A FAMOUS MOTOR FIRM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2882, 16 June 1909, Page 60

A FAMOUS MOTOR FIRM.

The death of Ferdinand Renault, on March 23, at the early age of 4-5, j namoves *no-ther- of the trio of brothers i whose name has become famous/through1 out the world, and particularly so in London, where the little Renault motor cabs set a fashion which is quickly becoming general. , < Ferdin-nad! - Renault never played suchan important part in th© eyes- of the public *s his younger brother. and, indeed, only came into the firm when its success was assured. There were three brothers, Ferdinand,' Marcel, and Louis, the sons of a wholesale liner draper established in Paris, who were all three designed by their father as his successors in business. Louis, the youngest, was the first to break away from the tape- ine?,sure, and in 1896 abandoned the draper's counter oi the . PRice dcs "Viotoires to enter the DelaiinayBelleviUe establishment as a draughtsman. The great boiler firm at the time was occupied solely with steam engines, the motor car not having risen to 1 " the level of © recognised industry. .In 1897 l Louis Renault applied to Panhard-Levassor for a position 'as draughtsman, and was bkmtlv 'informed by Le-vassor that no amateurs Wfsre wanted. The youth — for he had not then attained his majority — returned home a.nd induced his mother to provide him with a small workshop adjoining the house at Billoncourt, where he began tihe construction of oars. Several small ears wer>a built, direct drive from cardan shaft, showinc that a> master mechanic had set himself Ix> work. In the year 1898 tbt factory occupied an area of 230 square yards, employed six workmen, and produced six oars within 12 months. First success came in. 1899, when the bmall vehicles won Pan-is -Ram - bouillet, Paris-Trouville, and Paris-Osfcend races. Marcel Renault, live years older thaai his brother Louis, abandoned the I draper establishment for the motor car business about this time, and took charge of the business department, &b the tame time racing with the machines .nroducod by his brother. Gradually FeVdin^nd, the eldest of the three, became interested in the business, md when Marcel was killed in the Paris-Madrid race of 1903, he took over the management. The partnership drawn up between ths two brothel's fur a period of 10 vo?ii-s expired last December. Instead of six workmen the Billancourt factory, one of ihe finest and best equipped in the world, has a staff of 2500, and an output of over 5000 cars a year. At 32 and 45 years of as*e respectively the two brothers were wealthy, both' decorated -with the L»sg-ion of Honour, and at Che h-eatl of one of ihe finest industrial enterprises the world can boast. The elder, strong-, powerfully-built, and to external appearances destined to a long life, cVeidcd" to retire and live the life of a rentier. The younger, whose genius is responsible for the creation of the huge hive of induitiy at Billancom-t. decided to remain at h's post, and it was Monsieur Louis, as he i* familiarly known at the- factory, who lerrained aa the sole representative of th<? Renault, Frercs. No« the death has left France's youngest. mo^t successful, and mo-,f skilled motor eujrin^er alone at the head of the works which iie created, and which ho still personally superintends.