WARD'S REAR VIEW MIRROR

58 YEARS AGO

Oct. 24, 1944, marks the death of Louis Renault in a French military prison hospital — an accused Nazi collaborator. Born to a middle class Parisian family in February 1877, Louis was the youngest of five children. Renault hated school but had strong mechanical ability.

In 1896 Renault patented a steam generator, and three years later formed Societe Renault Freres with brothers Marcel and Fernand on the strength of Louis' patent for a direct-drive system for motor vehicles that replaced the chain-drive system then in general use. By 1914 the company had expanded globally with 31 dealers outside France.

In addition to manufacturing munitions in WWII, the company also supplied a troop transport designed by Louis, and by the end of the war had begun making small tanks. Ill at ease in public, short-tempered and ill mannered, Louis was the opposite of archrival Andre Citroen, but his drive, engineering talent and marketing acumen made him more successful.

Hoping to preserve his car business in WWII, Louis was alleged to have cooperated with the Nazi-controlled Vichy government of France, reportedly putting his tank plant at the government's disposal. When the country was liberated by the Allies, he was arrested and imprisoned, where he died of unspecified causes (some sources claim he was tortured).

Upon his arrest, Renault Freres was nationalized, becoming Regie National des Usines Renault for some 50 years before the government permitted public ownership of stock in the company.

39 YEARS AGO

On Oct. 30, 1963, attendees of the Turin Auto Show saw the first car to carry the Lamborghini name, a luxury sport coupe called the 350GTV. Behind the car's introduction was 47-year-old Ferruccio Lamborghini, a wealthy businessman who had amassed a fortune manufacturing agricultural tractors. Due to a late start in developing the prototype car, it reportedly had no engine, just a crate of ceramic tile under the hood to provide enough weight to keep the chassis/body in correct profile.

Ferruccio's entry into the luxury high-performance car market came about after he encountered problems with a Ferrari he had recently added to his stable of high-priced sports cars.

Reports differ, but when he called on Enzo Ferrari to complain about the car's mechanical problems and harsh ride, the Ferrari founder either rebuffed him entirely or treated the “tractor maker” in a patronizing manner, which prompted an infuriated Lamborghini to launch his own sports car effort.

Due to a lack of buyer enthusiasm, only one 350GTV actually was completed in 1963. However, a revised version powered by a quad overhead-cam V-12 developing 360 hp was sold to more than 100 customers in 1964, becoming the foundation of Automobile Lamborghini. In 1966, the company introduced the Miura (said by many to be Ferruccio's favorite) with a transverse mid-mounted V-12.

In 1971, he sold his interest in the car operation and other ventures and retired to a large estate near Perugia, Italy, and began wine-making. The operation produced more than 800,000 bottles annually. Lamborghini died in 1993 at age 75.

OTHER DATES IN HISTORY

Oct. 14, 1899 — Literary Digest declares the horseless carriage a toy of the wealthy, adding, “Although its price will probably fall, it will never come into as common use as a bicycle.”

Oct. 16, 1958 — Chevrolet introduces the El Camino sedan-pickup in response to the popularity of the 2-year-old Ford Ranchero.