(first posted 2/5/2013) So far in this series, we’ve seen only British cars from this storage yard. While most of its inhabitants originated in the UK, there were also a few mainland Europeans. So, in the words of Monty Python, “and now for something completely different.” In things automotive, the French can always be counted on for something rather different, and while Renault might be one of their more conservative makes, the R4 is still a little quirky by North American standards.
By the mid-1950s, the Renault 4CV was looking a little old fashioned next to its better-selling Citroën 2CV rival. Even as Citroën embraced front-wheel drive both at the top and bottom end of the market, Renault jumped into rear-engine designs in a big way after World War II. With the new R4, Renault, perhaps realizing much sooner than others that rear-engine designs were on the way out, switched to a front-engine, front wheel drive layout–or maybe they were just hedging their bets, since their 8, 10 and other models continued with rear engines.
Unlike in a modern front-wheel drive car, it wasn’t a transverse-engine layout with the gearbox on the side; the engine was placed longitudinally, with the gearbox at the front (picture something like a conventional rear-drive layout turned around with the gearbox, drive-shaft and differential all in one). It was a very logical move for Renault, given that it was the same configuration that they were already using in the rear-engined 4CV, now just mounted in front.
At the time, FWD represented quite a novel technical innovation; the construction of the R4 body did not. The 4CV had been one of the earlier adopters of unibody construction, but with the R4,Renault reverted to body-on-frame construction, both for its ability to stand up to harsh rural roads and cheaper production costs.
It turned out quite well, as Renault was able to create a few other R4-body variants, including the Plein Air and, six years later, essentially rework it to create the more modern-looking Renault 6.
Engine-wise, Renault took the safe route, using the old 4CV water-cooled four engine in the early cars. They had considered an air-cooled unit like the German Volkswagen’s, or a two-cylinder engine along the lines of the 2CV’s, but rather debut a new and, untested engine and front-wheel drive simultaneously, Renault decided to offer the tired-and-tested 4CV unit in two different displacements. The R3 was offered with very basic trim and 603 cc underhood, while the R4 was offered with a 747 cc engine, in both basic and more complete trim levels. By 1963, the underpowered R3 had been phased out, and the R4 got an 845 cc engine, essentially the same unit used in the Dauphine. Renault made slightly larger engines available (based on trim level and sales market) during the late 70s and the 80s.
An odd decision saw the R3/R4 launched with a three-speed gearbox (with a non-synchronized first gear) when chief rival Citroën already had a four-speed box. Even odder, the gearbox wasn’t a previously built carryover from prewar years, but a fresh design. It took until 1963 for all three gears to have synchromesh, and until 1968 for a four-speed unit to replace the three-speed. The gear lever itself is a little, odd-looking thing that sprouts from the dash.
A Fiero packed in tight up front prevented me from opening the hood for a photo, but I do remember the design since a friend of mine showed me the linkage about seven or eight years ago. There is a steel bar that starts at the shift lever, goes through the dash, then over the top of the engine, and finally down into the gearbox. As you might imagine, the feel is a little vague, but likely no worse than a rear-engined car of the era. Shifting is a slightly strange affair: You need to twist and move around the shifter in order to find a gear, which I’m told becomes second nature with enough practice.
Steering was by rack-and-pinion, and there were drum brakes all around. Suspension-wise, the R4/4 (‘R’ was dropped from 1965 on) featured a four-wheel independent design with front wishbones/longitudinal torsion-bars and rear torsion bars, all very much influenced by the Citroen 2CV. The rear torsion bars went crosswise, and the rear wheels were staggered 1.9 inches, thus giving one side a slightly longer wheelbase. Long-travel soft shocks were fitted to better deal with France’s then-rutted roads. In practice, the R4 gave a very compliant ride over any terrain, as well as safe handling (with lots of French-style body roll). Renault also did away with lubrication points, which decreased required scheduled maintenance. This suspension would eventually carry over to the later Renault 5.
The interior itself is fantastically basic, with only a handful of levers and toggle switches. The doors even used fabric strips to limit their travel. Our example has the updated 1967 dash that featured a backlit speedometer and a bank of rocker switches.
