Highlights

Flamboyant, quirky and extremely rare
Top of the range with desirable spec
Striking in Nocturn Purple with beige leather
Huge double panoramic glass roof
Pillarless coupé styling
Current Surrey registered keeper for 10 years
Low mileage with good history file

The Appeal

The futuristic concept car, revealed at the Paris Salon show in 1999, that Renault, with Matra, had the audacity to build. Double panoramic glass roof, with grand-air mode. Rear passengers seated six inches higher in the back (‘theatre seating’) and are consequently provided with an uninterrupted view of the road ahead, enhanced further by the pillarless side glass. Driver and passengers alike get a commanding view of the road. Renault lost millions of Francs bringing this car to market but bolstered their reputation for flare, design and quirk, in doing so.

The Avantime, translating to ‘Ahead of Time’ , became a short lived design showcase. Thierry Metroz (design project manager) said "we wanted someone walking around the car to be continually astonished”. The unveiling earned Renault huge kudos from motoring aficionados everywhere.

A total of just 452 RHD Avantime’s were sold in the UK. Approximately half were in 2.0-litre turbo guise - the remainder being top-of-the-range 3.0-litre V6 Privilege models with either manual or automatic transmission.

At launch, this was the only car that all three presenters of Top Gear agreed enthusiastically upon… placing it ‘Sub Zero’ on their Cool Wall (ahead of the Aston Martin Vanquish). UK numbers are minuscule today and excellent cars are few and far between, as the best, top-of-the-range examples, start to find their way into private collections.

This rare 3litre is finished Nocturn Purple and in very good condition. An extensive history file verifies the low mileage and includes a recent service and timing belt change. The provenance is confirmed by the advisory-free MOT to July 2025.

The History and Paperwork

First registered 5th March 2003
Current registered keeper for 10 years
Substantial history file illustrates £14,000 spent in upkeep 2005 - 2024
Original leather Avantime Owners Wallet containing Handbook, replica service booklet (with entries and stamps)
Timing Belt Kit changes are recorded. Last done by Renault Main Dealer at 71,775 miles
Current MOT expires 18th July 2025 (No advisories)
Many old certificates in the history file
Two keys (plus cubby key)

The Condition

True to the Paris Salon Concept Car design - the sweeping cockpit interior is beautifully appointed - No unsightly SatNav binnacle spoiling the purity of the minimalist dashboard
Much desired Beige ‘Bridge-of-Weir’ leather upholstery is in very good order throughout. Rear seats look little used. The front seats have some surface cracks but remains looking smart
Two Renault keys, plus cubby lock key. The remote on the main key locked and unlocked all doors and boot when tested
The seatbelt plastic base sleeves that surround the belt exit on the huge front seats usually disintegrate on Avantime’s - one of the typical signs of wear and tear on these cars. Both are present, original and are in excellent, undamaged order
Kick-plate ‘AVANTIME’ logo appears pristine on both sides
Door cards are in good order with correct original trim fittings. Some minor signs of age and use
Interior door handles and seat uprights are free from significant chips or seat buckle scars that characterise these big coupes
Centre-console plastics are clean and generally smart… free from the tacky feel of aged soft plastic coatings, synonymous with many vehicles of this period
The soft plastic coatings on the electric window switches have some surface scratches
Carpets and headlining are bright and remain in good order
The large rear beige protective over-mat is still present and in excellent condition. Front wells have rubber over-mats
Switchgear appears well preserved with perfect soft-close cubbies, clips and even the fine vent plastics all in excellent order
The dashboard is similar, showing no visible marks and no colour fade
Beige plastics can look scruffy very quickly but even high wear areas such as seat surrounds all present very well. Some small marks on the soft plastic near the gear selector
Clear dials and controls are all work as they should
‘Grande Air’ mode button is working smoothly and effortlessly, retracting the glass roof and simultaneously dropping all four windows, to create a pillarless driving experience like no other car
The minimalist dash read-outs show everything correctly, with no warning signs
The original jack and brace are correctly stowed beneath the rear passenger seat
The boot area is in good order and chromed floor loops are still present and un-tarnished
The Umbrella shelf and vast trunk shelf are both present and in good order
The door seals and the giant boot seal are all present and correct
This Avantime looks very handsome in metallic 'Nocturn' purple, beneath customary silver aluminium roof rails
No lacquer peel, nor noticeable colour variations - the paintwork presents very elegantly indeed
A mark close to the light cluster on the tailgate and a few small bonnet rubs/chips are the only flaws that we could identify
The silver aluminium roof rails on Avantime’s typically blister. These present perfectly on this vehicle
Wing mirror casings show no battle signs at all - Both fold in, as they should
Aluminium wing mirror housings are a weak spot but look excellent on this car
The 17” Rhodes alloys are specific to the Avantime and these all look very close to pristine, finished in graphite grey
All four-wheel centre caps are in similarly excellent order
Matching Toyo ‘Proxes Sport’ tyres suit the car and show no wear, with deep and even treed on all four corners
Sills look strong, original and undamaged
Lights, front and rear are all in excellent condition with no obvious chips or cracks
Avantime’s were built with galvanised chassis. The underside shows no obvious causes for concern based upon a basic cursory view
All tinted glass looks free of any meaningful scratches, chips or fractures
All drainage channels look clean and free of corrosion
All exterior trims and fittings look original, unmodified and good throughout

The Mechanics

2,946cc 3-Litre Renault V6
Automatic gearbox
Dipstick check shows correct levels
Starts on the first turn of the key and settles quickly into an even idle. Healthy sounding engine note from the twin exit exhaust pipes
Air conditioning blows cold air
Clean and bright under the bonnet.
Appears original with no apparent modifications
Reported as enjoyable to drive with good power, smooth gearbox and no known issues

BEFORE YOU BUY

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