Renault 4
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Renault 4 | ||
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Kerb weight 600–750 kg (1,323–1,653 lb) | | |
Chronology | ||
Predecessor | Renault 4CV | |
Successor | Renault Twingo |
The Renault 4, or R4 in short (and 4L, pronounced "Quatrelle", in French), is an
The car was launched at a time when several decades of economic stagnation were giving way to growing prosperity and surging car ownership in France. The first million cars were produced by 1 February 1966, less than four and a half years after launch;[6] eventually over eight million were built, making the Renault 4 a commercial success because of the timing of its introduction and the merits of its design. In early 2020, the 33-year production run of the Renault 4 was counted as the seventeenth most long-lived single generation car in history.[7]
Origins and strategy
The Renault 4 was Renault's response to the 1948 Citroën 2CV. Renault was able to review the advantages and disadvantages of the 2CV design. The Citroën had made motoring available to low-income people in France, and especially to farmers and other people in rural areas, for whom the car was as much a working tool as personal transport. The 2CV had been designed in the 1930s for use in the French countryside where the road network was poor - speed was not a requirement but a good ride, useful rough-terrain ability, a versatile body for load carrying, and economy and simplicity of operation were its key considerations. However, by the late 1950s, the 2CV was becoming outdated. Rural roads in France were improved and the national system of autoroutes was being developed. Agriculture was becoming more mechanized with fewer smallholdings and family farms for which the 2CV was designed. The Citroën had also proved popular with people living in towns and cities as affordable, economical transport but the 2CV's rural design brief made it less than ideal as a city car and, despite improvements, the late-1950s 2CV had a top speed of just 70 km/h (43 mph). Its air-cooled two-cylinder engine was reliable and economical but noisy and offered poor performance. The 2CV's suspension gave it an excellent ride and good grip and handling but was mechanically complex with many moving parts that required regular maintenance and lubrication at intervals as low as every 1000 miles (1600km). With its roots in the 1930s, the 2CV's styling was also outdated and, with its separate wing/fenders, had a relatively narrow and cramped body for its overall footprint. While the Citroën had been designed during the Great Depression when money was tight and living standards were relatively low, by the 1960s the French economy was growing and people would be able to afford a more modern, refined, and less utilitarian small car.
In early 1956,
The Renault 4 shared many design traits with the older Citroën 2CV to allow it to fulfill the same role as a versatile utility car, especially for people in rural France and other parts of the world with poor roads. It had a large structural platform with a separate body. It had front-wheel drive, long-travel fully independent suspension, and Rack and pinion steering. It had a simple body with minimal equipment, a large space for cargo or luggage, and 'deckchair' seats which could be easily removed. However, the Renault 4 updated this basic concept with a larger four-cylinder water-cooled engine with a sealed cooling system offering much better refinement and performance than the contemporary 2CV, with a top speed of over 104 km/h (65 mph). The suspension consisted of torsion bars which required no regular maintenance. The boxy full-width body offered more space for both passengers and luggage than the similar-sized 2CV and the car boasted an early hatchback body for greater practicality.
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1961–1967 Renault 4
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Rear view (1961–1967)
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1961–1962 Renault 3: with a smaller 603cc, just 3 taxable HP engine, without c/d-pillar windows and only in grey, competed with the 2CV but halted after just 2,526 sales.
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1967–1974 Renault 4L: For 1968 the car received a more modern aluminium grille that it would retain until 1974
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1974–1978 Renault 4L: In 1974 a plastic grille replaced the metal one
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1978 Renault 4GTL: a further mild facelift followed, on European market cars, in 1978
Launch of the R3 and R4
Renault launched the Renault 3 and the Renault 4 simultaneously in July 1961.[8] The cars shared the same body and most mechanical components, but the R3 was powered by a 603 cc version of the engine while the R4 featured a 747 cc engine.[4] This placed the R3 in the 3CV taxation class while the R4 was in the 4CV class. Maximum power output was rated by Renault as 22.5 hp (16.5 kW) for the R3, and 26.5 or 32 hp (19.5 or 23.5 kW) for the R4, depending on price level and the type of carburettor fitted.[4] Initially the base versions of the R3 and R4 came with a thick C-pillar behind each of the rear doors. Quarter glass was a 400 franc option for the basic R4. The extra visibility increased the weight of the vehicle, but these windows soon became standard for all R4s.[4]
The R3 and R4 were targeted at the
The basic version of the R3 was priced 40 francs below the lowest-priced version of the Citroën 2CV in 1961 and featured painted bumpers and grille, a simplified instrument panel, a single sun visor, no windshield washer, and no interior door trim panels.[4] This trim was also offered with the more powerful R4 engine. The R4L with six side windows, chrome-colored bumper and grille, as well as a less spartan interior cost 400 francs (roughly 8%) more than the R4 with its four side windows.[4] However, as with the Renault 4CV "Service" in 1953, customers shunned the basic model and in October 1962, the Renault R3 was discontinued, along with the most basic version of the Renault 4.[8]
A "Super" version (branded "de Luxe" in some export markets) with opening rear quarter-light windows and extra trim was also offered.[8] The de Luxe and Super versions of the R4L received a version of the engine from the Renault Dauphine giving them an engine capacity of 845 cc.[8] After the withdrawal of the 603 cc engined R3, the 747 cc R4 model continued to be listed with an entry-level recommended retail price, but the slightly larger-engined L versions were more popular. By 1965, Renault had removed the extra "R" from their model names: the Renault R4L thus became the Renault 4L.
