Bill Williams memory lives on through his Clenet Automobile.

Tom Pierpoint, President of The Clenet Cluster, with Alain Clenet.

These wonderful, limited edition automobiles were built in the late 70’s and early 80’s by Clenet Coachworks of Santa Barbara, CA. There has been a recent strong interest in these vehicles most probably due to the fact that they are becoming “classic neo-classics” as they all approach 30 years of age. We are probably a bit biased, but we think they are the most elegant automobiles ever produced.

The William P. Williams family, showed Bill’s Classic Clenet, Series 1, number 13 at the Santa Barbara Concours, Oct 30th, as well as The La Quinta Concours d’Elegance, this year, where it won 2 place in the Neo-Classic, category.

Bill Williams Clenet, showed with 20 other Classic Clenet, owners, at Alain Clenet’s, Coachworks, 35 Anniversary.

Steve Kourocas, (Clenet Coachworks original fabricator,) Alain Clenet, (designer and owner of Clenet Coachworks,) with Bill Williams daughter, Donna Williams.

Donna Williams with her cousin Ann Louise Williams-Corbett, enjoying the Concours.




Clénet is an automobile series with old retro styling, mixed with modern technology. Each limited-production model was conceived, designed, and produced by a small team of men and women in Santa Barbara County, California in the 1970s and 1980s. The automobile’s distinctive styling was based on the high-end automobiles of the 1930s. Despite their retro looks, Clénets used modern drive trains and suspension systems.

My father, Bill Williams, the ultimate Gatsby…