Renault
35/45 hp "Vanderbilt" racer

Why it matters

Built at the request of William K. Vanderbilt, this small series of Renault racers helped launch organised motor racing in America. Of ten (possibly eleven) cars, only four or perhaps five survive.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

William K. Vanderbilt asked Renault for a racing car to start competing in America; Renault insisted on building ten, and Vanderbilt sold the others to friends including Guggenheim, Paine, Whitney and Dodge. The cars won early American events, among them one of the first 24-hour endurance races, at Morris Park in New York. The Simeone example later spent pre-war years towing a wet canvas around a horse track before being acquired in 1928 and eventually donated to the museum.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   1907 Renault 35/45 Vanderbilt Racer – Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum Level B

   • 10 cars built (possibly 11)

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   1907 Renault Type AI 35/45HP Vanderbilt Racer Level C Audrain Auto Museum

   • one of just four or five that remain in existence
   • Renault's hydraulic shock absorbers were many years ahead of their time

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   Celebrating Vanderbilt Renaults (2017 Pebble Beach Concours) Level B Supercars.net

   • four of the five remaining 1907 racers

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   1907 Renault 35/45 Vanderbilt Racer Level B Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum

   • 4-cylinder
   • 2.6 L
   • 41.8 horsepower

   Accessed 2026-11-12