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RENAULT 4 HISTORY |
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RENAULT 4 HISTORY |
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In 1956 the decision was taken to design a replacement for the 4CV, popularly known as "La Quatch". This car (also known as the Renault 750), which was similar in appearance to the Morris Minor and other cars of that time, had been very popular. It was a much quicker seller than any other car (including the 2CV) and had helped to put the country back on its feet after the second world war. However, it was cramped, and it had been overtaken by other cars in practicality. In the late fifties, the 4CV was overtaken in sales by both the 2CV, and the Dauphine (a derivative of the 4CV). Pierre Dreyfus, chairman of Renault commissioned a group of designers to create a replacement for it and the Juva4. This became known as the project 350, later as 112. The engineers working on the car dubbed it "Marie-Chantal".
Originally it was to have a two-cylinder 450cc engine, following the template of the 2CV desing. Due to the added cost of development and the superiority of the existing four-cylinder unit, the new engine was abandoned. The revised four-cylinder was the first engine to be heremetically sealed, and there were no grease points. This meant that the cooling system needed no maintenance, giving it the advantages of the air-cooled engine. It used a fifth door, an original feature for this car. Also it needed soft suspension for poor surfaces. It was to be the first Renault to use front wheel drive, a revolution for the Regie. This gave the car a flat floorpan, which helped in practicality terms. In a seemingly retrograde step, the new car ditched the monocoque construction method of the 4CV (one of the pioneers of this method). However the separate chassis and body construction was adopted as it was lighter and more suited to the rugged terrain that the car would have to cope with - Many 4 X 4's use this method today. It also had the added bonus of being cheaper to build, helping to offset the higher cost of front wheel drive.
Altogether, fourteen roadgoing prototypes were built. It was tested partially-disguised all around the world, covering 2 millions kilometres in different conditions and climates. The car took its definitive shape in 1961. The design criteria accounted very little to styling, it was not considered to be very important for this type of car. The only real styling brief was that the car (which was to be the automotive "blue jeans"), should be simple and age very well. Some argued vociferously for a more stylised car, but it stayed reasonably faithful to the original sketch and prototype, the uncompromising shape of the original being refined into an altogether more pleasant form. The front of the car changed more appreciably: Front body panels modelled closely on those of the Dauphine were used on prototypes during testing and the bonnet was given a grille (the Dauphine was rear-engined). The Dauphine is the only other Renault that looks remotely like the Renault 4. The rest of the car was altered to harmonise with the front. The maturing design of the car was evident in the prototypes, and when each new one was built, it had changed. However, even the last prototype looked very different from the finished article.
The subject of the styling was not left there, and it was the source of further argument between many importers including Alfa Romeo of Italy. As a result, some minor changes were made at the last minute, including the replacement of the grille with a simpler item, and a new chrome surround for the rear number-place housing. Many names were considered for the car, among them "Domino" (following from Dauphine) and R4 (following from 4CV). In the end it was up to the workers, who voted for the latter. This clearly identified the car in buyers' minds as the successor to the 4CV. The last 4CV rolled of the line at Île Seguin early in the summer, production having been ramped up to fill orders until September. Work commenced on the installation of tooling and the alterations that were required to produce the new R4. This gargantuan task was performed in only three weeks by two thousand workers who collectively put in over 40,000 hours.
Although production of the Renault 4 started on the 3rd August, it did not reach its full volume until later. This allowed time for the car to be phased in, and for the workers to adjust to the new production processes. About 15,000 R4s were built in time for the launch in October. The car was previewed and tested by motoring journalists for magazines, newspapers and television. Several R4s and an R3 were sent to the Frankfurt International Motor Show. The Renault bosses watched very carefully to gauge the reaction to the new car; this would be a good indication of the reaction in the R4's most important market of France. The Renault market machine was put into action. On the 4th of October, examples of the new car were lined up in front of famous city landmarks and posters appeared everywhere as part of the "Take the Wheel" campaign. The car made its proper debut at the Paris Motor Show which opened on the 6th October. Two 4Ls appeared, one of them sectioned. The launch was a huge success. Its appearance was criticised by some for its rustic stance and rather upright rear, but its overall detailing was good and the car had its own unique personality.
