Renault Type AK ‘Grand Prix winner’ (1906)

For the world’s very first Grand Prix, Louis Renault developed a new car, the Type AK, powered by a huge 13-litre, four cylinder engine pumping out around 90bhp. The race was run on a dusty road circuit east of Le Mans, with each lap covering 107 kms and Renault entered three AKs.

Renault had two advantages over its rivals. Firstly, the AKs were fitted with hydraulic suspension dampers which helped both handling and ride, while the ace card was provided by Michelin, its bolt-on detachable rims allowing shredded tyres to be immediately replaced and not repaired by the roadside.

The 12-lap race was held over two days and Hungarian-born driver Ferenc Szisz won by a comfortable margin of 32 minutes ahead of the Fiat of Felice Nazaro and averaged 105 kph over the 1285 kms distance, despite having to stop 19 times to change punctured tyres.

Szisz returned the following year but had to settle for second behind the Fiat as he was forced to conserve fuel in the latter stages of the race. In 1908 Szisz was denied a second French Grand Prix win by a wheel problem and at the end of the year Renault stopped racing to concentrate on building road cars. The company was not to return to the top echelon of motorsport for 69 years.