René Bellu (July 10, 1927 – May 21, 2014) was a French journalist, illustrator, and historian of the

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

, known for his numerous works on the

history of the automobile Crude ideas and designs of automobiles can be traced back to ancient and medieval times. In 1649, Hans Hautsch of Nuremberg built a clockwork-driven carriage. In 1672, a small-scale steam-powered vehicle was created by Ferdinand Verbiest; the ...

, particularly French automobiles. Born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, he died in

Le Conquet Le Conquet (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. This is the westernmost town of mainland France. Only three island towns—Ouessant, Île-Molène and Ile de Sein—are farther west. Maritime tran ...

Biography

A member of the editorial team of ''

L'Auto-Journal ''L'Auto-Journal'' is a bimonthly magazine created in 1950 by Robert Hersant and editor-in-chief Gilles Guérithault, devoted to automobiles. Notable journalists who have worked for ''l'Auto-Journal'' include Roland Gaucher and Jean-Marie Balestre ...

'' from its inception, Bellu created illustrations of upcoming automobiles for over twenty years, which became a hallmark of the magazine. Notably, he produced the first illustrations of the

Citroën DS The Citroën DS () is a Front-mid-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, front mid-engined, front-wheel drive executive car manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1955 to 1975, in fastback/sedan, wagon/estate, and convertible body configurations ...

19 in 1955, based on confidential information, before the car was unveiled. He also created the annual special issue for the

Paris Motor Show The Paris Motor Show () is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently takes place in Paris expo Porte de V ...

of ''L'Auto-Journal'', a format that has since been widely imitated. Having amassed a rich collection of historical documents throughout his career, after leaving ''L'Auto-Journal'', Bellu began producing comprehensive works on the history of the automobile, first by manufacturer and later by year. He also contributed to the historical magazine ''

Automobilia Automobilia (a portmanteau of the words ''automobile'' and ''memorabilia'') is any historical artifact or collectible linked with motor cars and related areas, such as motor racing and motorsport personalities. In common usage the term is taken to s ...

'', overseeing its special issues.. His son, Serge Bellu, is also an author of works dedicated to automobiles.

Publications

* ''Les autobus parisiens des origines à nos jours'', Éditions Jean Pierre Delville, 1979. * . * . * . * ''Les voitures françaises des années 50'', Éditions Jean Pierre Delville, 1983. * . * . * . * ''Toutes les voitures françaises'': a series of magazines from 1935 to 1983, special issues of

published from 1996 to 2009. * ''Toutes les ...'': 5 self-published dossiers. Available for

Voisin Voisin (French for "neighbour") may refer to: Companies *Avions Voisin, the French automobile company :* Voisin Laboratoire, a car manufactured by Avions Voisin * Voisin (aircraft), the French aircraft manufacturer * Voisin, a Lyon-based chocol ...

Packard Packard (formerly the Packard Motor Car Company) was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana, in 1958. One ...

Panhard Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks#Military vehicles, Re ...

Simca Simca (; Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company) was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat S.p.A. and directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by Italy, Italian Henri Pigozzi. Simca was affiliated with Fiat and, after Simc ...

Bugatti Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French automotive industry, manufacturer of high performance vehicle, high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German Empire, German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the ...

References

External links

Automotive historians 20th-century French writers 20th-century French journalists 1927 births 2014 deaths {{automobile-bio-stub