Djet III

1964 Rene Bonnet Djet III

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 2024

Photo – Artcurial

Fun fact: the Rene Bonnet Djet was the first rear-mid-engined production car. There were four series of Djet produced by Bonnet before production was taken over by Matra in 1965. They would continue producing various versions for the next few years.

The Djet III was produced between about 1962 and 1964 and featured power from a Gordini inline-four that in this example has been rebuilt to 1.1 liters and is capable of 105 horsepower. This car features a tubular trellis frame and is one of 15 Djet IIIs produced. Other series of cars had more conventional frames.

Bodywork is fiberglass, and this one was restored about 15 years ago, with the work apparently fresh enough that the engine still requires break in. It now has an estimate of $85,000-$110,000. Click here for more info.

Rene Bonnet Djet II

1964 Rene Bonnet Djet II

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 4, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured a Djet before, a later Mk V variant. Those were branded as Matras, as Matra had taken over Rene Bonnet Automobiles in October 1964. By that point Matra was producing the bodies and supplying a factory for the production of the cars anyway.

Rene Bonnet was half of Deutsch-Bonnet before venturing out on his own. The first Djet (“jet”) debuted in 1962. The Djet II came later and featured a Gordini-tuned 1.1-liter inline-four that made 85 horsepower. The mid-engined sports car had a top speed of 111 mph.

This example has been with the same owner since 1992. Production figures vary, as Bonhams reports “181” produced, but I think they mean of all Rene Bonnet-branded Djets. Gordini-powered “II” production was likely less than 40. This one should bring between $47,000-$67,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $32,394.

Four Racers from Artcurial

Four Racers from Artcurial

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 9, 2018


1949 Simca 8 Barquette by Motto

Photo – Artcurial

The Simca 8 was a family car built by Simca in France between 1937 and 1951. It was offered in a variety of body styles and two engines were offered, one before 1949 and a slightly larger one after 1949. This 1949 car originally featured a race-prepped version of the earlier, 1.1-liter straight-four.

It was originally a road car, but was transformed into a racing barquette by a racing driver in 1950. The body was built in aluminium by Motto, an Italian coachbuilder. Once race-ready, the owner promptly registered it for the road! It was entered for the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans but never showed up, though it did compete in some other French sports car races in the early 1950s.

Discovered again after 2000, it was restored and the engine was redone and enlarged to 1.2-liters. It’s just destined for the historic circuit with its new owner. It’ll likely bring between $275,000-$335,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.


1930 Chenard et Walcker 1500 Type Y8 Tank

Photo – Artcurial

Here’s my pick of these four. The Chenard & Walcker Y8 was introduced at the 1927 Paris Motor Show and was built through 1930. It’s powered by a 1.5-liter straight-four and it’s called a “Tank.” Chenard & Walcker were famous for their tanks, which were kind of squared off yet aerodynamic cars that were mainly destined for the track. Bugatti also built some racing “tanks” around this era as well.

This is a two-seat convertible and it probably doesn’t have racing history, but plenty Chenard tanks saw track action. It’s been in collections for decades and is largely original. No one knows how many of these were built, but there aren’t that many around. This one should bring between $85,000-$160,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $94,913.


1963 Rene Bonnet Aerodjet LM6

Photo – Artcurial

When Rene Bonnet left Deutsch-Bonnet in 1961, he set up shop building cars under his own name. His first new model was the Djet and what we have here is a racing version of the road car. It’s powered by a Renault-Gordini 1.1-liter straight-four and the body is fiberglass.

This car was raced at the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans with Bruno Basini and Robert Bouharde behind the wheel. It finished the race, but did not complete the minimum distance, ultimately resulting in an official “Not Classified” result, but more realistically they were 14th.

The current owner bought the car in 1989 and it was restored, with a 1.3-liter Gordini striaght-four installed in place of the original. Only three of these longtail LM6 Aerodjets were built and this is the nicest, most original one left. It should sell for between $300,000-$425,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.


1956 Riffard-Renault Tank Record

Photo – Artcurial

I’m just going to go ahead and say it: this looks like one of those tin toys that kids played with in the 1950s. In reality, it started life as as one of two custom-built Guépard race cars that were built in 1952 and 1953. Both competed in a race in 1954 and this one crashed.

The owner took it and while repairing it, decided to turn it into a World Speed Record car. Designed by Marcel Riffard, it’s a sleek, Renault-powered streamliner with a body by Heuliez. The engine is a 750cc four-cylinder and it’s unknown if it ever attempted any records, but it did do a speed run in 1998 after decades in a private collection. It’s a unique car and should bring between $18,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $70,090.

Rene Bonnet Aerodjet

1963 Rene Bonnet Aerodjet LM6

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 9, 2018

Photo – Artcurial

When Rene Bonnet left Deutsch-Bonnet in 1961, he set up shop building cars under his own name. His first new model was the Djet and what we have here is a racing version of the road car. It’s powered by a Renault-Gordini 1.1-liter straight-four and the body is fiberglass.

This car was raced at the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans with Bruno Basini and Robert Bouharde behind the wheel. It finished the race but did not complete the minimum distance, ultimately resulting in an official “Not Classified” result, but more realistically they were 14th.

The current owner bought the car in 1989 and it was restored, with a 1.3-liter Gordini inline-four installed in place of the original. Only three of these longtail LM6 Aerodjets were built and this is the nicest, most original one left. It should sell for between $300,000-$425,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Rene Bonnet Le Mans

1963 Rene Bonnet Le Mans Grand Luxe

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 16, 2014

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

French sports cars in the 1950s were from a limited number of companies. And for whatever reason, a couple of them ended up as Rene Bonnet-branded cars. Rene Bonnet was a race car driver who started building his own cars in 1936. In 1946, he co-founded Deutsch et Bonnet (aka DB). In 1961, Charles Deutsch went his separate way and Automobiles Rene Bonnet was formed.

The Le Mans was a sports model introduced by DB in 1959. From 1962 through 1963 (production actually ended in 1962), the Le Mans was marketed as a Rene Bonnet. His version used a 1.1-liter straight-four making 70 horsepower – the most powerful version of the Le Mans ever offered.

The Le Mans was built as a convertible or a coupe and the Grand Luxe was the expensive, loaded version with a removable hard top – which this car has. Only 232 Le Mans’ were built between both manufacturers. This could be one of as few as 59 built under the Bonnet name. It should sell for between $35,000-$40,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Osenat’s sale.

Update: Not sold.