Robert Opron
Encyclopedia
Automotive design
Automotive design is the profession involved in the development of the appearance, and to some extent the ergonomics, of motor vehicles or more specifically road vehicles. This most commonly refers to automobiles but also refers to motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans...
er, trained as an architect, and noted for designs from the 1960s through the 1980s for Simca
Simca
Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...
, Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
, Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
, Ligier
Ligier
For the related Formula One team, see Equipe LigierLigier is a French automobile maker created by former racing driver and rugby player Guy Ligier.-History:...
, Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
and Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
– which he joined in 1962 and where he became Responsable de Style, head of the design department.
Opron was a nominee in the 1999 Car Designer of the Century
Car Designer of the Century
The Car Designer of the Century was an international award given to the most influential car designer of the 20th century. The election process was overseen by the Global Automotive Elections Foundation....
competition.
Background
Opron studied eight years at the École des Beaux-ArtsÉcole des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
, studying architecture, painting, and sculpture. After working at a sugar factory and in the airplane industry, Opron began working at Simca in 1952 at age 26. Subsequently he joined Arthur Martin, a design office for furniture, bathroom fixtures and domestic furnishings, where he became Director of Style.
Opron later met Flaminio Bertoni
Flaminio Bertoni
Flaminio Bertoni was an automobile designer, responsible for some of the most radical reconceptualisations of automobiles ever. He worked in the years preceding World War II until his death in 1964...
, head of design for Citroën, famed author of the original DS. When Bertoni asked to see his work, Opron opened his portfolio with drawings of Simca designs. Bertoni tossed them on the ground, spreading them with his cane and saying they were worthless. Opron collected his drawings, indicated that he found Bertoni's behavior unacceptable – at which point Bertoni said “you interest me”. Opron replied that the feeling wasn't mutual, and left. Three weeks later, he received a letter of recruitment from Citroën. Opron joined Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
– where he remained until 1975 authoring designs for the restyling of the DS in 1968, the SM, the CX and the GS. When Citroën overextended itself and declared bankruptcy in 1974, the French Government, concerned at the potential job losses, merged Citroën with Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
– and dismissed Opron.
From 1975–1985 he worked at Renault, authoring designs including the Renault 9 and Fuego
Renault Fuego
The Renault Fuego is a four-seater, three-door hatchback produced by French automaker Renault from 1980 to 1992, replacing the Renault 15 and 17 coupés of the 1970s.- Development :...
. He later joined Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
. From 1991–2000 he operated his design consultancy in Verrières-le-Buisson
Verrières-le-Buisson
Verrières-le-Buisson is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is from the center of Paris, in the Essonne department just outside the inner ring of the Île-de-France.The commune borders the Bièvre River....
in south Paris (Essonne
Essonne
Essonne is a French department in the region of Île-de-France. It is named after the Essonne River.It was formed on 1 January 1968 when Seine-et-Oise was split into smaller departments.- History :...
).
A celebration of his work, OPRON 50 Sears of Style was held on 11 May 2002 in Verrières-le-Buisson on the occasion of his 70th birthday.
Design Work
Citroën SM
The Citroën SM is a high-performance coupé produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1970 to 1975. The SM placed third in the 1971 European Car of the Year contest, trailing its stablemate Citroën GS, and won the 1972 Motor Trend Car of the Year award in the U.S. in 1972.-History:In 1961,...
, a sports car with a Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
engine and Kammback
Kammback
A Kammback is a car body style that derives from the research of the German aerodynamicist Wunibald Kamm in the 1930s. The design calls for a body with smooth contours that continues to a tail that is abruptly cut off. This shape reduces the drag of the vehicle."Kammback" is an American term...
. He developed both the 1970 Citroën GS
Citroën GS
The Citroën GS and Citroën GSA are small family cars produced by the French automaker Citroën. The GS was voted European Car of the Year for 1971, and was probably the most technologically advanced car in its class when launched, with class leading comfort, safety and aerodynamics.-Market...
and the 1974 Citroën CX
Citroën CX
The Citroën CX is an automobile produced by the French automaker Citroën from 1974 to 1991. Citroën sold nearly 1.2 million CXs during its 16 years of production. The CX was voted European Car of the Year in 1975....
sedans internally, using Citroën's own style center at Velizy in France. The SM was Motor Trend Car of the Year
Motor Trend Car of the Year
The Motor Trend Car of the Year is an award given by Motor Trend magazine, an American monthly that is published since 1949.- Background :...
in 1972, and the GS was European Car of the Year
European Car of the Year
The European Car of the Year award was established in 1964 by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organisers of the award are Auto , Autocar , Autopista , Autovisie , L'Automobile Magazine , Stern and Vi Bilägare .The voting jury consists of motoring...
in 1971, and the CX in 1975 – a substantial achievement for any automobile designer.
Opron designed the Renault 9 and Renault 11 as well, which had been developed under the Renault code name L42 . Renault had begun the conception of the Renault 9 in 1977, as a "four meter" model (referring to its length) to fit between the Renault 5
Renault 5
The Renault 5 was first unveiled on 10 December 1971, being launched at the beginning of 1972.The Renault 5 was styled by Michel Boué, who died before the car's release, the R5 featured a steeply sloping rear hatchback and front dashboard...
and the Renault 14
Renault 14
The Renault 14 is a small family car produced by the French manufacturer Renault between 1976 and 1983.It was the first car to be produced in large volumes at the company's then new plant at Douai, although small pilot runs of the Renault 5 had preceded the 14's production in the...
. Opron conceived a traditional three-box design to appeal to the traditional customer and avoid the poor reception that had met the Renault 14
Renault 14
The Renault 14 is a small family car produced by the French manufacturer Renault between 1976 and 1983.It was the first car to be produced in large volumes at the company's then new plant at Douai, although small pilot runs of the Renault 5 had preceded the 14's production in the...
's styling. Exhaustive consumer clinics suggested buyers rejected innovation, resulting in a non-descript design, albeit with moderate elegance. By the time the models entered production, Renault had dedicated 14.500.000 hours of studies and tests to the 9, constructed 44 prototypes, tested 130 engines, test driven prototypes more than 2.2 million km, and assigned more than 500 people to the development of the models.
