It had a number of novelties. Such as child-proof locks on the rear doors, a thermostatically controlled cooling fan and brakes with pressure equalization between the front and rear brakes. As one of the first family cars on the market, it had a closed cooling system – no control of water and antifreeze.
You have to go all the way back to 1898 to find the start for Renault. It happened in Paris, and the man was Louis Renault.
The first car was built in a small shed in his parents' garden outside Paris. As for other start-up car factories, it was important to participate in car races, and Renault won its first victories before 1900. The next models followed the development of the market, bigger cars with stronger engines. In 1923, a small car appeared to take on the competition with Citroën. The theme of small cars was followed up in 1946 with the model 4 CV. It was one of the smallest 4-door passenger cars that has been serially produced. It was followed by the Dauphine in 1956. One of the most famous models, the R4 came in 1962 with front-wheel drive. In the future, a number of new family cars arrived. Some with rear-wheel drive (R8) and others with front-wheel drive (R5/R6/R12/R16). There have been many popular family cars from Renault and that is still the trend.
Renault 4
The Renault 4 was presented in September 1961. It was a simple and practical car to compete with the Citroën 2cv. With a practical and simple interior, this was a real utility vehicle. It had a number of news items. Such as child-proof locks on the rear doors, a thermostatically controlled cooling fan and brakes with pressure equalization between the front and rear brakes. As one of the first family cars on the market, it had a closed cooling system – no control of water and antifreeze. A typical French car with good comfort and good driving characteristics. It was Renault's first front-wheel drive passenger car. But unlike the popular Morris Mini, the R4 engine had longitudinal seats. When the NAF tested the model in 1962, it was praised for easy maintenance (no lubrication points) and low fuel consumption. Like most French cars at the time, there were leaks and poor installation. Gradually, new models came with better interior design and larger engines.
Facts about Renault 4
Top speed: 120 km/h
Engine: 845 ccm
Measurements: Length 365 cm, width 148 cm
Produced:
1962 - 1993
See
Anders de Lange
Anders de Lange writes about car history. He has written about cars and car history for over 30 years, published his own books and written for the Norwegian car press.
