Renault

Renault’s ‘New Spirit 1994’ — The Amazing Argos

In the relative quiet of the preview day of the 1994 Geneva Motor Show the executive—on his own instead of surrounded by acolytes—spent more than the usual time looking at a brand-new concept car. He walked around it, taking in its novel proportions, unusual materials and bold creativity. He was Ferdinand Karl Piëch, a few months into his new job as boss of the management board of Volkswagen AG. Almost to himself he muttered, “The air must be different in Paris.”

Avatar photoKarl Ludvigsen

Story by Karl Ludvigsen with his friend Patrick le Quèment

Having joined Renault in 1987, In 1990 Patrick le Quèment moved his car-design team into the new Boulogne-Billancourt Design Centre, a stone’s throw from the shed where Louis Renault had built his first car. As was his habit, Patrick arrived early to see what his designers had put up on their bulletin boards, because these revealed what was on their minds.

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Karl Ludvigsen
Karl E. Ludvigsen is a journalist, author, and historian of the automotive industry and motorsports. Karl Ludvigsen is the author of the definitive history of Porsche. His Porsche history, Excellence was Expected, is considered to be a model of the researching and writing of the history of an auto company. Ludvigsen is an honorary member of the Vintage Sports Car Club of America and the Corvair Society of America. He is also a member of the council of the Historic Automobile Group.
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