Renault 4. Feel a compulsion to own one!

[Bobthebeard]

Greetings again, and apologies for yet another new thread. My grandfather used to own an extremely yellow, and dented example of the Renner 4 back in the late 70's. Oddly I am seized with desire to own one myself as it seemed a truly capable thing. Never broke down as far as I recall, and did everything asked of it really.. Apart from looking cool, which it never did!

Are these things really as good as they seemed to an impressionable teenager? Or are they just shite?

[Albert Ross]

Oh a yellow R4.... otherwise known as a Butterpat!

[Bobthebeard]

Hadn't thought of it that way before, but yes, it was indeed a butterpat!

[DSdriver]

They're quite er... short

Renault 4 by DSdriver, on Flickr

[outlaw118]

12foot long - 144 inches of clangy, noisy, draughty greatness.

Buy one immediately.

I've had two.

[skattrd]

When I was a child my parents had an R4 van for a while and it was also brilliant, my Mum still goes on about it.

I do think that 4 kids being transported in the back of an R4 van would likely be frowned upon today though.

 

Oh, and all 70's/80's French chod is ace, good luck finding a non rusty working one

[Bobthebeard]

Short indeed, but my grandfather somehow managed to kit out the back with ' picnic regalia ' . Lots of little shelves for tubs of coffee, tea bags , dried milk etc. Also little rack for picnic chairs!

Was a little car indeed but that generation of folk used to make the best of what they had eh? Cue misty eyed memories....

[HMC]

Ive been sort of after one for years, nearest was last year when I narrowly missed winning a great one on e bay

[Bobthebeard]

I seem to remember that the R4 was a contender for being a true ' World car' at some point owing to its capabilities.. Of course I could be wrong!

[wuvvum]

I've had a couple of 4s. The later 1108cc cars are surprisingly capable - not fast, but the engine's quite torquey and due to their light weight they do rattle along OK for what they are. They're reasonably high-geared as well so they don't sound like they're about to explode at 70mph (unlike my 6). The last ones with the plastic R5-style dash and normal handbrake aren't quite as characterful as the earlier cars, but they're still more interesting than most '80s stuff. And they do roll most amusingly in corners.

[dollywobbler]

The fact that there are still loads trundling around in France says it all. They sold more of them than 2CVs and more seem to still be in regular use, yet they command almost no classic following at all. Perhaps because they're so much better as a car...

 

Not had the pleasure myself, but my early Renner 5 was very similar, with the same over-the-engine gear linkage. I definitely would own one, but I'd definitely check the sills and rear suspension mounts before I did...

[bigstraight6]

I'd love another R4, I owned an 'A' reg GTL around 1992-94 and it very reliable and characterful car and I did a daily commute from Plymouth to Newton Abbot and quite a few long runs, this added up to nearly 40,000 miles in this time and the basic box never missed a beat.

 

I also briefly owned a 1974 model with the 845cc engine about this time which had the most comical farting exhaust note, great little cars it's just a shame they rotted so badly....

[Mike D]

I'd definitely go for it - I have a major yearning for either an R4, or, preferably, an ACL bodied Rodeo.. I'll have to flog my 840 to afford one of those though!

[Spiny Norman]

When I was a child my parents had an R4 van for a while and it was also brilliant, my Mum still goes on about it.

I do think that 4 kids being transported in the back of an R4 van would likely be frowned upon today though.

 

My Dad somehow managed to end up with his company's new R4 van once when his own car was in for a service. I loved being hurled around in the back of it, but as you say, these things are disapproved of these days.

I'd have any R4, saloon or van, in a heartbeat.

 

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

My mother had a grey 4TL in the early 1970s - it was her first car and she loved it.

 

She bought MTU978L new from Sports Motors in Hale, based at the Bleeding Wolf Garage next to the Bleeding Wolf pub - now flats. It was a tiny garage which sold Renault and Jensen. I remember the Sports Motors sticker on the rear window; it had a bloke with a handlebar moustache who looked like Dick Dastedly on it - perfect for a Jensen!

[garethj]

As said, the engine is a good little thing, I had the same 1108cc one in my R8 and it was very tough.

 

Rust seems to be the killer, I'd be hitting http://www.leboncoin.fr/ for one that's been in a dry climate. Yellow is a great colour for them but for the perfect French peasant look it should be dusty white with yellow headlights and a dent in the door.

[Guest]

A chap near me collects them. He even has a pickup, not sure if its home made, it certainly looks it!

[panhard65]

There is such a thing as a renault 4 pick up. There are 2 different ones the later type that you find in France and a really really rare british conversion that was done by a company in Devon for renault uk. I had one many years ago and weighed it in due to the rust, not knowing how rare they were at the time I have regretted it ever since. I have never seen another one in the flesh. Great little truck it was even if it didn't have any floor

[Guest]

Thanks for the clarification, I will take a photo next time I am passing it's only in the next village.

[DSdriver]

Be like Pablo Escabar, Colombian drug dealer

He apparently had one in his collection and seems to have taken better care of it than the Mercedes.

[dieselnutjob]

My Dad had two of them. The first one was an 850cc and he pulled a caravan to the south of France and back with it.

The second one survived being rear ended quite hard by a Capri.

[Guest]

Learnt to drive in one. We actually went through two as a family. Mum loved them as they were the only cars she ever had with somewhere to hang her handbag.

 

They have quite a cult following here in France.

 

Dunney

[Andrew353w]

My father had a Renault 4 van, which he used for delivering televisions in the early 1960's when they were rather more delicate than they are now! Dad said the Renault 4's soft suspension really helped. The photo shows it on the right, together with the Mini fleet, outside the showroom in Bideford (sorry the picture's a bit grainy!) The Renault van was a 3-speed, with 6 volt electrics, so it was somewhat different from the Minis! The nearest dealer was in Exeter, some 40 miles away, whereas the BMC (Austin-Morris) dealer was across the road from the showroom!

 

[DSdriver]

...Mum loved them as they were the only cars she ever had with somewhere to hang her handbag...

Dunney

 

Column change gearshifter?

[dieselnutjob]

it came out of the dashboard from what I remember, like an umbrella handle

I think my dads first one had a bench seat front and back so a six seater

[Bobthebeard]

Gear lever did indeed come out of the middle of the dashboard. I remember that my grandfather kept getting a telling off from my gran as he often bashed her with his elbow during 1st to 2nd gear changes! Ahh, memories..Etc etc

[HillmanImp]

I did read somewhere that Steve McFadden from 'Eastenders' & 'Dirty Debbie - Dogging Debutante' is a big fan of Renault 4's but that could well be from the 'Thrills' page from the NME as I cant seem to find anything to back this up after going a quick google of it.

[Bobthebeard]