Behind the Scenes of Renault Trucks Special Editions

Behind every customised Renault Trucks vehicle lies several months of work involving designers, painters, mechanics, electricians and engineers. While enthusiasts admire the final result at Truck Shows or on European roads, few truly know the design and production stages behind these unique vehicles.

To better understand this philosophy, we met Franck Nallet, Manager of the Driving and Unique Vehicles Department at Renault Trucks France. For several years, he has been leading the manufacturer’s most iconic customisation projects and is exceptionally opening the doors to a world where the truck becomes a true industrial work of art.

After nearly twenty-five years with Renault Trucks, Franck Nallet has a complete vision of the brand’s evolution. For fifteen years, he worked in digital communication before joining the Renault Trucks France Driving and Unique Vehicles Department in 2019.

Today, his role is based on two major areas. The first consists of supervising a team of three demonstrators responsible for presenting Renault Trucks vehicles to key accounts and the dealer network.

The second is undoubtedly the one that most fascinates truck enthusiasts: imagining, developing and managing the unique vehicle projects that come directly from Renault Trucks factories.

Although Renault Trucks limited editions have existed for many years — from the T High Renault Sport Racing to the T High The Boss, including the 1894, TurboLeader and Alpine editions — the concept of the unique vehicle is much more recent.

Launched in 2021, it answers the growing demand from customers wishing to own a fully customised truck designed specifically for them.

The idea was born directly within the Renault Trucks France Driving Department, which acts as the link between the manufacturer, the sales network, transport companies and drivers.

“We are in daily contact with customers and drivers. It is this proximity that enables us to draw up a specification document, which is then entrusted to the Renault Trucks Design Hall, sometimes in collaboration with other designers.”

The Design Hall then acts as an incubator for ideas, transforming a simple intention into a genuine aesthetic project.

Contrary to popular belief, choosing a colour is not based solely on a marketing strategy.

Some creations are indeed inspired by the brand’s communication campaigns, while others are simply born from… a favourite.

“We sometimes go through colour charts with our painters until we find THE colour. Sometimes it is its rarity, sometimes its elegance, or simply the emotion it creates that makes us stop our search.”

Each project therefore has its own identity, according to the customer’s wishes but also Renault Trucks’ ambitions.

This is particularly the case with the famous Renault Trucks T High 24H Camions, created every year since 2022 to accompany the major gathering of truck enthusiasts at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans.

Renault Trucks is currently the only European manufacturer offering customisation fully integrated into its industrial production process.

The vehicles concerned are mainly assembled at the Bourg-en-Bresse plant before being transferred to the C11 adaptation centre, where they receive the prestigious 01 Customized by Renault Trucks label.

In total, nearly 200 employees work at this centre, including around forty specialised painters. For a single customised vehicle, between 20 and 25 people are involved successively.

Designers, engineering teams, painters, mechanics and electricians work together for between 150 and 180 hours to transform a standard production truck into a unique vehicle.

Can everything be done when a customer wants to customise their truck?

For Franck Nallet, the answer is almost yes.

“The only real limitation is compliance with homologation regulations… and, of course, the customer’s budget.”

This approach offers a level of customisation rarely achieved in the truck industry while maintaining the full manufacturer’s warranty. Another major advantage is that the customer receives only one invoice and benefits from a single point of contact managed directly by Renault Trucks.

The vehicle presented this year perfectly illustrates this philosophy. It is the Renault Trucks T High 480 Turbo Compound, the flagship model of the new Losange 2026 edition.

Alongside it are a Renault Trucks Master E-Tech and a Renault Trucks Trafic, each featuring the same graphic identity while adopting its own colour: yellow for the T High, red for the Master and orange for the Trafic.

All three also feature factory-customised interiors.

Among the details that particularly catch Franck Nallet’s attention are the satin black-painted chassis and the steel wheels highlighted with yellow accents.

“I love this atmosphere, both understated and powerful.”

One of the most striking elements of Renault Trucks’ philosophy concerns the finish. On these unique vehicles, no stickers are used.

Every decoration is created entirely with paint.

“There are no stickers on our customised trucks.”

A demanding choice that reflects the high level of quality sought by Renault Trucks and the expertise of the Bourg-en-Bresse teams.

Among the many projects completed in recent years, one has particularly marked Franck Nallet.

It involved telling, through the design of a truck, the story of how a couple of customers first met.

A demonstration that customisation can go far beyond aesthetics.

Because ultimately, when asked what his real objective is, his answer comes immediately.

“My main objective is simple: to create emotion for the driver. If we achieve that, then we know they will be proud of their truck… and proud of the work carried out by all the Renault Trucks teams.”

Through this philosophy, Renault Trucks is not simply building vehicles. The manufacturer creates trucks capable of telling a story, reflecting a personality and becoming, for their owners, far more than just a working tool.