1984 Renault Espace

Multi-purpose station wagons, or station wagons with increased capacity, can characterize a new category of cars, including Renault Espace. In the five-door body, the front row seats can be rotated around a vertical axis by 180 °, the second-row seats lean forward, as in a station wagon, or move back (then the third row of seats can be easily dismantled). In the latter case, it is possible to push forward the second row's middle seat to the center of the cabin and turn it into a table. Thus, various options for the cabin's layout are possible, depending on the number of passengers, the size of the cargo, and the most convenient placement.

The salon is quite high - 1135 mm. Despite this, the car's overall height turned out to be relatively small. The front-wheel drive allowed the floor to be very low. The one-volume body is carefully designed in terms of aerodynamics to reduce air resistance and reduce fuel consumption. So, the windshield and the front panel of the body form a single surface inclined at an angle of 32 °, it was possible to do without gutters, the door handles were made non-protruding, a spoiler was installed in front - as a result, the Cx coefficient was reduced to 0.32-0.3.

Of interest is the load-bearing body of the car. It has a steel frame lined with plastic panels. Assembly from units supplied by Renault, including the body frame, is carried out by the Matra plant.

Source: Magazine "Behind the wheel"

Images: Renault