The Renault Monasix, Type RY, is a compact car manufactured between 1927 and 1932. It was considered a commercial failure because its engine was too small for the car’s length and weight, but its large taxi fleet kept it on Paris streets until 1962.
Renault Monasix at a glance
| Maker | Renault, France |
|---|---|
| Production | 1927–1932 |
| Type | compact car, RY series |
| Engine | 1,476 cc straight six |
| Tax class | 8CV |
| Types | RY, RY1, RY2 and later variants |
| Taxi fleet | 5,000 cars for the Compagnie Générale des voitures à Paris |
| Replaced by | Renault Monaquatre |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Renault Monasix.
History of the Renault Monasix
A small six
The Monasix was launched at the 1927 Paris Motor Show and produced from 1927 to 1932. With a displacement of 1,476 cc and a rating of 8CV for French tax purposes, its engine was one of the smallest six-cylinders available at the time. It was a commercial failure, largely because the engine was too small for the car’s length and weight, which often made it hard to keep under control. The Monastella was an upgraded version with better trim.
Types
The range evolved through several designations. The RY of 1927 to 1928 had the radiator behind the engine, so there was no front grille and cooling came through side gills on the bonnet, and it had storage below the doors. The RY1 of 1928 to 1929 dropped that storage, and the RY2 of 1929 to 1931 moved the radiator in front of the engine with a proper front grille.
Taxi work and the end
From 1928 the Compagnie Générale des voitures à Paris, the main Paris taxi company, bought a large number of Monasix cars and painted them in the same green as the city’s buses; 5,000 taxi versions were made and the last were still in use in Paris until 1962. The car was also raced in the Morocco Rally in 1928. Production ended in 1932 and the Monasix was replaced by the Renault Monaquatre.
Design and features
- Small six-cylinder: 1,476 cc in the 8CV tax class.
- Paris taxis: 5,000 green taxi versions for the city’s main fleet.
- Radiator positions: behind the engine at first, in front of it from the RY2.
- Rally use: entered in the 1928 Morocco Rally.
Renault Monasix versions
- RY (1927–1928): radiator behind the engine and storage below the doors.
- RY1 (1928–1929): no storage below the doors.
- RY2 (1929–1931): front radiator and grille.
- Taxi version: 5,000 cars painted in Paris bus green.
The Monasix led to the Renault Monaquatre, and its luxury version is described in Renault Monastella. More cars are in the Renault collection.
Sources
- Renault Monasix, English Wikipedia: engine, failure, taxi fleet, types
