A beautifully restored Renault Caudron Rafale C.460 — one of the most elegant racing aircraft of the 1930s — has returned to flight.
1 June 2026
One of the most striking racing aircraft of the 1930s has flown again after an extensive restoration.
The Renault Caudron Rafale C.460, a sleek single-seat racer that became famous during the golden age of air racing, has flown once more nearly nine decades after it first captured the imagination of aviation enthusiasts.
Renault announced the aircraft’s return to flight this week, describing it as the revival of a machine that helped establish the company’s reputation for innovation and performance long before it became known primarily as a car manufacturer.
The Rafale was one of a series of advanced racing aircraft developed by Caudron-Renault during the 1930s. With its streamlined fuselage, elegant low-wing design and powerful inline engine, the type embodied the pursuit of speed that defined inter-war aviation. Its achievements secured its place in aviation history and helped make the name ‘Rafale’ synonymous with performance.
The newly restored aircraft has spent many months in the workshop undergoing meticulous work to return it to flying condition. Renault says a team of specialists tackled numerous technical challenges during the restoration, paying close attention to authenticity while ensuring the aircraft could safely return to the air.
Footage released by the company shows the polished racer back on the flight line, its distinctive red-and-white colour scheme gleaming in the sunlight before taking off once again. The aircraft’s slender profile and graceful lines remain every bit as dramatic today as they were in the 1930s.
While the restoration celebrates a significant chapter in aviation history, it also highlights the link between the historic aircraft and Renault’s modern flagship road car, which carries the Rafale name.
Renault says a longer “making-of” film documenting the restoration and first flight will be released in the coming weeks.