1961
The Renault 4 was launched. It was the first car with five doors (first hatchback), and it soon became popular as a farmer's car, a city car, a young person's car, and also a (second) family car.
1962
The Fourgonette was launched to replace the Juva4 fourgonette. A Renault 4L was entered in the Monte Carlo Rally and came last.
The Renault 4 went into production in Ireland this year, in a plant in Naas. It was produced alongside Volkswagen Beetles and Type-2s.
1963
The Renault 3 was phased out, and the Renault 4 received the 845cc Dauphine unit. This had a lower compression ratio, and the export versions were given folding seats instead of removable seats. The automatic choke was discontinued in favour of a manual one. The Renault 4 got new bumpers, as seen on this Renault 4. The rear styling, which had been criticised for being fussy, was tidied-up and the chrome for the number plate and tail-lights was removed. After finishing 68th in a practice session, Renault decided not to enter the R4 to the Monte Carlo Rally.
1964
Synchromesh was installed on the first gear. The rear quarter lights no longer opened. The windows in the rear doors were given sliding mechanisms on certain models. The car was given new bumpers. The ground clearance changed from 0.2 metres to 0.175 metres. The Parisienne limited edition was introduced, with canework or tartan decals on the sides and back.
1965
Previously the Renault R4, the car became officially known as the Renault 4. The rear tires which had been cross-ply tires, gave way to more modern radial-ply alternatives. The rear track was increased by 40mm. These revisions combined to improve the already excellent roadholding. New larger brake cylinders were installed. The ventilation and heating were revised and the interior rear-view mirror became rectangular.
Four women traversed the entire lenth of the American continent, from the southernmost to the northernmost tip, in a pair of Renault 4s. It took them four and a half months to drive from Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, to Anchorage in Alaska.
1966 The Renault 4 ceased
production in Australia to make way for other models. However,
the production of the one millionth R4 this year confirmed the car's
success. Holes were installed in gutter to allow rainwater pass
through. The Routes du Monde initiative was started this year, training young people and sending them around the world in Renault 4s lent to them by Renault. 1967 A new dashboard
including a bright speedometer and rocker switches were installed
in the R4. Breaking area of front brakes increased. The clutch was revised and became lighter in operation. 1968 The Renault 4 received a
new grille, which incorporated the headlights. It was also given new
bumpers and these sat slightly higher than the old ones. Those
bumpers are not shown on the car above, which has the Spanish/Portuguese
specification. The interior panels were changed. The cosmetic changes were implemented to nudge the Renault 4 back into the number one spot in France, where it was losing sales to low-priced Citroens. The Renault 4
Plein Air was launched to compete with the Mehari and the Austin Mini-Moke. 1969 The Renault 6 was launched , which was basically a
Renault 4 with new clothes. The Renault 6 was styled in Renault's design language for that time. It offered more refinement. The
improvements built in the Renault 6 were made with the main criticisms
of the R4 in mind. These included the Renault 4s looks, the poor
sound insulation, the lurch understeer of the R4 and the spartan
treatment of the interior. It would have been the successor of the Renault 4, had the Renault 4 not retained its popularity. The Renault 6 was not without its
successes (mostly in the home market), but it never gained the following of the
Renault 4. The Renault 4 did not look like any contemporary cars,
and its looks endured longer than the Renault 6's. The Renault 4 inherited the Renault 6 front axle later this year. 1970 The passenger door
received an external door lock with a key hole. The 6 volt
electric system was ousted by the new 12 volt system. The fascia
turned black, and the steering wheel was now padded. The Renault 4 Plein
Air was replaced by the "Rodéo". Jean Rédelé of Alpine developed a small monospace on the platform of the Renault 4 in his factory in Dieppe. He was worried that the sports car was becoming more and more obscure due to the increased speed limits. What was bizzare was that despite the fact that the car was rear-engined, it was front wheel drive. When he asked for Government funding, it was refused. They told him that cities would soon be inaccessible to cars, and so his little car had no future. The idea of a monospace was ahead of its time but the rear-engine/front wheel drive layout made no sense. Another attempt at a 'city' R4 had been unsuccessfully attempted by Jean Bertin in 1968. 1971 The gearing system adopted
a conventional H pattern. 1972 The Renault logo was
changed and the parking lights disappeared. The Renault 5 was launched.
