1985 Renault 4 GTL goes for a drive
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- Опубліковано 1 лип 2020
- The Renault 4 was France's Peoples car for the second half of the 20th century. How does it stack up today?
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This car has soul and character, just makes you smile
Arriving late here but I'd like to share my experience of this video. Going through some particularly harsh times full of depression and angst, decided to take a look at this. My dad drove a couple of these, 1 before I was born and then 1 afterwards. I loved that car so damn much, maybe even more than him, to him, it seems like right now, it was a utility to get to work or go somewhere. To me, it was a big toy. A toy I dreamed of having ever since dad sold it back in '08 and stopped driving ever since, the cost of having a car and providing for a family on a minimal wage job was too much and something had to go. Now, all I need is a driver's license which costs 800 euros here in Serbia and the car itself, which can be found for 350+ euros second hand, used, but in acceptable condition. That may not seem like a lot to all you non-Serbians but the minimum wage is like 250, without any expenses needed to run a household. I'm 22, there's still time. This video gave me a memory trip of all things in the interior of the car, and in the engine compartment as well, I can remember seeing all those things on dad's car as if it were yesterday. Thanks for the video, appreciated!
Funny how in the 70s we would see hundreds of these on the roads and not think anything of it but now they seem really beautiful cars and so iconic and individual. Classic. Great review from Matt.
In 1975 I was 18 years old and got my driving license here in Germany. My first car was a R4. When I saw your video, many memories came to my mind. It was an exciting time with my R4. Even though my R4 was an old car at that time, it never let me down.
My aunt and uncle had one when I was a kid. I remember being taken out for the day with them and due to the constant body roll as we wound our way around the Welsh lanes, I vomited heartily all over the back seat. They get great pleasure in reminding me of this every time we see each other, even though I'm now 51.
Yes, my dad had the similar Renault 6. At times, I thought that car was going to overturn on sharp bends.
The rear of my parents MK1 escort was always the place that induced me to self produce pizza 😂
I have an aunt that always tells me some gross story I remind her of ....everytime I see her ...lol
@@TheHorsebox2 same here! And later on I learned to drive in it. When traveling on vacations one of the rear torsion bars broke an we had to spend the rest of the trip with the car resting on its side. In Argentina the early 80s Renault 4/6 came with a more powerful 1.4
Growing up in the 80s I thought French cars like the 2cv Renault 4 were comical things not to be taken seriously. Older and somewhat wiser, the Renault 4 is brimming with charm and character, I’d love to just drive one to just to experience the quirky Frenchness of it.
THIS IS a car of my youth. I've had 5 of them: HERO I, HERO II, HERO III, HERO IV, HERO V. Thanks, hero mules, still love you all.
Happy Memories of our friends from Paris in the early 70's who had one for what it seemed Decade's, driving to the UK to see us often.. it had almost 300k miles on it I recall. I'd love one ! Another great 👍 video...thanks 😊
I bought a brand new Renault 5 TL in 1984 "A" reg..it was metallic gold... I loved it.. Even now I'm driving a (drive from wheelchair) Renault Kangoo.. which is very practical for me.. (Phil - Standish)
That’s just the coolest car! So simple, unique and appealing. Like the 2CV they are refreshing and anti-modern with no computers or tech. Love the ashtray instead of a stereo is a hoot! Great test Matt!
Oh grow up hipster kid. It's not anti-modern, it's just old. Do you think they made this last week out of spite for modern cars? Idiot. This is a relatively softened-up newer model of the Renault Fort too. You shouldn't be talking about cars. Or anything.
5.33 - Matt you have overlooked the obvious - that dash is moulded around a standard size baguette
5:33
sandwich shelf
Gods yes, cigarettes everywhere !!
La baguette est sacrée 🥖
I agree, the Renault 4 over the 2cv but love them both, goes to show having fun in a car is not always about speed
That there is uncommon wisdom which more people need
It is much more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. This thing makes my Volvo 240 Estate with the automatic gearbox behind the 2.3 seem positively fast! I've always called Arthur the "Flying Brick".
@@debillington9239 That's so sad to think about.
