1979, a man draws on his drawing board what will become the biggest family revolution in the French automobile industry . In his office in Romorantin, Philippe Guédon still doesn't know that he has just invented a concept that will shake Detroit, revolutionize Europe and incidentally create a French word that the whole world will adopt . Because yes, the minivan is 100% French and it almost never existed.

That weekend in March 1979, when Antoine Volanis drew on his famous "orange drawing" what would become the Espace, no one imagined that they had just created the vehicle that would save thousands of French families from the ordeal of traveling in an R5 with three kids crammed in the back. I lived through that era, and believe me, going on vacation with five people in an 80s sedan was hell on wheels.

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But before telling you how a small team of French people managed to reinvent the family car and make American manufacturers cry with rage, we'll start at the beginning. And the beginning was a certain Philippe Guédon who, in 1978, found himself sent to the United States by Jean-Luc Lagardère for a mission that would change everything.

The journey that started it all

Philippe Guédon, an engineer graduated from Arts et Métiers in Angers, born in 1933, is a bit of a freethinker of the French automobile industry . Passionate about architecture and a disciple of Le Corbusier, this guy doesn't think like the others. When he arrived in the United States in 1978, he discovered something that would blow his mind: American vans .

Imagine this Frenchman, accustomed to small European sedans, discovering these enormous vehicles where an entire family can travel in comfort. But even more so, he learned that Chrysler was secretly developing a minivan project. And then, the trigger clicked. Guédon thought to himself: "What if we adapted this to the European market?"

Because frankly, in 1978, French families were suffering . You have an R18, you want to go on holiday with your wife, the three children, the dog and the luggage? Well, it's mission impossible. Either you take a van and look like a craftsman, or you cram like sardines into your sedan.

Return to France with a revolutionary idea

Back at Matra, Guédon began working on his crazy project. And when I say crazy, it's because at the time, no one believed in the concept . The idea? Create a vehicle with the interior space of a van but the dimensions of a European family car. A modular thing where you can remove the seats, create a living room, transport anything.

In March 1979, Philippe Guédon asked his designer, Antoine Volanis, to draw him a sketch. The brief was simple: "Draw me an American van adapted for Europe." Volanis locked himself away for the weekend and produced what would become the famous "orange drawing." A simple sketch completed in a few hours that would revolutionize the global automotive industry.

When I see this drawing today, I tell myself that sometimes the best ideas are born in simplicity . No need for committees, endless market studies, just a man, a pencil and a vision.

The obstacle course: when no one believes in it

But having a good idea is one thing. Getting it accepted by the French car industry is another. And that, my friends, is bordering on ridiculous .

1982, Matra presents its revolutionary project to PSA Peugeot-Citroën. The response? A magnificent "It will never work." There, thank you, goodbye. I swear, sometimes I wonder what goes on in the minds of certain business leaders. They had the invention of the century in their hands and they threw it in the trash.

Well, Matra didn't give up and went to see Citroën. Same result: categorical refusal. At that point, I think Guédon and his team must have realized that they might have completely missed the point.

Renault saves the day

Fortunately, Renault remained. And then, a miracle! In December 1982, Renault accepted the project . Finally, someone with vision! Bernard Hanon, Renault's boss at the time, immediately understood the potential of the project.

And you know what? While the French were struggling to convince their manufacturers, the Americans were working on the same idea . Chrysler released its Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager in November 1983, just 6 months before the French Espace. This coincidence proves one thing: the idea of the minivan was really in the air at the time.

But the French had one huge advantage: they thought European . There was no question of making an American monster, no, it had to be compact, intelligent, and modular. And that, my friends, is typically French.

The Birth of Space: A Revolution in Progress

April 1984, press presentation. July 1984, commercial launch. The Renault Espace arrives with its brilliant slogan: "cars for living." And here, beware, prepare to have your mind blown by the numbers.

The Espace is 18 centimeters shorter than the R18 but offers infinitely more space. How is this possible? The magic of automotive architecture! By eliminating the traditional trunk and optimizing every cubic centimeter, Guédon and his team have achieved the impossible.

And what about modularity? You could remove the five rear seats in just a few minutes and transform your Espace into a van. Or create a mobile living room for four people with seats that turn to face each other. Revolutionary!

I saw my parents discover the Espace back then, and their reaction was mind-blowing. Finally, a car that understood French families! No more playing Tetris with luggage, no more kids fighting in the back, no more nightmare journeys.

The Espace was much more than just a new 1/43 scale car. It was a reflection of the evolution of French society, particularly in the revolutionary decade of the 1980s.

Besides, you know what? This Renault Espace reminds me why I love cars from that era. Because holding a 1/43rd scale Espace in your hands is a bit like experiencing that entire revolution all at once.