On the outside, this car has the updated grille that envelops the headlights. Debuting in 1968, it features the spelled-out “Renault” name in place of the Renault logo in the pre-1972 grille. (If one of you can nail down the exact year, I’ll be grateful.) Side windows are a very simple sliding affair.
Produced over an impressive 31-year run that ended in 1992, the R4/4 sold 8,135,424 examples in almost every part of the world. The biggest exception: It never was sold officially in the United States. Perhaps Renault figured it wouldn’t sell in the chrome, comfort, size and performance-obsessed America of the 1960s. Of course, the Beetle found a ready market in the same time period, and I’d judge the 4 to be even more practical than the more-famous Bug. It did sell, for a short time and in limited numbers, in Canada. The only other one I’ve seen is this very bright 1971 Renault F4 cargo van at a show-and-shine a few years back. As with most other French cars, I suspect it had greater success in Quebec.
Chrysler tinkered briefly with a very Renault 4-like vehicle called the Chrysler Composite Concept Vehicle, an easily produced, cheap-to-run four-door hatchback. If you squint, you can see what a modernized 4 might have looked like.
Great car, rather overshadowed by the 2CV but currently undergoing something of a rennaisance. I once attempted to sleep in one- not a pleasant experience! They are very narrow so not very comfortable. The Renault 16 also had unequal track- by about 3″. Im not sure why, perhaps someone could shed some light on this fwd Renault quirk?
The wheelbase differences had something to do with rear springs. The R5 (le car) had the same thing. Think I remember a good article on the subject at AUWM.
These cars had long transverse torsion bar springs. The unequal-length wheelbase was to avoid having the left and right springs overlap — the springs are staggered, essentially.
R16 also had this rear suspension setup. Same engine/differential/trans setup as well. Same as Citroen Traction Avant and DS19/21. Also the same as a VW Beetle etc., just slid up to the front.
A fascinating car. The body on this one looks amazingly rust-free. I would love to drive one just to experience that shifter.
You read my mind — that shifter setup is intriguing to say the least!
It probably works just like a Citroen 2CV, which I learned in one drive around the block.
I remember seeing some print ads for these in the early 70s but I’ve never seen one on the street, although R8s were still semi common in the early 70s.
Thats what took so long to engineer 4 speeds in the box is simple that shifter is odd
The shifter design was quite common with FWD vehicles (pre-war and after the war).
DKW did it (c.f http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:DKW-F5_Meisterklasse_2.JPG&filetimestamp=20120712125228)
Citroen did it, with the “Traction Avant” (cf. http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cats-citroen.net/citroen_museum/ta_11b_ber_54/ta11b_17.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cats-citroen.net/citroen_museum/ta_11b_ber_54/index.html&h=600&w=800&sz=92&tbnid=Nnu5OVbKbAq0gM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=120&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcitroen%2Btraction%2Bavant%2Binterior%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=citroen+traction+avant+interior&usg=__FNjWQ9Gw3cUmSH11n0kiJGaUVlM=&docid=UfluzYXxAzO49M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=CY4RUZn4Bc_LswbXkYCgBg&ved=0CCwQ9QEwAA&dur=286)
Citroen also did it with the 2CV, Ami 6.
Renault used it in FWD cars, as well.
It’s a normal H-pattern at the gearknob, only with the left-right pivot point much nearer the hand rather than somewhere under the floor…
I’d like a look around this yard myself, hope there ‘s a few more visits in store
Most of the stuff is now sold off and scattered but I do have a few more articles planned yet.
Hi I saw this Renault when Clem owned the lot and the cars, do you know whatever happened to the R4
thanks
Hi David,
My first car was a Renault 4 at 1980 and I am interested to rebuild or buy a used Renault 4, could you tell me where was these storage yard. I live in Sarnia Canada. Thanks
My esoteric auto knowlege is largely centered on american brands (though this site is fixing that day by day). The first thing I think of when I see that is Romancing the Stone!
