The Renault Nervastella is a large automobile built between 1930 and 1937, used as a state car; newsreels of the mid-1930s show the president of the French Republic riding in one. It was the smaller brother of the Renault Reinastella.
Renault Nervastella at a glance
| Maker | Renault, France |
|---|---|
| Production | 1930–1937 |
| Type | large luxury car |
| Wheelbase | 3,350 mm |
| Engine | straight-eight, 4,241 cc at launch |
| Power at launch | 100 PS at 3,300 rpm |
| Engine growth | 4,825 cc in 1933, 5,448 cc for 1935 |
| Role | French state car in the mid-1930s |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Renault Nervastella.
History of the Renault Nervastella
The smaller Stella
The Nervastella was the smaller brother of the Renault Reinastella, launched a year earlier, but it was technically more advanced, and with a 3,350 mm wheelbase it was still a large car by the standards of the time and place. In the early 1930s Renault introduced several models whose names ended in ‘stella’, a conscious reference to the Latin word for star; ‘Nerva’ refers to a Roman emperor and to Nerva in Spain.
Engines
The car was powered by a straight-eight whose capacity changed through its production run. It was launched with a 4,241 cc engine rated at 100 PS at what was then an impressive 3,300 rpm. Capacity grew to 4,825 cc in 1933 and again, for 1935, to 5,448 cc; the 1933 increase brought no rise in claimed maximum power for the standard Nervastella, and even the 1935 enlargement raised the listed output only a little.
State car
The Nervastella served as a state car, and pictures of the French president sitting in one can be seen in newsreels from the mid-1930s.
Design and features
- Straight-eight power: from 4,241 cc to 5,448 cc over the model’s life.
- Long wheelbase: 3,350 mm, making it a large car for its time.
- State transport: used by the president of the French Republic.
- Stella family: part of Renault’s ‘stella’ naming series of the early 1930s.
Renault Nervastella versions
- Nervastella (1930): 4,241 cc straight-eight.
- 1933 Nervastella: enlarged to 4,825 cc.
- 1935 Nervastella: 5,448 cc engine.
The Nervastella was the smaller brother of the Renault Reinastella and the basis of the sporting Renault Nervasport. More cars are in the Renault collection.
Sources
- Renault Nervastella, English Wikipedia: size, engines, state car role, naming
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