Renault 4

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Renault 4

Overview
Manufacturer Renault
Also called Renault R4
Production 1961 1992
Billancourt, France
Valladolid, Spain
Vilvoorde, Belgium
Envigado, Colombia
Ljubljana/Novo Mesto, SFR
Yugoslavia / today Slovenia
Guarda, Portugal
Ciudad Sahagn, Mexico
Los Andes, Chile
Assembly
Santa Isabel, Argentina (IKA)
Naas, Ireland
Milan, Italy[1]
Heidelberg, Australia[2]
Wexford, Ireland
Casablanca, Morocco[3]
Algiers, Algeria (CARAL)
Montevideo, Uruguay (Renault Mini 4
- local version)
Body and chassis
Class
Economy car, Supermini, Subcompact
2-door pickup truck
Body style 2-door van
5-door hatchback
Layout
MF layout
Related
Renault 5
Renault 6
Renault 7

Engine
Transmission

Wheelbase
Length
Width
Height
Curb weight
Predecessor
Successor

Renault Rodeo
Powertrain
45.6 cu in (0.7 L) I4
51.5 cu in (0.8 L) I4
58.3 cu in (1.0 L) I4
67.6 cu in (1.1 L) I4
3-speed manual
4-speed manual
Dimensions
2,440 mm (96.1 in) (right)[4]
2,395 mm (94.3 in) (left)[4]
3,663 mm (144.2 in)
1,430 mm (56.3 in)
1,470 mm (57.9 in)
600 kg (1,323 lb)
Chronology
Renault 4CV
Renault Twingo

The Renault 4, also known as the 4L (pronounced "Quatrelle"), is a hatchback economy car
produced by the French automaker Renault between 1961 and 1992. It was the first frontwheel drive family car produced by Renault.
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;[5] 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. It was exceptionally spacious for its size, and
although originally marketed as a small estate car, it is now regarded as the first massproduction hatchback car.

Contents

1 Origins and strategy

2 Launch of the R3 and R4

3 Engines

4 Transmission

5 Structure and running gear

6 Suspension

7 Around the world

8 Design

9 Variants

10 End of the R4

11 In motorsport

12 References

13 External links

Origins and strategy

The Renault 4 was Renault's response to the 1948 Citron 2CV. Renault was able to review
the advantages and disadvantages of the 2CV design and come up with a larger, more urban
vehicle. In early 1956, Renault Chairman Pierre Dreyfus launched this new project: designing
a new model to replace the rear engined 4CV that would become an everyman's car, capable
of satisfying the needs of most consumers. It would be a family car, a woman's car, a farmer's
car, or a city car.

19611962 Renault 3: installing windows into the thick c-pillars added weight and cost
which, initially, customers could avoid on entry level versions of the R3 and R4

19611967 Renault 4

19671974 Renault 4L: For 1968 the car received a more modern aluminium grille that it
would retain until 1974

19741978 Renault 4L: In 1974 a plastic grille replaced the metal one

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.[6] 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.[4] Actual maximum power output was
claimed by Renault as 22.5 hp for the R3, and 26.5 or 32 hp 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 francs 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 Citroen 2CV that employed soft springs and long wheel
travel to absorb bumps on poorly maintained roads. The Renault 3 & 4 applied the same
approach and two models appeared at the Paris Motor Show in 1961 on a specialized
demonstration display that incorporated an irregular rolling road. Visitors could sit inside car,
which remained undisturbed while the suspension absorbed the erratic bumps of the rolling
road.[4] In 1962, Renault employed the same display at the Turin Motor Show.[4]

The basic version of the R3 was priced 40 francs below the lowest priced version of the
Citroen 2CV in 1961[4] and featured painted bumpers and grill, a simplified instrument panel,
a single sun visor, no windshield washer, and no interior door panels.[4] This trim was also
offered in the more powerful R4. The R4L with six side windows, chrome coloured bumper
and grill, as well as a less spartan interior cost 400 francs (roughly 8%) more than the R4 with
its four side windows.[4] Similar as 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.[6]
A "super" version (branded "de luxe" in some export markets) with opening rear quarter-light
windows and extra trim was also offered.[6] The de luxe and super versions of the R4L
received a version of the engine from the Renault Dauphine giving them a four-cylinder
engine capacity of 845 cc.[6] 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 had become the Renault 4L.

