Allow me to introduce myself and retell my life story. My name is Safrane, and in 1992 I had the great honor of replacing the legendary Renault 25 on the throne of the largest French car manufacturer, which many Czech motorists could not tolerate long after the Velvet Revolution. Next to its modern compatriots, the Peugeot 605 and Citroën XM, it looked a bit old-fashioned.
Expectations from me were huge since the premiere, you couldn’t find anything smaller than a 2.2-liter engine under my hood back then. In the top spec, I even boasted a V6 nameplate, which is virtually unheard of in mainstream automotive production today. Of the three gasoline engines, in our particular piece in the spring photos, I got the golden middle 2.2 Si.
Rich only on the outside
During the times of socialism, more than one auto.cz reader must have visited Rujan – either as a parent or an inquisitive child. I went to spend my childhood near the largest German island only in 1993, when the then population with roots in the former GDR were looking for successors to their aged Trabants and Wartburgs. The official Renault dealer, Autohaus Roggermann in Stralsund, became my – supposedly temporary – home on the way from the manufacturer to a new family. I was asked to work at the car factory by the head of the local company at the time, and my main task was to show off in front of customers and show them what a gem they can take home from here. However, due to the excessive modesty of the small trader, I did not have enough opportunities to show all my strengths – when ordering, they even spared me so much that they did not allow me not only the fashionable air conditioning, but also the electric control of the rear windows. It’s as if they didn’t know that not far from the newly elected German capital of Berlin, luxury equipment plays a role in the upper middle class of cars.
The only really modern element that I could brag about to people at the time (fortunately not in full display, but only with a sticker on the steering wheel) was the driver’s airbag. It’s sad, but until the modernization in 1996, I didn’t get ABS as standard, only a few decorations, including central locking, had to be enough to attract customers. But it’s true that visitors to the car show also admired the push-button lowering of the front windows or the digital clock on the dashboard. These things that were taken for granted were still not taken for granted in the East of Germany at that time. Regardless of the respectable space in the cabin, the huge trunk, and generally representative external dimensions.
Mr. Inseparable
At that time, German motorists knew me mainly thanks to pictures of richly equipped versions from presentation brochures and also from a contemporary test in Auto Bild, where the top version of the Safrane Bi-Turbo RXE with a six-cylinder engine from the Alpine A-610 proudly stood up, at a modest price of 96,500 marks. If I remember correctly, in the newly independent Czech Republic this prestigious version cost 1,140,000 crowns.
On the other hand, I was still humbly crouching behind the window of Autohaus Roggermann, from where no one wanted to take me to my new home. Clia and 19s were selling like hot cakes around me, but nobody cared much about Renault’s aging flagship in the north-east of Germany. At the same time, driving on my deck was an unforgettable experience, I can still navigate any road like a sea yacht. But the people were as undemanding as my equipment, so the years spent in the dealership began to resemble not a seaside vacation, but house arrest.
After two long years, I finally managed to get out of the show car role when Mr. Roggermann sold me to an acquaintance of his. Mr. Wermke was the owner of an advertising agency and we spent a total of three happy years together. Sensing that I was getting old, he got rid of me as a precaution and I found myself back at Roggermann’s estate – this time in the role of a counter car when Mr. Wermke traded me in for a younger one. However, they didn’t welcome me with open arms this time – I was already too old as a demonstration model, and potential buyers of the saffron were more attracted to the current version with a refreshed exterior design. But the ungrateful visitors were already mainly asking about the fashionable Twingo, Mégane and Laguna anyway. At the time, the old-fashioned owner had no idea how internet advertising worked, so I just waited and waited – and I didn’t even know what to do. So I was sidelined for many years. But, unlike most cars, luckily I was standing in the dry, warm and under the roof the whole time.
It was close to being scrapped
Times changed and the former glory of Autohaus Roggermann waned until one of the first Renault dealerships in the former GDR finally saw its unfair closure in 2015. Subsequently, another blow came when the former owner passed away a few months later. A group of cleaners then arrived at the scene. I was very lucky – the son of the new owner of the land saved me from being scrapped at the last minute. As the only car left in the premises of the former car dealership, I was dragged on a rope to a private garage. I owe it mainly to the fact that at that time I finally started to arouse interest – this time, however, as a collector’s historic car. Thanks to living in seclusion, I was also able to present myself with a total mileage of only 69,000 kilometers, original condition, all original documentation and also a trunk stuffed with parts.
In this way, I got a rare Starter pack for my new life, that is, a package of spare parts that every authorized service had to buy compulsorily with the start of production. In another rucksack, under the label Spare parts, I took, for example, the front mudguards, the now-unobtainable reflective plexiglass under the rear license plate or the front blinkers. And thanks to an almost lifelong stay in the back of a new car shop, I remain to this day without a single spot of corrosion, even on the chassis.
A new life abroad
And so it is not surprising that I also captivated the collector Petr Hladký from North Bohemian Most. With exemplary driving characteristics and exceptional comfort, I still amaze not only him, but actually everyone I have the opportunity to drive around the area. I don’t want to brag, but this spring I even managed to charm the editors of Auto Tipu Klassik! After all, I heard the conversation of my owner with a visitor from Prague on my own horn: “Having one more free garage and you willing to sell the saffron, I wouldn’t let you here!”
I couldn’t have ended up better after three decades of uncertain fumbling in life, it is with Petr Hladký that I am assured of a dignified future, he even plans to provide me with representative veteran brands for next year. After all, everyone knows it – saffron is like saffron these days. And for the so-called phase 1, i.e. models up to 1996, this applies doubly. I can’t wait to start meeting you at veterans’ gatherings!
Insufficient comfort
When the Renault Safrane was first revealed thirty years ago, the automaker made no secret of the huge ambitions of the new flagship model. According to her, it was a car for the next millennium. Although many understood it as an exaggeration, the Safrane remained in production until the year 2000. And although its success was not general, we cannot deny one thing to the great Renault – no one else could offer so much comfort, space or convenience for similar money. However, in the condition of the car we tested, it is already a great rarity. Although we discovered several dozen of them on the French advertising servers at the time of the deadline, the circle of usable pieces without expensive investments was narrowed down to only one after sifting: a rare biturbo. However, its sales amount of fifteen thousand euros will remain in the realm of fantasy for a long time to come. Or not?
| Renault Safrane technical data | |
| Engine | Front inline four cylinder, three valves per cylinder, Bendix electronic fuel injection |
| Volume | 2165 cm3 |
| Performance | 103 kW (140 hp) at 5750/min |
| Torque | 186 Nm at 4500/min |
| Transmission | five-speed manual |
| Drive | front wheels |
| Brakes | disc front and rear |
| Wheelbase | 2764 mm |
| External dimensions | 4734 x 1818 x 1443 mm |
| Top speed | 200 km/h |
| Standardized consumption | 9.3 l/100 km |
| Tank volume | 80 l |
| New Car Price (1995) | 875,000 CZK |
Tags: luxurious Renault Safrane beautiful today piece unique history
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