Engines
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Early versions of the Renault R4 used engines and transmissions from the
Moving the engine from the rear of the 4CV to the front of the new model involved significant planning: design changes to the unit were introduced as part of the process. The inlet manifold was now a steel casting whereas on the 4CV it had been constructed of a light-weight alloy: this was driven by cost considerations now that aluminum was not so inexpensive as it had been fifteen years earlier.[4] Renault also took the opportunity to introduce a feature which subsequently became mainstream. Renault also designed a "sealed-for-life" cooling system, supported by a small expansion tank on the right side of the engine bay. The cooling system contained antifreeze intended to enable operation without topping up or other intervention throughout a car's life provided ambient temperatures below -40 C were avoided.[4]
The engines were larger than the small 425 cc (later 602 cc and 29 hp), engines in the 2CV. The R4 always had a four-cylinder
With time, the increasing trend to the production of Renault 4s in a wide range of countries reduces the validity of generalized statements as to which engines were fitted when: in French-built cars the old 845 cc engine continued in the low versions until the mid-1980s, but in 1978 the top-end Renault 4 GTLs received the new 1108 cc engine: this engine was not new to Renault, however, being the five-bearing "Sierra" engine, first installed in the Estafette van and R8 in the summer of 1962. A smaller version (956 cc) of this new engine finally replaced the by now venerable 845 cc engine in the 4 in 1986. Unlike the original "Billancourt" engine from the 4CV, the Sierra engine rotated in a clockwise direction, so fitting it required reversing the direction of the differential in the gear box in order to avoid producing a car with one forward speed and four reverse speeds.
Transmission
The initial transmission was a three-speed
Structure and running gear
The three principal new models introduced by Renault since the
Suspension
The R3 and R4 had four-wheel torsion-bar independent suspension. This was an innovation that would be copied on a succession of subsequent front-engined Renaults introduced during the 1960s and 70s.
The car features a shorter wheelbase on the left than on the right because the rear wheels are not mounted directly opposite one another.[10] This concept allowed a very simple design of the rear suspension using transverse torsion bars located one behind the other without affecting handling. The front torsion bars were longitudinal. The fixed end of the torsion bars is mounted on quadrants that can be adjusted via a holes/fixing bolt arrangement. This enables the suspension to be "beefed up" and the ground clearance increased. With specialist tools provided by Renault, adjustments can be made to provide the light 4L some off-road capabilities. This feature, along with the installation of a thick protecting aluminum plate under the engine, has been used by off-road drivers and student 4L Trophy entrants. Damping was provided by hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers on all four wheels.[4] Those at the rear were mounted virtually horizontally which avoided the intrusion of rear suspension componentry into the flat-floored passenger cabin.[4]
The longitudinal layout of the front-wheel drive engine and transmission with the engine behind the front axle, and gearbox/differential in front, is identical to the Citroën Traction Avant. The suspension is similar with the difference being the deletion of the Citroën's flexible beam between the rear wheels to give the Renault 4 fully independent rear suspension.
Around the world
- In Misael Pastranainaugurated the Renault plant in Envigado, Colombia.
- In Argentina and Chile the 4 van (Fourgonette) is known as "Renoleta", following the nickname given to the Citroën 2CV van, "Citroneta". Due to heavy taxation on passenger vehicles in the late 1950s, the first 2CVs were imported unfinished, only up to the front doors and completed with an Argentine-made pickup truck bed. The Spanish word for pickup truck is "camioneta", hence "Renoleta".
- In Italy the 4 was produced by the Alfa Romeo factory in Milan under license from 1962 to 1964. 41,809 R4s were built there.
- In Australia the car was produced between 1962 and 1966 in Heidelberg, Victoria but ceased production to make way for other models
- In Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia the car was known as "Mali div" (Little giant) or "četvorka"
- In Finland, the car was known as "Tipparellu" (Drop Rellu) from the marketing slogan No grease, no water, just a drop of fuel and as it had excellent fuel economy. Rellu is the common nickname for Renault cars in Finland.
- In Mexico, the Renault 4 was produced in DINA and Renaultin the fifties. Renault production ceased in 1976.