These things were everywhere in the Netherlands back in the 70's and 80's. As a kid I was mesmerised by all those quirky design details like the gearshift, taillights and interior light
I loved the Renault 4. I owned a 1974 TL and a 1978 TL. They were great to drive. Changing gear was like playing a trombone. I wish I had one now for nostalgia
Pas de calculateur, pas de capteurs, etc ... une voiture basique, pratique et confortable qui vous emmène loin, très loin et partout !
I have fond memories of this car. My father used to take me to school with a brand new Renault GTL.
The gear was an absolute novelty.
My first car in 1973 was the van version of the R4L, known in the UK as a Fourgon. 845cc and three forward gears. I would SO MUCH like to drive one again. It was a great, simple car and I liked it a lot.
"I'm sitting on the wrong side of the car."
No you're not.
@Chaos And the right side is left, haha
I love how practical these cars are - modern cars are so far removed from this. Thank you for this morning's viewing. :-)
one of my first cars. learnt so much about maintaining momentum. great fun. massive rust
The memories... My mum let me shift it sometimes, when I was finally big enough to sit up front (i.e. eight). For reverse, you twist the umbrella to the right and pull back. Ours had a hole over the front number plate, where you could insert the hand crank to start it in case of flat battery.
So lovely to see one of these again, my mother had one when I was very young, it was bright yellow with a canvas sunroof. Smashing.
Such a great car. I owned one of these in London and my mother, ever a fan, must have had seven or eight in Scotland over the 30 year production run.
One thing which you did not really focus on was the comfort - they rode over bad roads (and good ones) in great comfort - a typical French characteristic. To illustrate the point, when I was about 21 I borrowed my Mum's R4, left her with my TR3 and went with a group to the south of France (from Scotland). We were a total of seven people in the R4 and a Triumph Herald (we were young!). At the beginning most looked down their noses at the R4 and seats in the Herald were fully occupied and three of us were in the R4. By the end of the trip, the premium seats were in the R4.It had comfort, a sun roof that opened wide, a flat floor and door sills, great for picnics. One commented that "This is like riding in a blancmange".
As a practical car, it was unbeatable.
RIP R4
3:23 (Quimper is situated South West of Britanny, that is to say at North West of France.) I had one Renault 4L and this is a very good car, it's perched high on its wheels and you can even drive it everywhere, on the nastiest paths, in the fields as well.
You're exactly right, Quimper is nowhere near Southern France, it is located in South Finistère, Brittany.
It was fun seeing one again, thanks! A couple of things though ...
The door “handles” are placed forward of the door so as to specifically be used with the right hand (on the left of the car); like this the body is already turned so as to better look backwards for oncoming traffic when driving on the “original” right.
The gear lever is sprung, so going from second to third does not require wrapping your hand on the knob and twisting it to the right, a simple push forward suffices as with the spring there’s no way you mistakenly select first.
My father bought a brand new Renault 16 TX in 1979, great car, loved the quirky gear shift and handbrake. Can still remember the new car smell, very heady but nice.
Brilliant little cars and so pleased you found one to review Matt ! We used to buy loads of these from the main Renault dealer that had been p/x Economical, nippy, virtually bullet proof reliability, capacious interior, they used to rot in the four corners of the floor but easy to patch as flat floor, happy memories ! R16 test next please ?
My Dad had one when it was old banger material. He was given it as it had no reverse gear. Never bothered my Dad. His passengers would have get out and push, including us kids. We thought that was great fun. Ah, the good old days.
Went through two 4s when we were kids, rallying them around fields. The brakes gave up after a while so we used the handbrake to stop. It worked on the front wheels rather than the backs. It gave up after a while too so we stopped it against anything that was close and softish!! Could never turn them over either, they just kept leaning and leaning and leaning over!! What a car!!
I seem to remember these in every street in the 80s. I had almost forgotten about them until I passed one around three days ago. The memories came flooding back.
I remember going to Spain when I was 8 and my uncle gave my dad his R4 to drive around the country. It was janky, always falling apart, but super cute and fun. A huge difference with the erica cars we had in NYC. I the realized that for the most part, the american cars which were primary all automatic, made almost no noise at all. I loved the sound of gear changes in the little old Renault
These were everywhere as Rixi & Creamline taxis in Harare, Zimbabwe in the 1980s. The gear stick and door handles used to fascinate me as a kid because they were odd.
