Collection Charbonneaux

Philippe Charbonneaux (18 February 1917   4 June 1998) was a self‑taught French industrial designer known for his work on automobiles (Renault 8, Renault 16, Delahaye 235), trucks (Berliet, Renault), electronic products, and consumer goods. Following a wartime service in the RAF, he launched an independent design studio in Paris and later became the director and editor-in-chief of the Anthologie Automobile magazine. In 1970, he established a museum near Saint‑Dizier to house his extensive personal collection, relocating it in 1985 to Reims. Upon his death, the collection was maintained by a local association until 2016, when a curated selection was donated to the Mulhouse Automobile Museum. His design legacy is preserved in institutions like the Centre Pompidou and MoMA.

Hervé Charbonneaux (1950-) grew up immersed in automotive design, alongside his father, Philippe Charbonneaux. From an early age, Hervé absorbed his father's influence, often immersed in his studio and exposed to iconic designs like the Chevrolet Corvette and Renault R16. In the mid‑1980s, he founded the Rallystory leisure rally series (1986 2014) which is responsible for the renaissance of the Tour de France Auto in the 90s and La Coupe des Alpes. He combined his passions for classic cars and motorsport, and worked professionally as an expert in collector-car valuation and sales. Hervé has also curated exhibitions on his father’s work—including a retrospective at Rétromobile 2016—and authored books such as Du dessin au design (2015), which chronicled Philippe Charbonneaux’s career across automotive and aeronautical design.