Old Skool Renault

[Vista]

Not much of a lover of French cars but I do love quirky retro stuff and this Renault 4 Van tucked away down the side of a French Renault dealer that I drove past this afternoon has retro cool quirkiness in spades. Loving the livery too!

 

A friend had a car version of one of these in the 80's, it was rubbish at just about everything but I have always remembered it fondly for some reason.

[HotRodMatt]

Yep, must admit a strange fondness for the van version.

[jas]

Is that the one where the gear stick  was like a bar u pull out of the dash then hope for the best.

[Vista]

Is that the one where the gear stick was like a bar u pull out of the dash then hope for the best.

Yep, that's the one. 1st in and left, 2nd out and left, 3rd in and right and then fourth out and right.

[accord83]

I had a car in 1979, fantastic bit of French insanity, corner like the chassis was on rails, but the body was attached to a hot air balloon. It got 40 mpg driven gently or thrashed with a big stick, and would cross a ploughed field with ease. The gearbox was in front of the engine and the lever went through the dash board, over the length of the engine, then 90deg down into the box, mental. Loved it and would love another (but with R5 Gordini mechs).

[mk2dk]

That's a great looking Renault. Not fond of french cars either, but always had a soft spot for these little vans. Postmen used them i Denmark in the 70s. They handled well and did better in terrain than some 4x4s did. Remember from my parents garage, when a postman turned up in his Renault 4 with one front corner sitting very low, it was usually a broken front torsion-spring, and all mechanics suddenly disapeared The doors are stopped by a piece of nylon, looks like a piece belt from french military trousers.

mk2dk