Strangely, the Renault 4 seemed to face most of its competition from its stablemates, the Renault 5 and 6. However, this did not seem to impact on sales of the R4.
Renault however, aimed the R5 specifically at a female and urban market. This is why it was built to be "mass-market chic". The Renault 5 was met with immediate success, but did not affect Renault 4 sales. The outstanding success of the Renault 5 would lead to future development in the
Renault 4. This was seen immediately: The 747cc engine was bored out to 782cc for service in the Renault 5, but was also installed in the R4. The R4 commenced Irish production in Wexford this year. 1973 Research begins for the development of a replacement for the Renault 4. Lauri Paivarinta and Seppo Arvonen won the Thuderbird Rally in a Gulf/Castrol Renault 4 Gordini in British Columbia, Canada. The Thunderbird Rally is a winter driving adventure through snow and ice covered back roads in the British Columbia interior with competitors from all over North America. 1974 The car gained an
alternator and individual front seats. To rationalise production,
the R4 was given the same transmission used in the Renault 5 and 6.
A proper radio console with accommodation for a speaker was added
below the dash. Previously, the radio had to be hung from beneath
the dashboard. The Renault 4 grew even more in popularity due to the oil crisis. The Elf Renault Cross Cup was set up to give a proving ground for young drivers. This race used only Renault 4s. 1975 In 1975, the grille
of the Renault 4 was replaced by a matt black one. This gave the
car a slightly more modern look, and similar revisions had been
carried out on the Renault 6 and 16. The indicator units shown
above did not arrive until 1977. A new van version
called the F6 was made on the R4 platform. Originally the body forward of the A-pillar was to be similar to the R6 or otherwise new, but this was cancelled. Instead the R4 front body
was used with a larger windscreen. The fuel tank increased from 26 litres to 34. The seatbelt anchorage points were revised and the wipers became self-parking. The Safari limited edition was introduced. This had black bumpers and side strips, and bespoke hammock seats. 1977 The five millionth
Renault 4 was produced. The battery moved forward in the engine
department. The combined side and indicator lenses replaced the
old single units due to new legislative requirements in certain countries. The dash was mildly revised. In some countries, they gained halogen headlights, inertia-reeled seatbelts, head restraints, and a laminated windscreen. 1978 Renault applied some of the
Renault 5 formula to the Renault 4, and the Renault 4 GTL was
introduced, with a 1108cc engine. Disappointingly, it did not receive the five-speed gearbox of its 5 GTL stablemate. Its grille was grey, as were
the bumpers, and grey plastic rubbing strips along the side. This
gave the car a more modern look. The registration plate was moved
onto the bumper to allow for an air intake to the engine. This
came with an altered dashboard, bigger drum brakes and cloth
seats. The 1108cc was throttled down for better economy and as a
result the top end performance suffers. All GTL windscreens were laminated. The wipers became two-speed and the blades grew from 10 inches to 12 inches. GTL versions in some markets (Colombia, Spain and Portugal) were fitted with chrome trim. No drastic changes were made to the appearance of the
Renault 4. There were several reasons for this: First, was cost. Second, its basic shape was so unusual, and it would be difficult to make any cost-effective changes that would not look incongruous. 1979
A Renault 4 was entered in the Paris-Dakar Rally and came 3rd: Many cars didn't even finish. Renault held a Renault 4 Photography Contest. Huub Koch was awarded as the most creative photographer 1980 Plastic roof lining
and a new plastic window-frame sliding mechanism added. An LPG version of the GTL went on sale in some countries. Production passed the six-million mark. Last R4 imports to Sweden/Norway.