That was my first thought as well, though I don’t remember these selling in the US, so that’s probably why I don’t have a memory of these domestically (please correct me if I’m wrong). I wonder if these float (the movie footage seems to indicate they do, though this could have been special effect)? Guess they could also have used a VW bug for that purpose, people always used to say they could float.
I guess they were trying to reuse parts from rear engine/rear wheel drive models. so no transverse FWD (a la mini, which probably dates from around that same time). Guess that’s also the reason for the odd gearshift arrangement.
Interestingly, these look to be sized very small….in fact smaller than the rear engine rear wheel drive Renaults that were imported into the US (the Dauphine, R8, R10). My Dad had an R10, and it seemed pretty roomy to me for a subcompact car (small 4 door, a bit bigger than a VW beetle)…though
I guess when they came up with the R16 they made about that same size but with FWD. Guess back then they probably didn’t choose to import the very small sized vehicles (and those they did import seemed to go away after 1967) except for the Honda 600, Subaru 360, and Fiat 850. The very small cars seem to be back making inroads in the US especially when gas prices rise (albeit with more modern engines and safety equipment required for models sold here)
They weren’t sold in the US market but were in limited numbers. They are roughly Beetle size. Very narrow but definitely bigger than a Subaru 360 or Honda 600.
I was looking for my langostino…..
During our visit to the Netherlands in 1979 my Uncle had one, and we drove around with 8 people packed into his R4. My cousin and I were in the trunk compartment.
I love that shift linkage, I can imagine being a fly on the wall for the design review for that:
Well, uh now the gearbox is backwards and the shifter is behind the grille…
We could use cables, or one of those nifty linkages that the F3 cars use!
Mais Non! Too expensive. Let’s put a rubber collar on the end of a stick and poke it through the firewall.
Cables are typically garbage, one of the worst things about UK FWD cars like the Maxi was the awful cable linkage. A mechanical connection is usually better so from any kind of usability they made the right choice.
At first, I’d like to say that I’m french guy who enjoys reading this site every lunch hour.
So, for my first comment here, I’d like to add that the Renault 4 was nicknamed “quatrelle” over here.
At first, Renault sold the Renault 3, the Renault 4, and the Renault 4 L, the L standing for “Luxe”. “4 L”, or “quatrelle”, then became the common name.
I also like to add that Renault was not one of the most conservative french builder. At least not until recently.
Historically, the conservative french builder has always been Peugeot.
If Renault was not as revolutionary as Citroën used to be, it was definitely a carmaker on the “and now for something completely different” side.
A lot of vehicles built by Renault created their own niche / market in Europe : the Renault 16, the Renault Espace (which nobody wanted to build, especially Peugeot who basically turned a moneymaker when they turned down Matra’s offer to build that car), the Renault Twingo, the Renault Scenic…
Trouble is Renault pushed the “think out of the box” thing a bit too far by creating the Renault Avantime (http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Avantime) and the Renault Vel Satis (http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Vel_Satis), whose design should not be discussed at family reunions unless someone wants to start a fight…
Renault is much more conservative in its design now, mostly because of the failure of the Avantime and the Vel Satis.
I would think a French perspective would be quite welcome here…thanks for posting.
thanks Julien.
I think the Avantime, like the Chrysler Airflow, was a car built ahead of its time.
As for the R4’s little brother, the R6, I enjoy watching that vintage ad about 2 guys arguing about “my car is better then your car” until they surprised to see then they owned the same model. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeXrIMi0z1w
The British press had a lot of complaints about the Avantime beyond the styling — they felt that the chassis wasn’t well-sorted (they were hoping for traditional French cossetting smoothness), the 2.0-liter turbo engine was a little underpowered for the weight and the 3.0-liter V6 quite thirsty for most European buyers.
Still, Ford is now making a big deal out of the lack of B-pillars on the new B-Max, something the Avantime did in 2001, so Stéphane may have a point…
I am convinced the design of the whole Renault line-up of thearly 2000’s was the boldest of any manufacturer, maybe beside BMW. But unlike BMW, the Renaults were all classy, elegant and unique. Especially the Avantime, the VelSatis, the Megane, the Espace and to a lesser extent even the Clio and Laguna. It’s a real shame how incredibly dull and boring Renaults are now just a generation after …
I like both the Avantine and the Vel Satis! Renault imported one Vel Satis here to New Zealand for a 2002/3 motor show, I remember being entranced by it – very different, and very me! I’ve only seen one other one on the roads here over the past 10 years though, so my chances of owning one are fairly low… I also passed an Avantine on the highway last year – it looked incredibly unique and stylish in the metal; also one for the bucket list of cars to own one day!