I remember rixi. Before they upgraded to Mazda 323s
I am glad you mentioned the engines because the 'Sierra' engine later was renamed the C-type engine or Cleon Fonte. Cleon being the factory in Normandy where this engine was built. It started as 956cc and ended up as a 1565cc. This C-type engine is also in my Volvo 345 in 1397cc form. The early R4s had the smaller B-type engine (Ventoux/Billancourt) that was in production from 1947. The Sierra engine was in production from 1962-2004 and no fewer than 27,306,277 units were built. The Sierra engine was the most produced engine in Europe.
The Renault R4L was mom’s first car in 1974! This complete review has made me plan to get one imported to Costa Rica!
My grandad learnt to drive relatively late in life and only had three cars, all of which were Renault 4s and he hated stopping at junctions. He eventually built a small garage specifically to accommodate one, something I later used to store a Vauxhall Nova I'd previously had nicked whilst abroad for a summer, the only way in or out via the tailgate. Thanks for giving me pause to reminisce, Matt.
There were thousands of these, mostly taxis, on the roads of Rhodesia and later Zimbabwe.
Personally I was a passenger in hundreds of them when catching a Rixi or Creamline Taxi.
I also had a friend that owned one in the early 80's that I borrowed occasionally, (insurance was a bit different, actually fairer in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, the car was insured not the person, so anyone could drive any car as long as it was insured) and I loved driving it around. At the time I thought it was quite nippy!
Happy memories.......... Thanks.
Wild Bill Yes even now in India it is the car thats insured (also the person of course) but anyone with a valid driving license can drive any car. It’s the old Brit system which we havent changed yet.
I remember watching one loaded with 4 gendarmes hurtling round a roundabout, the lean angle was historic.
I just bought a Renault GTL Master yesterday. I had been wanting one since I first saw one, years ago, in the movie "Romancing the Stone." When I met my husband and moved to South America I saw them often. My mother I law bought one in 2021, and she let me drive it and I fell in love with this quirky little car. All my cars have always been manual drive, so it just took a minute to learn how to drive it. If I bring it to the U.S. I'll never have to worry about anyone being able to steal it, besides the shifting the built-in guard and original keys, make it impossible to steal unless the person is an antique Renault maniac.
The floor button is actually a pump for the windshield sprayer. At least in the R4s my father owned when I was a kid.
I had a 1961 model as my first car...3 speed, 6 volt electrics. O K, mine was well jiggered when I bought it, so it was a disaster. When I was 17 in 1971 I worked on the pumps and polished cars at a Renault dealership as my summer job so I got to drive a few of these. They were OK if properly maintained, but boy did they rust......but then everything did in these days. A young lady I knew wrote her mum's R4 off when she crashed it into my parents garden wall on a country lane. She wasn't hurt, just shocked thank goodness.
loved this - clicked as soon as I seen it. the Irish telephone company (telecom eireann as it used to be known back in the eighties) used these alot. they had a very distinctive airy sounding engine. thanks for a great review Matt.
Superb video and a great trip down memory lane to my youth. I grew up with a Renault 4. My mother brought me to school with it. Superb little car, very cosy on the inside.
With this being a French car from the 1960s, you don't get a tea shelf (pah, les Anglais,) but the shelf is perfectly adequate for a glass of Pastis, which was a much more likely accompaniment to a French picnic anyway...
Amusingly, like the Porsche 911 (meant to be replaced by the 928...) the Renault 4 outlived the car that was rather meant to replace it (the original 5 from 1972 to 1984, which shared a number of the 4s engine options) and went on well into the production of the second generation 5 or Supercinq in Europe. In other markets and production facilities it went on past the end of 5 production and well into the life of the Clio, so well into the '90s...
growing up in the 70s and 80s, my parents owned several R4's and R4F6's, the F6 being the 'delivery version', because with 4 kids, we needed the space. the cluster of speedometer, fuel and battery gauches was the size of a decent-sized chocolate bar, fitted in hard, black plastic, the steering wheel being of some sort of bakelite. the colunm had only 2 stalks on the LH side: a larger one and a smaller one. the smaller one was the light switch. the (2 speed) windshield wipers were activated by a toggle switch on the dash, on the left of the speedometer cluster. the last one we had (an R4F6, 1981) failed MOT only 8 years later, because of a rotted-through chassis. i would LOVE to drive one again, for memory's sake!
A couple of things you got wrong about the specific GTL you were driving: The button on the floor is not for the lights, it's for the windshield washers, and it doesn't have brake drums all around. The front brakes are actually discs.
