Post

It's not all Jag news this week. The Renault E-Space concept is interesting. Right down to the reverse rake headlights, just like the original. But the first Espace had those for a reason...

It was designed as a Chrysler and given the canted forward headlights from the Alpine to save money. When Chrysler bailed, Matra took the idea to Renault and they just tooled up their own lamps to the same style rather than change it.

There is a Jag link here, mind you. Before it went to Renault, the Espace was a Chrysler UK project and was designed in its studio in Whitley, Coventry which was later sold to.... Jaguar.

Here are Chrysler designers posing with an early model of what became the Espace, in the viewing yard at the Whitley studio. It says 'silk short' on the side because design boss Art Blakesee told the team this car would be such a hit they'd all be 'farting through silk shorts'.

Blakesee's underpants-based prediction wasn't entirely accurate from the off. In its first month on sale in France, the number of Espaces sold was... nine.

0 reposts11 likes

Renault absolutely smashing the new models recently. Granted the back-catalogue won’t last forever and I suspect a retro inspired R11 EV would be a push, even if it did split in half for Paris commuting. Deeply wanted a 4 plein sud but use case & limited range weren’t compatible, sadly.