- In Ireland the car was first produced in a plant established in 1962 in Naas, and production was transferred to a new factory established in Wexford in 1972, production running until 1984.
- In REVOZd.d.
- In Portugal it had a CKD assembly line in Guarda from 1964 to 1989 where more than 190,000 units were assembled. It was known as "Quatro L" (four L) .
- In Spain the Renault 4L is known as "Cuatro latas" (four tins).
- In East Africa it became known as the "Roho". In Swahili Roho means spirit, soul or character perhaps reflecting the affection the vehicle gained.
- On September 7, 2013, Pope Francis accepted a white 1984 4L which had done 300,000 km, offered to him by father Renzo Zocca from Verona.[12]
Design
The Renault 4 was a basic car with a simple dashboard and sliding windows. Suspension and seats were designed for comfort, and ventilation and the heater were effective.
The Renault 4 was not significantly changed during its production. Exterior chrome trim was eventually phased out on all models, and aluminium grilles were replaced with plastic. There were three different dashboard designs. On the right side of the car at the back the position of the fuel filler was raised by approximately 15 cm (6 in) less than a year after the car's launch;[4] other than that, changes to the body panels were limited to a slightly altered hood and hinges.
Renault developed new small cars, the
Variants
There were many different 'special edition' Renault 4s. Some (including the Safari, Sixties, and Jogging) were sold in special colour schemes, upholstery and other details, while others (Clan, Savane) were standard models with special decals.
There were also special models that were not solely a marketing exercise, such as the Renault 4 Sinpar 4x4, the Plein Air, a pickup truck, LPG versions, and electric versions.
The Plein Air was a doorless and roofless version originally developed to meet a 1964 request by the
In 1978, the R4 GTL arrived. It had the 1108 cc engine from the Renault 6 TL, albeit with the performance reduced for better economy, and bigger drum brakes. The GTL was identifiable by its grey front grille, grey bumpers, and grey plastic strips along the bottoms of the doors. It also had an extra air intake below the front grille (as a result, the registration plate was moved down to the bumper), and 12 inch (304.8 mm) wiper blades instead of the original 10 inch (254 mm) ones. For the 1983 model year, the GTL got front disc brakes, the handbrake now working on the rear wheels, and there were a modified dashboard and cloth seats. The Renault 4 was the last French automobile to be sold with drum brakes on all four wheels, after the Citroën 2CV received disc brakes in 1981.[14] The very first 1983 models had the handbrake lever moved from left to right under the steering wheel before it was moved to the floor like in almost any other car by then.
There was also a panel van (Fourgonnette) version of the R4, which with its "high cube" bodyshell and the unique 'giraffon' (giraffe hatch) at the rear became the idiosyncratic French "Boulangerie" van. For many years, this was a successful vehicle of its type and for many customers, as it represents their idea of a Renault 4 more than a passenger version. It remained on sale in Europe until 1993 and was replaced by the Renault Express (called Extra in UK and Ireland, Rapid in Germany), which was based on the second generation Renault 5 'Supercinq'.
End of the R4
Though reasons such as emissions and safety legislation are often given for the Renault 4's demise in Europe during the 1980s, it would appear that its popularity would not have lasted.[15] Outmoded production methods, more advanced competition and the reasons outlined above meant that the Renault 4's days were numbered, at least as a mainstream product. And Renault was already enjoying huge sales success with the far more modern R5, which was only slightly more expensive. Comparable products had already been discontinued in Europe or had their production scaled back, as more modern designs enjoyed the strongest sales. British Leyland's Mini had been produced in smaller figures since the launch of the Austin Metro in 1980 with production continuing until 2000. Volkswagen had switched Beetle production from West Germany to Mexico in 1978 (where it was made until 2003), with the new Polo and Golf proving hugely popular in Europe. Citroën kept its 2CV in production until 1990, but did not directly replace it, with the AX (launched in 1986) taking its place as the entry-level model in the Citroën range. It had also produced the earlier Dyane and Visa as more modern and only marginally more expensive alternatives to 2CV.
There were several projects to replace the Renault 4, starting from the early 1970s. However, the continuing success of the Renault 4, the need to replace the more popular Renault 5 during the early 1980s, the difficulties coming up with a suitable replacement (and the idea that the Renault 4's market would die with it) all meant that a new entry-level Renault (the Twingo) did not appear until 1992.[16] To conclude production, a series of 1000 examples marketed as "Bye-Bye" was released, each with a numbered plaque.