Foot-operated dip switches are a peculiarly British quirk.
WuvsVidz They started in the USA, and lasted there for decades. Every make and model. I believe some American cars still have them.
It is amazing how late into the 80's these were made, as it seems so old! Only 600kg though - a Rover Metro weights about 850 - so extremely light.
First got familiar with it watching 'Atlantic Parks: ' The trade test colour film, repeated constantly, on BBC 2, in the 60's and 70's. In that film there is a nice white Renault 4 driving through various National Parks of NE Canada. Memorable
Brings back memories, I was in one of these at the age of 15, the engine went a very loud bang on a friends drive. Scared the living daylights out of us. But a very novel car and sadly never really see them on the roads anymore. A neighbor had one too, they had it years and years, so not bad compared to today's average care lifespan. Great video. Love the golden oldies.
My Mum had an R6L with the 845cc engine. Its only claim to sophistication was wind-up windows but it was very spacious with big, black, plastic-covered bench seats. It was old-fashioned even in the 1970s!
Wonderful car! I was driving it working for our Postal Service. I remember it was semi off road. Such a pleasure driving it on smaller gravel roads.
Weirdly I just seen one of these on Thursday this week, a red one going along the M23. First one I've seen in years.
I think a lot of the later 4 where made in Slovenia ( then Yugoslavia) at the Revoz (then IMV) factory at Novo Mesto, where they have making Twingo's for the last 13 or 14 years or so. Funny enough my Twingo 2 still has the radio pointing up at the ceiling like the old renaults.
If you find the oval plate on any Renault (since 1909) look for the fabrication number (it will be a letter followed by six numbers). This letter tells you where in the world in was assembled.
A = Portugal
B = Batilly (RVI)
C = Creil
D = Douai
E = Spain
F = Flins
G = Grand Couronne or Yugoslavia
H = Haren (Belgium)
J = Billancourt
K = Dieppe
N = Mexico
Q = Amercian Motor Corportaion
R = Bursa (Turkey)
S = Sandouville
T = Romorantin (Matra Automobile)
U = Maubeuge (Spain)
W = Valladolid (Spain)
X = Heuliez
Y = Yugoslavia / now Slovenia
Z = USA
So if you own a Renault, and are really bored, you can now find out which factory it came from.
i'm french and i'm proud of our little car, i had actually one cause i do the 4l throphy and that car is unbreakable, she go everywhere and of course look super cool
Le voyageur inconnu - French cars are tres superbe. Especially their suspension. Most comfortable around those cobbled streets. My favourite French car, for its beautiful elegant styling and wonderful hydraulics is the DS. And especially the Black one that General De Gaulle used. Francophile from India, thats me all over.
@@shankarbalan3813 The DS is an historic car and you're right that car is just wonderful
Thanks for all these memories.
In 1987, my first car was a R4 '76. I paid 100,-DM ( ~ 50€ ) for a lot of rust, a missing frontwindow ( easy fix ) and hoods and doors in different colours. The mirror was mounted on the dashboard and the handbrake on its underside. Original side pipe ;-) and a tool to change wheels, or start the engine when your battery is down on power. I loved it, but the rust ended it all two years later. I replaced it by a Datsun Laurel 2.4 L. That change was overwhelming in power and luxury by R4 standards and another exciting experience.
Stay healthy, greetings from germany
Thanks for this cool video! My sister had a very similar GTL years ago. She used to drive it like there was no tomorrow so my mum convinced her to trade it in for something more substantial. Doors used to bend outwards past 120kph! The hand on the square speedo (old black dashboard) would go way beyond the last digits on the motorway. They were fitted with front disc brakes - not very powerful, they are fine when properly serviced!
A friend of mine had one and said I should get one. I thought, no way. Then a customer at the dealer where he worked part/ex'd one and he said I could have it cheap. I bought it and guess what ?? I absolutely loved it, made me smile every day. It was a 1978 TL 850cc, white with black vinyl roof. It had the optional extra of a length of drainpipe cut lengthwise in half and glued over the long vent outside under the windscreen. This was to stop the water coming in when it rained. Ingenious !! Unfortunately one day a car pulled out in front of me without looking and I went into the side of him. TL written off. But. . . . .
