This is a Renault 25. Or more exactly, one of the submitted projects during the design of the Régie’s large sedan. This scale 1 model, located somewhere between the Aston Martin Lagonda and the Citroën Ami 6 was produced in 1978 under the (radical) direction of the Italian designer Mario Bellini.
The rest of the story is told to you below by the excellent Car Design Archives Facebook page – please feel free to follow it.
Rather specialized in industrial design (Olivetti calculators, Yamaha headphones, Briovega televisions, Vitra furniture, Fuji cameras) then architecture, Mario Bellini was then one of the consultants appointed by the style director of the Losange, Robert Opron, to carry the gaze of the Régie far away.
Lover of the right angle, the Italian designer also made the erotic Citroën Kar-a-Sutra minivan (1972) and the futuristic interior of the Lancia Trevi (1980).
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Boulogne-Billancourt finally opted for a much more conventional project, even if the “Opron bubble” aroused controversy when the R25 was launched in 1983. The “Fabulous Vessel” – so named in a 1985 commercial against a backdrop of astounding opera vocals / punk by Nina Hagen – enjoyed a successful commercial career with nearly 800,000 copies assembled in Sandouville (Seine-Maritime).
Photo : Mario Bellini Archives via Car Design Archives
To read on auto-moto.com:
Matthias Hossann: “at 100 meters, we must recognize a Peugeot”
Ford RS200, Aston DB7, Jaguar I-Pace… Ian Callum talks about his career as a designer
10 major works by Gérard Welter
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