Renault 6 ceased production after a successful, if not outstanding, career. It had been an uphill battle from the start to match the success of other Renaults, the R16, R4 and R5. After 19 years, the Renault 4 still
showed every sign of going on forever. Its "love it - hate it"
styling was never the epitome of fashionable, but it was slow to become unfashionable. The car had already endured beyond anybody's
expectations. The first Renault 4 GTL was sold in Ireland, though
the TL version continued to be more popular. The special edition 'Safari' went on sale in Ireland this year, different from the French version. 1981
The Jogging limited edition was released, which was white with blue trim, white dashboard, special seats, and rainbow decals. Two projects to replace the R4 began this year, Project Z and Project X49, which ran in parallel. These started on the back of research which had been ongoing for some time. The R4 replacement had been scheduled for 1986/7, just after the Super5. It was going to based on the new platform which Renault was developing. It was to be called the Renault 4, and include car and LCV versions. 1982
The passenger door hinges which had
previously protruded from the bodywork, were hidden behind the
door panels, another change led by legislation. An LPG version of the TL was available in some countries. Project X49 bit the dust. Project Z was approved for continuing development, including some X49 proposals. 1983 No more chrome on
Renault 4s, except for Spain and Portugal where Renault 4s
continued to have chrome. Other versions of the Renault 4 received
the grey bumpers, and grille. Disc brakes finally installed on the 1108cc versions
(GTL and F6). A new dashboard moulding finally arrived, with Renault R9/R11 switchgear and dials which were also inherited by the Renault 5. A new steering wheel appeared at the same time. The ergonomics improved slightly and the choke moved onto the dashboard. The dash mirror was moved from
the dash to the windscreen. Due to cost, some of the old haphazard layout remained below the fascia. The previous
dashboard dated since the late sixties. The car received new wing mirrors. The Renault 4 replacement, Project Z terminated this year, having failed to reach its objectives. Project X44 was initiated, and carried over much of the work in Project Z. 1984 The last year with
air intake below the grille on GTL. The laminated
windscreen reached the other models of R4. Reverse lights were added, as new design rules dictated. Due to cost they were not incorporated into the rear light clusters, and instead they were installed on the tailgate. The Irish R4 factory in Wexford produced its last car. Project X44 changed into Project X45. At this stage it was clear that the car was a long way off production, and since the Renault 5 project (which along with the Renault 19 project, was swallowing available funds) was nearer production, it was decided to base the planned new Renault 4 van on that. To identify it as the R4 fourgonette replacement however, it had its own front treatment. This became the Express. In Ireland, the special editions "Legend" are introduced, and came with unique
front grille which incorporated an extra set of lights, as well
as "Legend" decals and stripes on
the bodywork of the car. 1985 The registration plate moved back on to the bonnet panel on the GTL and the air intake was removed. The F6 was phased out,
replaced by the Express. The F4 soldiered on nonetheless and overall production passed seven and a half million. The Renault 4 "sixties" edition was launched, based on the GTL. It featured twin sunroofs with special interior trim and black exterior trim. Project X45 was postponed indefinitely by the new management under Georges Besse who had arrived in January 1985. Renault had just made losses of 10 billion francs. The R4 replacement's profitability were not assured and it was not different enough in concept to the Renault Super5 to avoid clashing with it. Despite the long development process, not enough funds or even attention were given to the project. This was because for Renault, a sub-supermini project was always secondary in importance and concentration was focussed on other models in development. The decision to stop work on the X45 project had other repercussions. At the time, there was severe labour unrest due to the oncoming closure of Billancourt. The end of Project X45 was seen by the union leaders as proof of the inability of the management to envisage a future for Renault. 1986 The last Renault 4
cars sold in Ireland and the UK. The Fourgonette continued to sell after
the car version was phased out in Ireland. The 845cc engine was phased out. This year was the last
year of chrome on any European Renault 4. The Renault 4s of Spain
and Portugal finally shed their chrome trim. Project W-60 was
