MEET THE OWNER – GLYN HAYLER AND HIS RENAULT LAGUNA MK.1

Anyone who visited the Lancaster Insurance Classic Car Show last year might have encountered a quietly handsome ‘Q Car’ on the Renault Owners’ Club stand. Glyn, the proud custodian of a Laguna Mk. 1, points out:

They were an iconic competitor in the British Touring car championship in the late 1990s. However, people have short memories, and they have all been forgotten now. Take ‘Mondeo Man’, for example, which politicians used to often refer to. When was the last time you saw a Mk. 1 Mondeo? They were so common at one point, but no one has thought they were worth saving - not even the rather overly obsessive Ford enthusiasts!

On the 27th of October 1993, Autocar announced: “RENAULT’S MOST closely guarded secret is out — the chunky 21 replacement will be called the Laguna”. They also remarked on how the “Gently slanting headlights and beak-like prow give Laguna butch look” - the early 1990s do seem remote at times.

When Car tested the 2.0 RXE version opposite the Citroën Xantia 2.0 SX and the Ford Mondeo 2.0 GLX, they thought it “a fine car that challenges for class leadership with a brilliant chassis”. Autocar described the Laguna as looking “not only “special and individual but is also very, very good.” The second-generation model replaced the original Laguna in December 2000. Glyn’s long-standing involvement with the Renault Owners’ Club led him to embark on a quest for a car that became increasingly rare during the 2010s. In addition, Glyn has:

An interest in rare cars that most people have completely forgotten about, the ones which have slipped quietly and unnoticed into complete obscurity. Once it had occurred to me what an incredibly sleek and pretty car the Mk. 1 Laguna is, I couldn’t help but keep looking at the usual auction and marketplace websites. From previous experience, I’ve learned to be patient and wait until one of the best examples becomes available; otherwise, it will cost you more in the long run. I’d looked at several examples, but this one jumped out at me, especially when I realised that it had previously belonged to a known Renault enthusiast who had spent months working on it as a lockdown project. Once I’d realised that, I was more than happy to pay the higher price it commanded over the other more average examples out there.

The public reaction to the Laguna, as with many ‘Modern Classics’ of the early 21st century, does vary. Glyn has attended several shows, and he recalls:

As 2024 was the 30th anniversary of the Laguna, it was displayed on the Renault Owners Club stand at last November’s Classic Car Show at the NEC. Even though it’s such a pretty car it didn’t really get much attention. It’s the kind of car that everyone walks past to see the next more interesting one. Maybe it’s because it doesn’t shout anything or make any kind of statement. Maybe it being metallic beige doesn’t help? Although Barley Gold sounds much more alluring, doesn’t it?

One possible reason for the Laguna being overlooked is that, in Glyn’s view, “Many everyday cars from the late ’90s/early 21st century currently seem to occupy a void in the classic car world. Unless it’s a sporty go faster model, they seem to fall into the category of ‘rare, but no one cares’, which is a great shame”. Another challenge is that so many cars of this era fell victim to successive scrappage schemes – a matter of even more regret when Glyn describes the Laguna’s road manners:

It is comfortable, spacious and relaxing, rather like driving an armchair. It may not be particularly fast, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s simple and straightforward without any of the modern distractions of multi-coloured screens and annoying bing-bong warnings. It’s also incredibly spacious. The boot is cavernous, which is why we’ve used it for several UK road trips, as there really is room for the kitchen sink. No wonder it was popular as a rep-mobile. By comparison, the boot on my daily car, a 3 Series Estate, is half the size. That’s progress, apparently.

Or as Renault put it: “Its all worked out beautifully” - 

With thanks to Glyn Hayler for his time.

With thanks to Glyn Hayler for the permission to use the images in this blog.