Think you ment “unique and stylish in the plastic.”
Haha, yes, very true 🙂
Good-looking car. Looks like space utilization ain’t bad, either.
MUCH rather have the VW 181/Thing next to it!
I wouldn’t really call it body on frame, as the frame can not stand on its own. Unlike the Beetle platform, the R4 platform isn’t that rigid. When the body is off, the frame has to be jigged, or it will sag. It’s really something in between, more like an integrated front- and rear subframe with the body on top. Mounted together, they support each other. Citroen made something similar with the CX, where the subframes are connected with thin frame rails underneath the body.
From what I’ve read they aren’t as easy as one would suspect to restore for exactly that reason.
The Renault 4’s chassis / floorpan is completely self-supporting and could be driven without a body if pedals and steering column were supported. Various fibreglass cars have used R4 or R6 chassis.
See attached pic for bare chassis.
I agree that this is not what most Americans would consider a body on frame. To me, the R4 is the definition of a platform frame, very similar to a VW type 1 and 3.
I had the pleasure to drive my uncle David’s Renault 6 (the larger version of this car) and the gearbox was a pain in the butt to learn, althought you got used to it.
However, the R4 is a classic car to have. The late 70s models are very tough and low-compression engines can run on unleaded (Spain had leaded gasoline until *gasp* 2000). The 80s versions had extremely comfortable seats, as long as you aren’t fat, they offer a pleasant ride. Have a glimpse of a too-spanish ad from 1983 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8yvS0kjMLs
A commeter said the nicknames in France. In Spain, where basically the 4L was the model on sale, it was called “4 latas” (four tins) because of the quality of the sheetmetal.
When I was living in Paris (sorry, never get tired of dropping that line) in the mid-90s, these things were still everywhere, particularly in the light truck versions. Here’s one belonging to France Telecom, about two blocks from my flat near Gare de l’Est, that I posted to the Cohort a while back.
Brilliant concept. I will never trust French engineering (or German business ethics, see Chrysler (Daimler) and Volkswagen, recent history) but I can appreciate the concept. And applaud the flexibility. Imagine…a basic car that with minor changes can be a beach buggy or family car or sedan delivery!
Especially rare is finding one in one piece in America. And…hitting the lottery of rareness…finding one next to a VW Type 181 “Thing” kubelwagen.
‘german business ethics’….. the Germans hardly need me to defend them so I won’t —- but as if our business ethics are any better?
Actually I think so…low as both are. As crudely exploitative as GM was in the 1960s/70s/80s…Daimler elevated that to a whole new level when staging a takeover of Chrysler and a raid on its treasury by pretending it to be a “merger of equals.” I understand Maximum Bob had a few pithy things to say about BMW’s alleged ethics, although I haven’t yet read them. And VW…good, old, value-driven VW. Know what put their sales in the dumpster, back in the early 1990s? Good cars, and a few not so good ones…sold and serviced by people with the ethics of a grave robber. I owned a Westfalia Vanagon at the time, had trouble with the in-tank fuel pump…it’s a long story and off-topic, but they used me like a peep-show patron uses a Kleenex.
So…yeah. There are differences. Renault, for all its proven substandard engineering…did the very best by both AMC and later, Nissan. The Nissan marriage, in fact, was a perfect fit: Successful engineering meets enlightened design and managed to the benefit of all.
Think about your comment the next time you are booking a flight. Airbus or Boeing…
Interesting viewpoint but my little bomb is known as the French Corolla due to its reliability and French cars were until recently still being made in parts of Africa where roads are optional, So just which part of French engineering is untrustworthy.
