Renault to celebrate its heritage in a spectacular venue
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Renault has announced the opening, in 2027, of a spectacular venue dedicated to its collections, artworks, iconic vintage cars, and archival documents, located within the Flins factory. It’s a unique way to share Renault’s heritage with the general public and to celebrate the special bond the brand has with the French people—a reflection and witness of our shared history.
A unique space to house Renault’s heritage
“Renault is a part of popular culture that we must share with the public—our teams, of course, but also our customers and, more broadly, all French citizens. We needed a showcase to bring our legacy to life and to connect the past with the future, allowing us to reinvent ourselves for tomorrow. The recent example of the R5 showed us how drawing on our heritage can amplify creativity and teamwork to develop a car that is now highly praised by our customers,”
Fabrice Cambolive
CEO of Renault
The iconic Flins site in the Yvelines region was chosen to host this heritage project. It was an obvious choice, as the factory itself is a symbol of Renault’s history and the aspirations of its customers, embodied by iconic vehicles such as the 4CV, the Dauphine, the Renault 5, Clio, and Twingo. Since its creation in 1952, with an impressive record of 18 million vehicles produced, Flins has also played a key role in Renault Group’s transformations—from the ZOE and the shift to electric vehicles to today’s circular economy with the Refactory, Europe’s first hub dedicated to automotive circular economy.
A living space between memory and innovation
Designed as a true bridge between past and future, the new building—imagined by architect Jacob Celnikier, known for the French Pavilion at the 2020 Dubai World Expo—will rise at the entrance of the Flins factory. Its fragmented, ascending façade, inspired by Russian nesting dolls, echoes the architectural style of Elisabethville, one of Europe’s first garden cities, built in the 1950s on the edge of the industrial site. Its impressive 11,500 square meters hint at the scale of the collections it will house: artworks, documents, and archival objects, with a highlight being a collection of around 600 historic and iconic cars displayed vertically on five levels of pallets in a 15-meter-high dedicated space!
“What awaits visitors is simply breathtaking: thousands of objects, hundreds of artworks, and above all, a one-of-a-kind spectacle—iconic cars lined up on pallet racks like jewels suspended in space. An iconic car is already fascinating on its own. Gathering hundreds of them in one place is impressive. But displaying them across five stories is simply extraordinary,”
Arnaud Belloni
Chief branding Officer, Renault
A committed artistic and cultural heritage
This spectacular venue was designed to foster a continuous dialogue between the collections housed in its various spaces: artworks and historical objects at the entrance, the vintage car restoration workshop, and the vehicles displayed on the famous pallet racks.
“This project we’re presenting today is truly the result of a collective effort by passionate individuals, allowing us to celebrate Renault’s connection with France, culture, and emotion. It reflects the company’s commitment to its collections and the importance of passing them on to future generations,”
Catherine Gros
VP of Art, Heritage, and Philanthropy at Renault Group
Unique in corporate history, the relationship between Renault and French artists dates back to Louis Renault, who in 1934 commissioned the young “wandering photographer” Robert Doisneau to photograph certain models and workers on the assembly lines of the Île Seguin factory. In the late 1960s, the factory opened its doors to renowned artists like Jean Tinguely, Dubuffet, and Arman, allowing them to explore new creative paths, benefit fromtechnical advice and specialized equipment, and engage with workers whose creativity was sparked by these enriching encounters.
Today, as a nod to that piece of history, part of the former paint building at the Flins factory has been transformed into an artist residency dedicated to urban art: the Art Factory. This residency will host six artists per year, and the works created within its walls will be exhibited in the new venue. The first artist, Jean Faucheur, has already created a piece inspired by Alain Jacquet’s “Luncheon on the Grass.”
The Art, Heritage, and Philanthropy department thus continues the company’s tradition of supporting artistic movements—from optical art and new realism to today’s street art, a popular form of expression that, like Renault’s vehicles, lives in the streets, where creativity and boldness thrive.
The artists’ residency, art Factory, in Flins
Painting by Jean Faucheur
With this ambitious heritage project, Renault reaffirms its desire to share its legacy with as many people as possible, in an open, vibrant, and inspiring space. A “rendez-vous » with history, innovation, and automotive passion.
