Renault's Belle Époque relic hiding in an Argentine museum

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A couple of weeks ago, we published the news that a Belvalette-bodied Voisin C3, hidden away for decades, was to be auctioned for the first time ever. At the time, we couldn't think of any other examples of coachwork by the high-society Parisian carrossier, but we've just found out about another, equally as important as the Voisin, which resides off the beaten track in Argentina, of all places.

This car is a much older one, a large 1911 Renault 45hp limousine which Bart Kleyn, organiser of the Via Flaminia rally, stumbled upon while he was reconnoitring the area for a good route for this year's Peaks of the Andes rally. He found himself in Salta, at the base of the Andes, where he paid a visit to the Museo Historico del Norte which contains a fascinating array of exhibits revealing the history of the local area.

For us, though, there is nothing more fascinating than the Belvalette Renault. Apparently, it's one of three such limousines built. One was owned by Bautista Saavedra, President of Bolivia, but has vanished long ago. The third is said to be in an American collection and have a Kaiser War history in which it was used for transporting mail to the battlefields, driven by none other than Georges Boillot. This example was brought into Argentina from Paris in 1912 by the Paz Posse family, one of northern Argentina's wealthiest families, which was heavily involved in sugar farming and regional politics.

At almost 20 feet long, the limousine may represent one of the largest cars Renault ever made. While the size may have been a disadvantage on some of the tighter, twister Andean passes, the powerful engine certainly was not. The challenges of mountain motoring were not for the Paz Posses to worry about, though; they obviously had a chauffeur for that, so they could recline in comfort in their own mobile sitting room.

The Renault was donated to the museum by Ramón Paz Posse and has now lived there for over 45 years, in a courtyard filled with historic carriages. The fact that it's in preservation, albeit in the most generous sense of the word, is excellent indeed, and we hope the museum is sincere when it says it would like to restore the Renault to its former glory. It's a national motoring treasure of which it should be very proud.

Words: Zack Stiling; pictures: Bart Kleyn
 

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