Stone-Ideas.com 
The French President has a new official car, the Renault Rafale Présidentiel, with all the details and safety features, as well as a bit of historic French marble on board.
Before we get to the car itself, let us share our own Renault story. When we were younger, we drove an R4, and what we loved most was its tailgate: It opened all the way down, so you could simply slide in drinks, food, sleeping bags, and a tent, no heavy lifting required. With that setup, we’d head off, somehow, to weekend parties in the countryside, packed in with friends.
As for Emmanuel Macron’s official Rafale, we can only wonder how he feels (or has to feel) about the vehicle, and whether his schedule, along with the First Lady’s, ever allows for a carefree outing of that sort. Naturally, we didn’t trouble Renault’s press office about the design of the latest tailgate. That might well be a state secret, and perhaps it’s best kept that way.
What is not a state secret, however, is the interior of the new sedan, powered by what Renault describes as the “Hyper Hybrid E-Tech 4×4.”
In several areas of the interior, most notably the dashboard and steering wheel, slender inlays of “Grand Antique“ marble have been incorporated. This stone, once adorning the Palace of Versailles, comes from long-forgotten quarries in the French Pyrenees that have only recently been reactivated by an Italian firm.
The intricate stonework for the presidential vehicle was executed by the Paris-based specialist Mineral Expertise.
The name Rafale, French for “gust”, marks Renault’s new product line, with the presidential version standing as a highly customized variant. Its 300-horsepower engine is designed to move the heavily armored vehicle with assured ease. According to Renault, “the chassis has been specially tuned to ensure smooth and stable handling, even in dense city traffic.”
The press kit further emphasizes the engineering philosophy: The chassis and steering system were developed to “combine protection, comfort, discretion, and efficiency, without compromise.”
The sedan’s interior receives more attention, and not just with the marble. The nation’s three colors: blue, white, and red can be found in numerous places. Even the seams on the seats in the quasi-office in the back are executed in this way in some places.
The same goes for the radiator grille, as our cover photo shows.
“This project is the result of a unique collaboration between the teams of the Élysée Palace, Renault, and French craftsmen,“ Renault’s press release sounds ostentatious. It continues: “For 105 years, Renault has been not only an automobile manufacturer, but also a player in republican history.“
Unfortunately. When we had to sell our R4 back then, it was clear that serious business was waiting in front of the tailgate.
By the way: There is a predecessor to the Renault Rafale Présidentiel, namely the Renault 5 Diamant from 2022. Designer Pierre Gonalons had given it an exclusive marble steering wheel, manufactured using the Eco-Mineral-Process® from Mineral Expertise.
Photos: Yves Forestier/Alkama Photo; Thomas Antoine/Cetadi Prod
