Ever fancied owning an F1 car raced by Nigel Mansell? Or maybe one as used by Alain Prost? Or maybe a Le-Mans-winning sports prototype? Well, if you've got sufficiently deep pockets, an upcoming auction of Renault legends is going to give you the chance to nab one of those…
Hang on, which auction is this?
It's an auction being organised by the famed Arcturial auction house, and will be held at Renault's Flins factory — not coincidentally also the home of Renault's new museum — on the 7 December 2025. To say that it's an auction bulging with motor racing legends is to massively understate things…
What's on sale?
Well, let's start with the headliners. There's a 1984 Lotus 95T, in the iconic John Player Special black-and-gold livery, as raced by Nigel Mansell. There's a 1982 Renault RE30B F1 car, of the type which was raced to four victories over the course of that tragic, tumultuous season by Alain Prost and Rene Arnoux; and there's a 1983 Renault RE40, in which Prost raced to victories in France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Austria, but still agonisingly missed out on the world title.
F1 not your thing? That's OK, as we have Le Mans heroes on sale too, with a 1978 Alpine A442 as raced to victory in the great 24hrs by Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud.
Less racy lots will include production cars, one-offs, and design models.
Why the big sell-off?
Well, Renault is in the process setting up its big new corporate museum at Flins (which is definitely going to be on the must-visit list) and so at the same time it's selling off some of the stuff which isn't going to be going on display, or for which there are duplicate cars in the collection.
According to Renault: “Renault is streamlining its collection by parting with duplicate vehicles — unique lots offered for sale for the very first time at auction. This landmark sale will feature 100 vehicles that have shaped the legend of the marque - prototypes, road cars, and racing cars, including 20 Formula 1 single-seaters that have competed in the World Championship - along with 100 exceptional automobilia lots including F1 engines, design models, wind tunnel mock-ups and more, all directly from Renault's heritage and entirely new to the market.”
But I can't afford an F1 car…
That's OK, there's lots to suit every pocket. We have our eyes on a wooden styling maquette for an original Renault 4 that would look awesome next to the fireplace…