One of the most popular ways to showcase the engineering prowess of a car company? That’s right; build a race car and enter the car into a few races.
That’s what short-lived French car maker Autobleu did in the mid-1950s with its unique 750 MM Coupé.
Autobleu–mainly known for offering performance parts, appearance enhancements and even complete bodies for Renault models–constructed the 750 MM with a tubular chassis frame and powered it with a modified 750cc Renault engine.
The car’s lightweight streamlined body was designed by aeronautical engineer Marcel Riffard and built by Carrosserie G.T.R.
Given the nickname "Rainette," the French word for "tree frog," the 750 MM participated in a handful of races including the 1954 and 1955 Mille Miglia as well as the 12 Heures Internationales de Reims in 1956. (The car is also noted to have entered the 1956 Mille Miglia and the 1964 Coupe de Belgique, but the car failed to arrive for either event.)
More recently, under current ownership, the Autobleu participated in the 2016 Mille Miglia before undergoing restoration by specialist Dutch body shop MCW van der Mey.
Work included rebuilding all mechanicals, repairing the chassis where necessary and repainting the body in the correct blue color.
Find this 1954 Autobleu 750 MM Coupé for auction at Bonhams | Cars with an estimated value of $330,000-$440,000.