In the mid-80’s I travelled around Europe in a rental Opel Corsa and took it over to the UK, where I stayed with some old family friends. Their older daughter offered to take me and her sister on a day road trip around the south of England, and since she knew the roads and had a roomier car she would drive. I expected a
Cortina or Marina or something British, so was surprised when she pulled up in an R4. But after a few hours the charm had worn off. It was slow, noisy and the shifting was a constant distraction for me in the passenger seat. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen in in the states, though I have seen 4CVs. In rural France, I have seen many R4’s stuffed with livestock of the smaller variety.
I was sitting here thinking in a stereotypical fashion that I had never owned or driven a Renault and was back and forth on whether that pleased me. The 4cv was pretty big when I was a kid and I seem to remember that I liked it.
Then it hit me that the Nissan Cube in my driveway has a renault counterpart running around Europe and probably Brazil. So much for stereotypes about french cars. I love the one I have and would like to have had the 4cv. I think it out volkswagened the vw beetle.
Although the R4 was not the first small FWD hatchback, it takes credit for popularizing that body style. It was remarkably roomy (although narrow), for its overall size. A whole generation of Europeans experienced the advantages of a hatchback, thanks to the R$ to a large extent. IKEA owes its existence to the R4.
“IKEA owes it’s existence to the R4” …. absolutely nails it! brilliant!
Great little car that was part of the French landscape for decades and is now gaining popularity as a popular classic. They were just about everywhere until the end of the 1990s. Of course they were noisy and slow but (slightly) less so than their main competitor, ie. the 2CV. You had 4L families and you had 2CV families. Mine was a Citroen family so I’m biaised, but with time I began to appreciate the old Renault girl too. You can still spot some of them being used as daily drivers, notably in rural areas. They are easy to fix, dirt cheap to run, and among the best lightweight offroad vehicles you can find short of a FWD. Just make sure they don’t rust through totally…
BTW, the one pictured here by David looks remarkably good, won’t anyone save it? Hey, they might even throw in the Kubelwagen for free! Or the other way round…
It’s really hard to nail down the exact year on this one. It has to be a 1970, give or take… Thanks for posting!
I thought long and hard about buying this one but after remembering that it has been sitting in long grass for a decade or so I wasn’t sure how rusty it might be underneath.
Rust is the ever present enemy of old French cars if they arent cared for early in life the bodywork just disolves, Later cars like mine are fully galvanised.
Did you buy anything out of that yard? If so…what?
I tried to buy one that is yet to come. Had to pass when the brakes were locked solid. Not a huge problem in the comfort of one’s garage but a big deal hundreds of kms from home in a very, very muddy yard. Couldn’t even get the drums off.
The Renault 4 was also popular in Argentina, from what I see on this vintage ad from the late 1960s/early 1970s.
I owned one of these in 2004 when I was living in London for the brief three months before it failed its MOT on rust and went to the scrapyard. My memories were quite positive- the seats (in my GTL at least) were extremely comfortable- better than anything I’d had- including American luxury cars. ( I hadn’t yet had a Citroen or Saab yet though to compare it to). That gearshift was actually quite positive, nicely positioned and fun to use, and with 1100cc, it was able to drive very nippily on the motorway- and in the leaning-tower-of-french-car sort of way very fun on the twisties.
As Olivier said though, rust is the killer. In the UK, people would pay big money for that scrapper in the picture. Mine didn’t look that bad, but I had a ‘creak’ on some bumps. when I rocked the car, I could see the chassis flex where the rear suspension arm mounted into the frame- the stub of the rear sill it was bolted to had rusted on the sides and top, and was only hanging only by the flexing metal at the bottom. It was beyond economical repair, and sadly was taken away by the scrapman for £20. A great car in many ways, and if it was galvanized, would have been a real winner.
The ventoux and similar cleon engine by the way found itself in 1400cc form into the Volvo 340 of all things, mated to a rubber band transmission.
Renault always did well in making ingenious small boxes for dry climates. These 4’s and most other simple Renaults could be very reliable until damp got into them.
Since the mid 90s, Renault’s reputation has gone downhill significantly. They sold out to the electronics brigade, and suffered one of the worst reputations in Europe for breakdowns- having the unholy trinity of engine faults, poor electrics and diabolical automatic gearboxes- but at least they don’t rust now.
