Renowned adventure novelist Clive Cussler was known for integrating his own vintage automobiles into his page-turning bestsellers; virtually all the cars described in his hero Dirk Pitt’s collection were in the Cussler collection as well. One of the few exceptions was a certain 1912 Renault, salvaged by Pitt from the most famous shipwreck of all time in one of the best-known Cussler novels, Raise the Titanic!, published in 1976. The Renault aboard RMS Titanic was not a work of fiction; it was famously the only automobile onboard, having been loaded as one of the possessions of William Carter, a Philadelphia socialite returning from an eight-month visit to England. Carter survived the sinking; his Renault, of course, did not, preventing its addition to the Cussler collection.

The 18-horsepower, four-cylinder Type CB offered here is very similar to that lost in the North Atlantic 113 years ago. An original US-delivery chassis, it was fitted with dramatic formal coachwork by the renowned Locke of New York City, largely crafted of wood with the “six-fender” design appropriated from horse-drawn carriages. The rear compartment is splendidly appointed, with rich red cloth upholstery and railroad-style windows.

Documentation in its file indicates that in 1983 the car was acquired by Floyd Smith of Fairview, Pennsylvania, who corresponded with Renault regarding its specifications and history. It was inherited in 1989 by Mr. Smith’s son, Larry, and then sold in 2017 by the younger Mr. Smith’s estate to an owner in New York, who the following year sold it to Clive and Janet Cussler—thus finally adding to the Cussler fleet a near approximation of what had been its most famous “missing” resident. Since exhibited in the collection in Scottsdale, Arizona, its restoration shows much patina to its finishes, and it is missing one of the rear quarter windows. It should be noted that the car experienced gearbox issues shortly after its acquisition for the collection, and despite efforts to rectify these, with photographs of the work included in the file, it is currently sold in inoperative condition.

This is a storied Renault…and no submarine is required to retrieve it.