That's why I opened my shop BernardMiniatures.fr. I have more than 1,500 miniatures in stock, mostly 1/43 scale, and of course some beautiful models of these revolutionary minivans. Well, I'm not a big site, so I often only have one or two pieces of each model, but that's also what makes it charming. I have Renault of course, but also other brands from this golden era of French automobiles.

Delivery is free from 75€ in France, and I make sure to wrap everything well with bubble wrap because these little cars break easily.

Go take a look at bernardminiatures.fr if you're interested - and you'll see, I have some Espace miniatures that are really worth a look.

Now, let's talk a little more about the chaotic beginnings of this revolutionary...

A catastrophic start that sends shivers down your spine

Well, hold on tight because the Espace almost turned out to be a monumental flop . First month on the market, June 1984: Renault received exactly 9 orders. NEW! While they had hoped to sell 54,000 vehicles in the first year.

I can imagine the faces of Renault's management. "Well, we messed up, the Peugeot guys were right." Luckily, they had the patience to wait . Because once the first Espaces hit the roads, word of mouth spread.

And then it exploded! The Espace sold millions of units and reigned supreme in Europe until 1989. Imagine: creating an automotive segment from scratch and dominating it for 5 years, that's unheard of!

The Romorantin factory: the cradle of the revolution

Well, now I'm going to tell you about a magical place: the Matra factory in Romorantin-Lanthenay . This is where the Espace was born, in this small town in Loir-et-Cher which unknowingly became the cradle of the MPV revolution.

At first, they produced 23 Espaces per day. 23! Totally handcrafted . But very quickly, demand exploded and they went to more than 210 cars per day. They even had to open a second production line at the Alpine factory in Dieppe in June 1987.

I've always been fascinated by these factories where automotive legends are born. Romorantin was a bit like the temple of the French minivan . For 18 years, from 1984 to 2002, all Espaces came out of there. Three complete generations manufactured in this small French town.

The F1 Space: when the MPV becomes a racing beast

And here, my friends, we come to the most beautiful anecdote of this whole story . In 1994, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Espace, Renault and Matra created an absolute monster: the Espace F1.

Imagine a family minivan powered by Williams-Renault's Formula 1 V10 engine. 800 horsepower under the hood of an Espace! This thing went from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds—faster than the McLaren F1 of the time! And it exceeded 300 km/h.

Alain Prost himself drove it on European circuits. A people carrier driven by a four-time F1 world champion , do you realize how absurdly brilliant that was? It always makes me smile to imagine the faces of the spectators who saw this racing car arrive on the circuits.

Philippe Guédon: the unsung genius who invented a French word

Okay, we need to get serious about Philippe Guédon , because this guy is an unsung hero of French motoring. This guy not only created the Espace, but he also added the word "monospace" to the French language. And that, my friends, is Le Corbusier-level!

Besides, it's no coincidence that I compare the two. Guédon was passionate about architecture and a disciple of Le Corbusier . He compared the creation of a car to "the feeling of fullness a woman has when she gives life." Poetic, isn't it?

What fascinated me about Guédon was that he didn't think like a classic automotive engineer. He thought about space, volume, and function . For him, a car had to be a living space, not just a means of transportation. And that was revolutionary in 1979.

But the most tragic thing is that despite its major impact on the global automobile industry, it remains largely unknown to the general public . How many people know that the concept of the minivan was born in the mind of a French engineer with a love of architecture?

The end of an era: when Renault takes over everything

The story ends sadly. In 2002, Renault resumed production of the Espace , putting an end to the Matra adventure. The Romorantin factory closed permanently in February 2003, leaving more than 2,000 employees out of work.

The cause? The commercial failure of the Avantime, the avant-garde coupe-MPV that was perhaps too far ahead of its time. The end of the heroic era of the French MPV .

But hey, the legacy is there. The name "Espace" has become iconic , practically a generic term for minivans. Philippe Guédon created a car segment that has been copied by every manufacturer in the world without ever being truly equaled.

Eternal Heritage: When France Invents the Future

Today, when I see all these SUVs invading our roads, I tell myself that we have lost something essential . The Espace was French automotive intelligence. Compact on the outside, spacious on the inside, modular as desired. No need to make it big and heavy to be practical.

I grew up in an era when French engineers were revolutionizing the global automobile industry . The Espace was our pride and joy. A 100% French invention that shook Detroit and inspired the entire world.

And you know what? This MPV revolution continues to move me today. Because it's the story of visionary men who dared to think differently, who put family at the heart of the automobile .

Philippe Guédon passed away in 2021, but his legacy lives on. Every time a family travels comfortably in a minivan, a little bit of his genius lives on .

So the next time you pass an Espace on the road, think of this beautiful French story. Think of that weekend in March 1979 when a designer sketched out the future of the family car. Think of Philippe Guédon, who revolutionized the way we think about automotive space .

Because yes, minivans are the French invention that revolutionized the family . And that, my friends, is our automotive pride!