I know that Lada is looking to Renault to teach it about quality, but I’d trust a five year old Lada on a road trip far before a five year old Renault.
Looking at the side view I see that the rear portion of the body is oddly symmetrical front to rear. I wonder if that rear quarter glass is the same on both sides.
I’d prefer the Thing or the Fiero, but I’d take it if it were offered to me. That looks to me like quite the junkyard.
The orange car in the back isnt a Kubelwagen/Thing but a Renault Rodeo. The Renault Rodeo is based on the same underpinning as the R4.
My eyes are on the blue Lada/Fiat combi in the back. One of my all time favorites.
Nope – the orange one is definitely a Thing
I love how clean this car looks. I’d love to have it just for the “quirk” factor.
Love these things.
While hitching from Barcelona to the French border in 1969, a young fellow stopped to give me a lift in his R4.
We had quite a spirited ride.
Franco was still in power at the time and my driver was no friend of the Fascist general. Every time he related another travesty that Franco had wrought upon the Spanish people, he would slam the gear shift lever into the dashboard and just as quickly drag it back out again, poised for yet another visceral emphasis in a litany of sins that went on for the duration of our trip.
I enjoyed the ride immensely and developed a real respect for a car that could lend its mechanical design to putting the tin horn dictator in his place.
As a kid in the early ’70’s, I saw a few of these in Canada, but they were pretty rare. Some friends of our family owned one, and I remember going to check it out. I’d never seen anything like it up close, and to my ten year old mind it was a very quirky and unusual car, especially next to my dad’s then-brand-new ’73 Impala coupe. That was the last time I saw one of these in anything but a movie set in France.
Due to circumstances of family and location, I was exposed to many obscure European cars considering I grew up in the US in the ’50’s/’60’s. I even had a brief infatuation with R16’s in high school. But I still generally held the stereotypical prejudice against Renaults. Two events have swayed me, though. I once ran out of gas in rural Virginia on a Sunday morning, in the mid-seventies. Dozens of families in American cars passed me by, probably on the way to church. Finally a man driving an R10 stopped, took me to the gas station, and gave me a ride back and made sure I could restart my ’72 F100. I still remember that the man had a small Buddha figurine on his dashboard. That was my only ride in a Renault until 2004, when I rented a Megane Diesel and drove over 1000 miles in France and Spain. Even after the novelty of driving a punchy, economical turbo Diesel and a Renault had worn off, this car was really great. I don’t know about long-term reliability or durability, but the blend of comfort, ride, handling, space efficiency, and yes, accoutrements of this car was better than any equivalent car I’d driven in the US. Everywhere I drove, from snow-covered backroads crossing the Pyrenees, an endless autoroute grind from Paris to Provence, and dealing with downtown Barcelona traffic, this car was excellent. carrying four of us and lots of luggage. Even the unusual rear profile provided good space and visibility. The current Nissan Versa hatch sold in the US seems to have a little Megane heritage, at least visually.
I somewhat grew up in these … my mom had lots of them, a new one in another colour any two or three years. i remember an orange, a red, a yellow and finally a green one, which my mother flipped down some hill on a rainy day. no harm was done, except the car was totaled. i remember how funnily squeezed the “frog” (well, it was green!) looked on the dealers’ lot when she shopped for a new one … and how disappointed she was that the dealer had just sold the last ones available some weeks earlier (must have been sometime in 1988/1989). so next was a blue “supercinq” instead, with not nearly as much personality.
aaah, fond memories … though i liked my fathers Citroen CX’s much much much more!
