Renault premiere (1987). The last American Renault in the class?

Like many European manufacturers, Renault, in its desire to expand, began to conquer the United States. Its attack is multiple, and in 1976 the Renault 5, renamed the Renault Le Car, landed on Uncle Sam’s land.

After that, Renault 9 and Renault 11 somehow adapt to local needs. Above, the Renault 21 temporarily closes the range. But, across the Atlantic, these sedans The French Necessarily appears small, so not very relevant. To provide credibility to the manufacturer’s approach, the real overlay of the range with a design worthy of the name quickly becomes essential.

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Renault uses key ways

The brand then goes on overdrive. Robert Opron, the style director at the time, set up a design studio at his partner AMC (American Motors Corporation) offices in California, which could sense local trends and effectively seduce the American people. Also, to put all the opportunities on his side, an alternative is considered. Italdesign, Giorgio’s Valuable Pharmacy Kyukiaro in Turin, Italy is also working on the project. A European-Latin influence can be convinced by its exclusive touch.

The style of the car, which has not yet been called the Renault Premiere, is a patchwork, in which the Italdesign Renault 25 central cell is recycled to increase the length of the front and rear overhangs by 4.84m. For the record, Renault 25 4.62 m. However the whole is still liquid, and 0.31 CD is effective. On board, to feel better for the American customer, the California team imposes a large dashboard and soft seats. A specialty factory in Bramalia, Ontario, Canada. However, to control the cost of production, Renault Premier’s technology platform R21 was slightly enlarged, while doors R21 and R25 were stolen. Except for the full profile, this can be misleading. Under the hood, two engines are considered. As a spear, the V6 PRV 3.0 l engine delivers 150 hp. It is logically related to the automatic gearbox provided by the German expert ZF. This connection is unique to the Renault Premier ES. The heart of the range, called the LX, is limited to the 2.5-liter four-cylinder module offered by AMC. The car was unveiled at the Detroit NAIAS Motor Show in January 1987.

Renault, then Eagle, then Dodge

On paper, everything started with excellent sponsorship. However, the Renault Premier program will soon turn out to be a failure. On November 17, 1986, Reggie’s leader, Georges Pesse, was assassinated in front of his Parisian home by members of the Direct Action. His successor, Raymond Levy, who initially had to deal with bad business decisions in Europe, immediately halted the American venture to straighten out the company’s funds by concentrating his efforts on the old continent. In March 1987, the AMC-Renault subsidiary was sold to Chrysler, which was soon decommissioned from the AMC brand. Finally, only 200 copies of the Renault Premier will be collected. The car will continue its journey under the Eagle brand, then Dodge, which has been named Monaco since 1989 and will be on the list until 1992.

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