Renault is a French automotive manufacturer that was founded in 1899 by the Louis, Marcel, and Fernand Renault. The first car built by Renault was the Voiturette, a compact car whose name means "little car." Since its early days, Renault has produced some notable models such as the 4CV, Caravelle, and Dauphine. Yet one of the company's most well known cars is the Renault 4, an incredibly popular model that sold over eight million examples. Throughout its history Renault has actively participated in motorsport, having regularly featured in Formula 1, and created its own Formula Renault racing series. This sporting influence has carried over into such lauded models as the 5 Turbo 2, Spider, 8 Gordini, and the Clio V6.