Oh, what a car! My father had one like this. We used to call it El Choclo (the shoe) because of its shape. It was a 1974 R4, as it was sold in México. The gas tank hold only 22 liters and with it it was possible to travel a distance of little more than 250 miles. We used to drive that distance from Chihuahua to El Paso and we still some gas left before refilling in this city. Crosswinds and drafts caused by heavier vehicles never were a problem, possibly because the excellent suspension and front wheel drive. The shifting pattern was the same as that of the floor mounted stick shift, and Reverse was all the way to the right and then back towards the front seat. On one of those trips the coolant deposit (a templated crystal bottle) shattered due to the excessive heat, and we tried to get the replacement in the parts shops located on Montana Avenue with no luck. The first time that we went to El Paso in this car, at the border crossing point, Customs officials were asking about the car’s features and if it was Mexican, well, they even asked “the name” of the car, probably they’ve never seen one before. They abounded in Chihuahua in the 60s and the 70s, fading away in the mid 80s. Oh, what memories and what car!
If you would like to see lots of 4s go to the middle or soucth of France where the climate is kind to old cars. Lost count of how many I saw a few years back. Nice article and much prefer the 4 to the Citroen 2CV.
The suspension and mechanical layout is more inspired by the Citroen Traction Avant than the 2CV. The main difference being the Traction has a dead beam axle with trailing arms (a bit like a twist beam), at the back but the R4 is trailing arm and fully independent.
Regarding the strange shifter, the oldest car I saw with this type of shifter was a L29 Cord in the classic car museum of Torino Italy.
I have memories of 4L when working in north western rural France at the turn of century,
4L was the car of choice for farmers , it was used like a pickup truck with rear seat taken out.
I once talked to a farmer and asked him what was the point of using R4 in his job , he came out with a quite a rational explanation which I reproduce here:
” I have no other viable choice, either I should buy a Japanese light pickup truck which is too expensive or a French van which is not sturdy enough for using over unpaved tracks here”
This statement really tells about the popularity of this car in rural France , it is a pitty that Renault did not discover this market niche and phased out 4L, they could have modernized it with a diesel engine and stiffened chassis to create a real farm work horse.
I like to echo Juan’s comment. We had a ’71 R4 in Germany and bought another one about 10 years later. The shift pattern in the ’71 was an offset H. The cane is straight up when in neutral. Twist it left and pull back into 1st. Push forward into neutral and a spring snaps it straight up, push again and you are in 2nd. Pull straight back and you are in 3rd. Push forward into neutral and twist right, push forward into 4th. The advantage of this pattern is that 2 and 3 are in a straight line. That covered about 80% of the shifting!
In our second R4 they went to a conventional H, we hated that.
Aside form the rust the weak spot were the brakes: 4 tiny drums in 4 tiny wheels. They constantly needed attention.
This car was cheap and proud of it! All glass was flat, the windows were sliding windows, the ventilation was a simple flap at the cowl. But there were child safe door locks in the rear. The headlights could be adjusted into a low position with a lever for when the car is loaded. The ride was unbelievably comfortable in particular when compared tot he VW beetle. I miss the R4, I don’t miss my beetle. By the way, the orange car is indeed a VW Thing, The Renault Rodeo wouldn’t have the tank in the front since it is a front engine design.
The longest trip we did in the R4 was across the alps to the Mediterranean near Rijeka, former Yugoslavia.
And now the R4 is even Pope approved!
I have a 1974 renault 4l I drive DAILY in Alabama U.S. I love my car and plan on holding onto it, but if there would be some one interested, I just might sell it for the right price. 256-403-8756. Christiannxn@yahoo.com. Thanks!
Hello, I’m Julian a yung guy that is looking for a renault 4 here in the U.S.A.
I live in Houston, TX and I been looking for this car for 7 years. If some one have eny information to help me find one to bye I’ll be very glad for your suport. This car was my childhood and it will be great to have one back to me.
Interesting. I’ve never seen the innards of a 4. EVERYTHING is different from the Dauphine/8/10 family. The only parts that look familiar are the windshield washer pushbutton and the signal and light levers!
Interesting find, didn’t realize these were sold in canada
Nice to see this post again! It brings back a lot of memories for me. It is also how I found Curbside Classic. The lead in picture appeared in a Google search and I clicked on the link. Thanks, David!
Oh it’s one of those rerun posts. Anyway, there have been other modern R4 concepts.
http://super-cars-2011.blogspot.com/2011/09/renault-4-ever-concept-obendorfers.html
Neat article that I missed first time round. The R3 was so bare it didn’t even get a rear side window.
