1928 Renault Type NN Tourer from Indiana Jones up for auction

Sun, 01 Jun 2014

It's uncommon for a film's sequel to surpass the original, and it's even rarer for the third movie in a series to be the best. However, that's arguably the case with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Its perfect combination of exciting action set pieces, humor and great performances from Harrison Ford and Sean Connery might make it the pinnacle of the franchise. Now, a 1928 Renault Type NN Tourer with an on-screen role in one of the film's major scenes is heading to auction in the UK from Historics at Brooklands.

The Renault shows up in the fantastic tank chase scene late in the film where Donovan, the villain, rides in it for a time. For Indiana Jones filming in Spain, the car was painted and made to look dirty, but when the movie finished, it went to the UK for a repaint and engine rebuild.

The Type NN has humble beginnings for a movie star. Its design is quite utilitarian with a four-door tourer body, but the rear seats and interior panels are removable to expose its wooden floorboards and convert it into a makeshift pickup. That way, French farmers could load it with produce during the week and use it as a family car on the weekends. A four-cylinder engine with a claimed 50-mile-per-hour top speed might make tank chasing somewhat difficult in real life.

This Type NN comes with both a French and UK registration, according to Historics at Brooklands. It estimates the Renault will sell for 9,000-14,000 pounds ($15,075-$23,450) at the June 7 auction. That seems reasonable for a car that combines a funky design with some very interesting provenance. Scroll down to read the full description of this movie star car.

INDIANA JONES STAR TAKES THE STAGE AT HISTORICS
27/05/14 from Historics at Brooklands

A 1928 Renault Type NN Tourer film car comes to sale on June 7th

From a rough and tumble drive across a dry river bed in Almeria, Spain, to a more serene trip to Brooklands in Surrey is the journey a 1928 Renault Type NN Tourer has made on its way to sale at Historics' next major auction on June 7th.

The humble four-door Tourer was designed by Louis Renault's company with versatility in mind, an asset which became its path to film stardom 60 years after it was built, having being chosen for the Steven Spielberg film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.

This right-hand drive model was purchased by the vendors in France, shortly before filming commenced in Almeria in May 1988. Re-sprayed black for the role, it was used in the famous chase with a replica of a 1917 Mk.VII army tank, a ten minute scene that became the centrepiece of the Paramount movie.

When filming was over, the car was returned to the UK for a thorough sympathetic renovation, including an engine rebuild, with its coachwork finished in a far more dignified yellow hue. Equipped with a frugal four-cylinder engine, the car is quoted as returning 40+mpg with a top speed of some 50mph.

This Renault's versatility comes from an original design feature that enables the car to be converted from a roomy tourer to a utility pick-up by removing the rear seats and unclipping the leather side panels to reveal wooden boarding.

With a large tailgate at the rear, the car was the perfect solution for French farmers of the time to carry produce to market during weekdays and, with seating replaced, transport the family to church on the Sunday where, in clement conditions, they could benefit from the lowering of the full-length fabric roof.

With its estimate of £9,000-£14,000, the Renault Type NN Tourer is offered with a V5 registration document, former MoT Test certificates and a file of past service invoices.

It joins 150+ other prime classic cars, plus 100 fine classic motorcycles, at Historics' largest auction to date at Brooklands Museum, near Weybridge, on Saturday June 7th, with viewing the previous day

For more information and the full consignment list, visit www.historics.co.uk, or call 01753 639170 and e-mail: auctions@historics.co.uk.

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By Chris Bruce