RENAULT VIVA GRAND SPORT
As cars became faster, designers inevitably turned their attention to streamlining, to such an extent that aerodynamics became something of an obsession during the 1930s...
Speed takes priority
Engineering developments during the thirties brought a tremendous increase in automotive power and speed. In line with the current trend, aerodynamic streamlining was very much in vogue. For Renault, the turning point came at the 1934 Paris Motor Show, with streamlined design becoming apparent on the Viva and Nerva ranges. Sister models in the six-cylinder Viva range were the shorter, more powerful Vivasport and the sleek Vivastella.
Guaranteed power and comfort
These two design influences would merge in 1935 to produce the Viva Grand Sport, a very neat, well-balanced car with smooth, uncluttered lines, available in several closed and open-top versions. The advertising campaign for the cabriolet version invited motorists to “experience a new joie de vivre with a Renault Grand Sport”.
As the eight-cylinder Nerva models declined, as a result of the difficult economic conditions of the recession years, the powerful, comfortable, easy-to-drive Viva Grand Sport would end up topping the Renault range. It would keep this position until 1939.
More vehicles
The Collections
Back to the collections
RENAULT NERVASPORT
Next