Excellent article on an iconic car. Found one in Japan a few months back, albeit a later ’80s car with plastic moulding everywhere. Might write a post on it. Somehow, these are very popular with the Tokyo hipster set, who are odten importing them straight from France.
For
For me
Formidable
One of the best cars ever made, launched in a time when we embraced the Mini, the Frenchman was not French at all, he had no attitude but just did his thing for a Europe that was going to hit the road en masse in the sixties.
It had no attitude but was plain practical and did everything it had to do in a better way the Volkswagen Beetle did, it drove much better thanks to its FWD had better road holding, had a decent heater and top of the bill, it was the first successful hatchback ever launched.
We loved it, we embraced it, we bought one, drove it into the ground and bought another one.
The basic design never changed during the R4’s life and so did the people who had one, a simple reliable no-nonsense form of transport, premium in its own way, premium because it was so modest .
Ow and they drove well.
Very very well.
Perhaps this is the first small car that drove as a real mature car, remember the Renault R5 or Le Car was based on the R4.
J’adore !
D’accord!
Wrong car in the picture, though.
Oddly I bought a red Renault R8S 10 years ago scrolling through Autoscout24 ads looking for a Renault 4.
I saw a picture of a dashboard that was for sure not from an R4, and three days later I was on the way to a place near Rome to pick up my R8S
In Madagascar, these things are all over the streets, mostly as taxis, but they are still used as daily drivers. I had the opportunity to ride in a couple during my stay over there and as rough as the roads are there, the car was quite competent. I believe it was a later model since the dash layout was a bit more advanced than the picture shown above. Still had that crazy shifter though.
I know this thread is old, but just yesterday saw this Renault 4L, locally built in Uruguay over an Argentinian “chassis”. The rear portion of the cab, including the open trunk, or bed, was made of fiberglass. They were really common in the early 70’s and most were in this color. Taking into account the massive amount of dirt, dust and grease all over it, the pre-2000 license plate, and the lack of a steering wheel, I’d say this one has been in storage for perhaps 20 years.
Another view
Still one more
Sorry for the blurry images and the tilted last one.
Bizarrely, the last image corrects if one clicks through.
It IS a Renault, mind…
We used to refer to those as a punt-type chassis, BTW. The Triumph Herald was similar, but the upper panels were attached – a bit like a Lloyd, with its welded bulkhead and side panels. The Citroën DS and Rover 2000 (P6) had the pillars welded-on and the rest bolted, so they were a development of the same idea.
The R4 was very 2CV in that regard.
I thought the IKEA comment apposite – both Frenchies had a second life as a student-type car outside of rural France.
I do wonder if the Nissan Pao & Rasheen might’ve been a missed opportunity.
If you think of the gearshift mechanism as a remote way of shifting an ordinary top-loader gearbox (like almost every American car of the ’30’s had) it makes tremendous sense. It is more direct and probably gives more feedback “feel” from the gearbox than the multiple push-pull cable linkages used by almost everyone more recently. It is as if your hand was relocated to the gearshift “cane” under the hood, and the transmission was from a ’36 Ford. It maybe reflects quirky Gaellic thinking, but it makes a lot of sense to me and I’m a frugal farm-boy Yankee.
Well said fellow Yankee. I find the comments about the shifter and the different wheelbases for the rear wheels a reflection of the provincialism that inhabits the American motorist mind. Hardly unique to Americans, but realizing that the conditions and expectations of 70 years ago in France called for radically different solutions than mid western US of the same time explains a lot. It is a big world.
Thanks for this post, Dave. Wish you had purchased the R4 from the storage yard, then skillfully restored it. Then I could have purchased it for my girlfriend, who drove a yellow R4 for years in Germany before emigrating to Canada. She still has fond memories of driving it all the way to Finland for a summer job (after ferrying across the Baltic Sea). I would be nice to see any Renault at the upcoming European Car show in Calgary at Stanley Park Saturday July 20. I’ll be there with my Fiat X1/9, along with probably 3 other X1/9s, as well as 150 other cars. Come on out !