Lot 112 - 2002 Renault Avantime Privilege

Renault wowed the crowds and the motoring press with their 2+2 Coupe GT MPV concept when they revealed their Matra inspired styling exercise at the Paris Motor Show in 1998. The concept, by Patrick Le Quement, was boldly taken into production largely unchanged. Featuring design ahead of its time, the Avantime was packed full of luxuries, safety features and advanced engineering. Highlights included unique double-hinged 'kinematic' pillarless doors allowing easy access to the front and rear seats (even when tightly parked), the world's largest opening glass sunroof at the time (a full 1m/sq of opening roof) featuring strengthened heat-reflecting glass, theatre seating (rear positioned higher than the front), galvanised steel chassis with aluminium upper structure, a cavernous 530 litre boot, xenon headlights, a 'grand air' button which simultaneously opened all pillarless windows and sunroof, and finally a choice of powerful engines (3.0 V6 or 2.0 turbo) giving a grand tourer driving style and claimed lowest 0-62mph of 8.6 seconds.

This example is a 2002, 3.0 Privilege version with automatic gearbox in purple with full cream leather upholstery. Production number 212 in the sequence of cars built for the UK market and with only 50 thought to be left running, increasingly rare. Also included is the special delivery pack, so often mislaid, and a documented full service history. The first owner was registered as Renault with the current vendor recorded as the second. This combined with the, now established, modern chic collector status and its very reasonable ‘no reserve’ price point makes for, as usual at Historics, a Mecca for Avantime specialists.