique offerings of the Renault F1 collection.The collection includes items made from the car which took the Renault team to F1 championship victory in 2005. My favorite piece is the glass and titanium table which includes a wing element from the car. It is for sale for 5,520 euros.

[Thanks, Michael!]

Tags: cars, decor, design, f1, furniture, race, renault