Engines
Early versions of the Renault R4 used engines and transmissions from the Renault 4CV. The
original design brief called for an engine size between 600 cc and 700 cc, but there was no
consensus as to whether to use a four-cylinder unit or to follow Citroen with a two-cylinder
unit. With Volkswagen rapidly growing market share across Europe and North America,
Renault also gave serious consideration to an air-cooled boxer motor option for the
forthcoming R3/R4.[4] However, using the existing water-cooled unit from the 4CV was a
solution, especially in view of the extended period of teething troubles encountered by the
Renault Fregate, which was then Renault's most recent attempt to develop an innovative
powerplant.[4] The existing engines were larger than that specified by management for the new
4CV, but the automaker addressed this by reducing the bore so that the overall capacity of the
base engine for the new R3 worked out to be 603 cc, comfortably at the lower end of the
required 600700 cc range. However, since Renault already produced the 747 cc version of
the engine that was well proven in the 4CV, it made sense to use this as well in what would in
many respects be the older car's successor. Therefore, in 1961, the R3 had a 49 mm bore and
80 mm stroke, while the R4 was received the 54.5 mm 80 mm existing engine.[4]
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 lightweight alloy: this was driven by cost considerations now that aluminium 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 sealedfor-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 minus 40
degrees 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 watercooled engine. The original Renault R4s engine
capacity of 747 cc served to differentiate the model from the more powerful Renault
Dauphine, but the Dauphines 845 cc engine was used in the 4 itself from 1963 onwards: for

most markets at this stage the Dauphine engine now came as standard in the top of the range
Renault R4 Super, and was available in some other versions only as an optional extra.[4] Given
that Renaults 603, 747, and 845 cc engines all shared the same cylinder stroke and were all of
the same basic design, it is likely that there was very little difference between the
manufacturing costs of the basic engine block between the three. From the perspective of the
sales and marketing department, they did fall within different taxation classes (respectively
3CV, 4CV and 5CV) but at this end of the market tax level differences were by now less of an
issue even in those European countries that still taxed cars according to engine size.
With time, the increasing trend to production of Renault 4s in a wide range of countries
reduces the validity of generalised statements as to which engines were fitted when: in French
built cars the old 845 cc engine soldiered on in the more lowly versions until the mid-1980s,
but in 1978 the top end Renault 4 GTLs received the new 1,108 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, Renault's 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 manual, described by one critic as an obsolete
feature when compared to the four-speed manual of the then thirteen-year-old Citron 2CV.
Ironically the new Renault 4 did not inherit its transmission from the Renault 4CV nor from
anyone else: the transmission was newly developed for the car.[4] The dash-mounted gear lever
was linked via a straight horizontal rod that passed over the longitudinally mounted engine
and clutch directly to the gearbox right at the front. The resulting absence of any linkage at
floor level permitted a flat floor across the full width of the car's cabin. Synchromesh featured
only on the top two ratios, even though the low power of the engine required frequent gear
changes by any driver using normal roads and wishing to make reasonable progress.[4] On this
point Renault quickly acknowledged their error and cars produced from 1962 featured
synchromesh on all three ratios.[4] In 1968 the Renault 4 finally received a four-speed
transmission.

Structure and running gear

Renault 4 rolling chassis showing the car's platform frame structure.

The three principal new models introduced by Renault since the war[7] had all featured
monocoque "chassisless" construction[4] which was believed to save cost in the manufacturing
process and to cut running costs by reducing vehicle weight. The Renault R3/R4 design defied
this by now widely accepted mantra, employing a separate platform to which the body shell
was then attached.[4] The body's structural role in maintaining the overall rigidity of the car
body was thereby reduced, placing less stress on the roof and allowing for thinner window
pillars. Although the use made of a separate platform resembled, in some respects, the use that
pre-war designs would have made of a chassis, the outcome was a structure described as
semi-monocoque, and it would later allow Renault to use the R4 platform, with very little
modification, to build new models such as the Renault 6 and Rodeo. (Later, the successful
Renault 5 used the R4 running gear but in a monocoque shell).

Suspension

Because the rear torsion bars are located one behind the other, the wheelbase is longer on the
right side than on the left.
The R3 and R4 had four-wheel torsion-bar independent suspension. This was an innovation
which 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.[8] 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. Dampening was contributed by the
provision of 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 engine behind
the front axle, and gearbox/differential in front is identical to the Citron Traction Avant. The
suspension is also very similar, the only difference, being the deletion of the Citron's flexible
beam between the rear wheels, to give the Renault 4 fully independent rear suspension. This is
ironic as Louis Renault, the company's founder had been the harshest critic of the Traction at
the time of its launch in the 1930s.