To mark the end of Renault 4 production, a retrospective series of ten black-and-white photographs by
In 2003, a Japanese car modification company called DAMD came up with a design called the
Reintroduction (2020s)
In 2021, it was announced that the Renault 4 would be reintroduced during the 2020s as the "4ever", a compact crossover cousin of the forthcoming all-electric Renault 5 E-Tech.[18] It will be built alongside the 5 EV at Renault ElectriCity, a union of three existing Renault factories in northern France that is planned to produce 400,000 EVs per year by 2025.[19] The 4ever is based on the same CMF-B EV platform as the 5 EV; because the platform shares 1⁄2 of its components with the existing CMF-B platform, production costs are expected to be 2⁄3 of the current Zoe.[20]
In motorsport
The Renault 4 was originally powered by a 24 hp (18 kW) engine and its suspension were never intended for sporting dynamics. The Renault 4 had certain advantages in its high torque and a suspension and ground-clearance that gave it go-anywhere capabilities. This meant that Renault was able to give it a sporting image with programs such as the "Cross Elf Cup of France" in 1974 and the "Routes du Monde" program in 1968. The latter was a project in which Renault would lend young people cars to travel the world in, and this would help to give the Renault 4 an adventurous and durable image.[citation needed] The "Coupe de France Renault Cross Elf" was a series of races in France on dirt tracks with slightly tuned 782 cc R4s.
A Renault 4
The Renault 4 GTL was homologated in Group A. Jacky Cesbron raced one in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1993 and the Tour de Corse in 1991. Pinto dos Santos raced a Group N 4 GTL in visiting every round of the WRC though not all during the same season. To celebrate the car's 50th birthday, Renault entered the R4 in the Monte Carlo Rally in 2011.[25]
Standard Renault 4s has taken part in a drag race at Santa Pod Raceway, Northamptonshire since 2004, and covered the quarter mile in 21.438 seconds with a terminal speed of 59.14 mph.[26]
Footnotes
- ^ The 1959 Estafette light commercial van was Renault's first front-wheel drive van.[5]
References
- ^ "Somaca Casablanca". Somaca.e-monsite.com. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ Renault 4 celebrating 50th anniversary in 2011, www.caradvice.com.au Retrieved on 11 December 2012
- ^ "Alfa Romeo's small car projects before the birth of the Alfasud". alfasud.alfisti.net. Archived from the original on 23 October 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Bellu, René (2001). "Automobilia". Toutes les voitures françaises 1962 (Salon Paris oct 1961) (in French) (19). Histoire & collections: 48.
- ^ Remembering the Estafette – Groupe Renault
- ^ "News and Views: 1M Renault 4". Autocar. 124 (2651): 248. 4 February 1966.
- ^ Survivors: The world’s longest-living cars – Autocar
- ^ a b c d "Used Cars on test: 1962 Renault 4L". Autocar. 125 (3678): 372–373. 12 August 1966.
- .
- ^ "Renault 4 – unbelievable truth!?". YouTube. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
- ^ "El amigo fiel cumplió 40 años en Colombia: Renault 4". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 16 July 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ Tornielli, Andrea (9 September 2013). "La Renault 4 di Papa Francesco". Vatican Insider. La Stampa (in Italian). Archived from the original on 12 September 2013.
- ^ ISSN 0177-8862.
- ^ Guerithault, Gilles (September 1981). Costa, André & Georges-Michel Fraichard (ed.). "l'Éditorial de G.G.". Salon 1981: Toutes les Voitures du Monde. L'Auto Journal (in French) (14 & 15). Paris: Homme N°1: 19.
- ^ Bjerkeskaug, Bjørn. "R4 Story". Norwegian Renault 4 Web. Archived from the original on 1 May 2006.
- ^ "l'École de Paris du management – Recherche" (PDF). Ecole.org. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2004. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
- ^ "STYLING EFFECT : アンセル ラパン / ANCEL LAPIN 〜コンプリートボディーキット〜". Damd.co.jp. Archived from the original on 9 April 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
- ^ Attwood, James; Holder, Jim (10 September 2021). "Renault 4 to be a premium electric crossover". Automotive Daily. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "Renault raises EV targets, pledges to lower battery costs". Automotive News Europe. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ Sigal, Peter (30 June 2021). "Renault confirms it will build 4ever retro-themed EV". Automotive News Europe. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ "Dakar Retrospective 1979-2009" (PDF). Dakar.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Hall, Peter (29 September 2001). "Daily Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ "The Mongol Rally 2008". Mongolrally08.theadventurists.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ "Deloitte press release". Deloitte.com. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ Hammond, Richard (17 December 2010). "Happy birthday Renault 4". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ "Renault 4 Drag Racing". Renault4.co.uk. 4 September 2005. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
External links
- renault4serbia.com
- Czajko, Thierry (12 December 2015). "2CV-4L - La guerre des petites voitures". vimeo (in French).
- "Citroën 2CV vs Renault 4L – 'La Guerre des Petites Voitures'". Citroën Vie. 6 March 2016.
- Classics World. "French People's Car Fight! (1988 2CV6 Dolly & 1985 R4 GTL Road Test)". youtube. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
Citroën 2CV vs Renault 4