initiated to design a multi-purpose successor to the Renault 4. This ran in parallel with the project for a Super5 replacement, and both projects were to be based on the existing platform. However this project for a new Renault 4 faced internal competition from the
designer of the Lamborghini Countach who wanted to use the limited
funds for another project. The project was put aside in September. Georges Besse was murdered in December of this year by the terrorist group Action Directe. This communist group committed this act in retaliation to the 21,000 layoffs involved in restructuring Renault and steering it away from bankruptcy. Two women, Nathalie Menigon and Joelle Aubron, were found guilty of his murder and were sentenced to life imprisonment. Jean-Marc Rouillan and Georges Cipriani were also sentenced to life for their role as accomplices. 1987 Billancourt closed. The last series of
Renault 4 cars commenced production. The dashboard in the last series
was black only (rather than beige or grey), and there was a digital clock in GTL versions. There were rear seatbelts in all Renault 4s. Lower pollution 1108cc unit was used in the GTL, and the low pollution 956cc unit replaced the
845cc in the TL. Minor cosmetic alterations included final removal
of metal strips on window frames and a black plastic strip was
added to the gutters. Renault 4 cars were now only built in left hand drive, but the Renault 4 LCVs continued to be available in right hand drive. 1988 The versions GTL and
TL were named Clan and Savane respectively, whilst retaining the
designations of GTL and TL. Last imports to Germany were special
edition "Salü" available in silver and red, these sold
into 1989. Continued exports there would have required engine revisions to meet new emission standards. The cost of this would
not have been justified as the Renault 4's popularity had faded there. It is still holds the record as the most popular imported car ever in Germany. New Management at
Renault under Raymond Lévy gave the project W-60 the go ahead, and it was renamed
project X-06. 1989 The last Renault 4s
were sold in Ireland, available only in Fourgonette form. 1991 The Special edition "Cartes Jeunes" was released. 1992 The final product of
the project X-06 was presented at the Paris Car Show. The
successor to the Renault 4 was called "Twingo". The Twingo bore no ressemblance to its predecessor, but it was designed with the same criteria: maximum interior space in minimum package (its packaging is unmatched even today), the constant changing of fashion, ride quality, practicality and simplicity. The Twingo proved a worthy successor. It pioneered the downsizing of the monospace format and its influence has been enormous. The Renault 4 received its last revision: The addition of the new Renault logo to its front grille. 1993 Last year of Renault
4 sales the EU. The Renault 4 was still popular enough in terms of sales to continue production, but demand had flagged due to the
loss of markets such as Germany, UK and many others. These countries had brought in stricter pollution regulations which
prevented the continued sale of the Renault 4 there. New EEC
design rules had outlawed the dash mounted gearstick as unsafe for
European roads. The 2CV which shared this gearstick had bowed out
two years previously. Also, the anti-pollution laws introduced in
the EEC had called for either further development in the Renault
4, or a cease of production. The Renault 4 was a 32 year-old design at this stage. The last Renault 4
advertising campaigns portrayed the Renault 4 throughout its
career and offered buyers the last chance to buy a new Renault 4. Renault entered a 4 GTL in the 1993 Monte Carlo Rally. A special edition of numbered cars called Bye-Bye saw
the Renault 4 out finally. These 1000 cars were distinguished by a
plaque on the dashboard counting down to the last Renault 4. 1994 Renault 4 was put to sleep with dignity: Production ceased on the 21st December 1994, having soared to beyond 8,135,424. The Renault 4 was the most produced model of one of
the biggest car manufacturers in the world. It is often stated that the Renault 4 finished production in 1992, but this is wrong. Production finished in Slovenia in 1994. During these two last years, the method of production could be described as improvised. Many pre-manufactured parts intended for spare parts use (some of which had been stockpiled for some time) were also used to build new Renault 4s. These cars are not likely to have been added onto the total production levels. While production stopped in 1994, the history of the Renault 4 has not stopped. It competes in rallies, appears in films, is still driven by people around the world, forms a part of the landscape, has a visible influence on modern cars, and is the basis of the 4L Trophy. I have tried to make this history of the Renault 4 as accurate as possible. If anybody notices a mistake or has anything to contribute, please email me at rwatchorn % gmail.com. Thanks to everybody who has contributed pictures and information. 
