When the Titanic sank in 1912, it had a solitary car in its hold.
A Renault Type CB Coupé de Ville.
The Renault Type CB Coupé de Ville was a luxury motor car vaunting enclosed passenger transport and the poor chauffeur in an open cockpit.
It was renowned for its elegant design, luxurious interior and very cold wet driver.
The Titanic, by comparison, was also luxurious or at least for its wealthy elite passengers, boasting opulent cabins, a grand dining hall and a swimming pool.
It was also considered unsinkable, a marvel of technology and engineering, fitted with watertight compartments and a double-skinned hull, just in case you hit an iceberg.
The tragic sinking of the Titanic has captured the imagination of writers, filmmakers, and documentaries.
The Renault and the Titanic identified a wealthy demographic aimed at the rich and famous.
One such family was the socially elite Carters of Pennsylvania, who owned a Renault Type CB Coupé de Ville and travelled on the ill-fated Titanic.
Mr William Carter, with his wife and two children, were touring Europe and boarded the Titanic in April 1912.
Their fancy Renault was craned aboard and safely stowed in the ship’s hold.
Not safe enough, it seems. The Renault and the Titanic finished up on the bottom of the ocean.
As to the Carters, they all survived the sinking safely.
I’m not sure if their chauffeur survived;
He would have been travelling on G-deck with Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Titanic proved that even the biggest ship in the world couldn’t outrun an iceberg or a bad reputation.