Around the world

Renault 4R Plus 25 (in Colombia)

Renault 4's front (in Croatia)

In Colombia, the car was one of the most sold, and remained in the memory of many
Colombians, it was nicknamed "Amigo fiel" (Faithful friend) and was manufactured
in the SOFASA plant in Envigado (a city near Medelln) from 1970 to 1992. Two of
the most popular versions included the Master (1,022 cc) and the Lder (Leader), with
a more powerful 1,300 cc engine. The first Renault 4 manufactured in Envigado
Colombia was called Azul Pastrana, because it was blue and President Misael Pastrana
opened the plant.

In Argentina and Chile the 4 van (Fourgonette) is known as "Renoleta", following the
nickname given to the Citron 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 Mexico, the Renault 4 was produced in Ciudad Sahagun, an industrial city created
by DINA and Renault in the fifties. Renault production ceased in 1976.

In Ireland the car was produced in a plant established in 1962 in Naas, and one
established in Wexford in 1972, production running until 1984.

In Slovenia (formerly part of Yugoslavia) the Renault 4, nicknamed "Katrca" or

"etvorka" (from French quatre, four), was produced in the Industrija motornih vozil
(IMV) plant from 1973 to 1992. 575,960 R4s were built there. In 1989 the plant was
sold to Group Renault and renamed REVOZ d.d.

In Portugal it was known as "Quatro L" (four L).

In Spain the Renault 4L is known as "Cuatro latas" (four tins).

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.[9]

Design
This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the
claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original
research should be removed. (October 2012)
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 produced for many years, but was not significantly changed. Exterior
chrome trim was eventually phased out on all models, and aluminium grilles were replaced
with plastic ones. 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 inches)[4] less
than a year after the car's launch, presumably for safety reasons, but apart from this, changes
to the body panels were limited to a slightly altered hood and hinges.
Renault developed small cars, the Renault 6 and the Renault 5, while the Renault 4 was still
selling well. The Renault 5 competed in a different sector (three-and five-door supermini).
The Renault 4 is intermediate between the small utility vehicle (2CV) and the supermini
design (R5, Peugeot 205).

Variants

Plein-Air

Renault 4 Fourgonnette (van)

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 which were not solely a marketing exercise, such as the
Renault 4 Sinpar 4x4, the Plein Air, a pickup truck, LPG versions and electric versions.
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
Citron 2CV received disc brakes in 1981.[10] 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 (Fourgonette) 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 surely the most successful vehicle of its type and
for many people it represents their idea of a Renault 4 more than the 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'.
In 1989, Colombian SOFASA produced the variants Brisa (Breeze) which was based on the
French Plein Air and Jogging, which was marketed as a sportier version of the car and
featured red accessories.

End of the R4
Though reasons such as emissions and safety legislation are often given for the Renault 4's
demise, its popularity would not have lasted anyway.[11] 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. There were several projects to replace the Renault
4, starting from the early seventies. However, the continuing success of the Renault 4, the

need to replace the Renault 5, the difficulties coming up with a suitable replacement (and the
idea that the Renault 4's market would die with it) all meant that the Renault 4's final
replacement (the Twingo) did not appear until 1992.[12] 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 Thierry des Ouches was published in Libration in early December 1992.
This series later won first prize from Le Club des Directeur Artistiques in the category of
daily newspaper. It was also award the lion d'or at the Cannes Lions International Advertising
Festival.
In 2003, a Japanese car modification company called DAMD came up with a design called
the Ancel Lapin,[13] which could transform a Suzuki Lapin into a Renault 4 lookalike.

In motorsport

Renault 4 Sinpar from the Paris-Dakar Rally

The Renault 4 was originally powered by a 24 hp (18 kW) engine and its suspension was
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 programmes such as the "Cross Elf Cup of
France" in 1974 and the "Routes du Monde" programme 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 Sinpar (the four-wheel drive version) was entered in the Paris-Dakar Rally in
1979 and 1980 by Bernard and Claude Marreau, coming fifth in 1979 and in third in 1980.[14]
Renault 4 continued to feature in many long distance rallies after production ceased, such as
in 2001 in the London-Sahara-London rally (Renault 4 GTL)[15] and the 2008 Mongol Rally.
[16]
The Renault 4 forms the basis of the 4L Trophy, an annual rally established in 1997 for
students who collect sponsorship and drive to the Sahara to deliver educational materials to
children of the desert and of Morocco.[17]
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.[18]

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.[19]