I got another one almost immediately. This was a white 1980 GTL 1108cc. It had orange velour seats. I did mega miles in it. I was working as a sales rep covering most of England and actually preferred to use it rather than the modern company car with the job. Unfortunately the rear trailing arm wanted to come away from the chassis due to corrosion so I parked it up in the driveway. I was woken by the neighbours at 4am one morning to tell me the 4 was on fire. It was well ablaze and I've no idea what caused it. Another write off and I haven't had one since that, 30 yrs ago. Happy memories though.
Fantastic. A big seller here in Ireland. Our local police even had one as a patrol car!
When Renault introduced the 4 in 1961, they left a couple of dozen examples on the Parisian streets with the key in the ignition and a sign on the door, "Test drive the new Renault 4" You simply went for a spin and left it anywhere for the next person. After two weeks, all cars were collected, present and correct.
Imagine doing that today!
Great as always, Matt.
Just finished watching HubNut's 2CV getting a new MOT and now this. Good times. My father owned a 2CV and a Renault 4, though the Renault had more power and was much more practical (and useful in the winter), I'd still go for the 2CV. So much more character.
Excelent report! Great car, and great report! From Buenos Aires-
I love this car to bits. My dad had 2 of these: a 1965 747cc with 26 hp and 3-speed-gearbox and from 1971 on a 845cc with 34 hp and 4-speed which he had bought new. I was 5 when he sold it in 1978 but I have quite vivid memories of it. I'd love to have on today.
BTW, Quimper is not exactly in the south of France... ;-)
Brilliant. I learned to drive in one of these back in the day. So many fun episodes in it over the years. Cheers
I remember seeing these about as a kid, I visited France in about 84 and they were everywhere, that one looks in A1 condition, lovely car. Great Vid, Best wishes.
relatives had one very similar to this for some 20 years, i loved to drive it when i was 18, gtl had disk brakes at the front with original asbestos pads. very practical car, the chassis was robust and cooling sistem much better than some other cars from the '70s. we went to ski with this, once used to transport timber. we drilled holes in the floor so that water could drain out and reduce rust problems, fitted with stereo... was a car designed to be cheap to maintain, modern casr are designed to be cheap to buy
Father's friend had one. We all wanted to go with him in times we could all travel as a big group. Good times.
There is one detail you've missed, but I'm seeking not to buy into the youtube non-sense and just say FINALLY I see a review of this car!
I enjoyed a lot!
Really cool car. They must have sold in every country in the world no matter where you went there was always one parked on a street or trundleing along a road.
It reminds me of my youth. This car was the first one I drove . I remember that the breakes weren't terrific when going downhill, and that the body had propensity for rust. Thanks for your video.
Such a great car, my grandfather had a blue 4 GTL and have great memories of travelling around in it as a small child. After he passed away the car sat unused for a while, I had great plans to restore it but I was just 10 at the time so that was never going to work. Sadly rust got the better of it long before I could ever fix it up and it was scrapped. Still have the licence plate on the wall though 46 APA. Thanks for the great video and bringing back the memories!
My parents used to have 5 of those cars. I especially remember the heating (or lack of) in the winter. But boy oh boy how I love those cars!
Great video - many thanks - nostalgia! Loved the R4, loved the 2CV, loved the Dyane, loved the R6TL. And the R4 and the R6 especially, were really practical! Can't beat quirky and fun. Next? R16 (the thinking man's DS) versus the DS! Best wishes.
Wow
Ian can keep his Elly. I'd love one of those.
I've owned both. The citroen is a lot cheaper to run and simpler to maintain, it's a fair bit slower too, and you get something like a heater on the R4. The 2cv is more fun.....as long as you only need a fun car and don't mind wearing lots of clothing in winter when you drive. The R4 is a conventional car really, the 2cv isn't.
I've survived a winter in a FIAT 126. I reckon I could handle one in a 2CV.
Lovely little cars these I had a R4 GTL - go anywhere car from joining a French weekend Hunting party to 'turning heads' in Monte Carlo lol Ended up giving my 'pride & joy' to a friend for his wife to use as a wee run about as I was going to be working in the USA or Caribbean for sometime. They are cheap to run both on fuel & insurance. Thanks for the Trip down memory lane & this posting thoroughly enjoyed it...Merci Beaucoup!
Learned to drive in one of these, offroad they do pretty well having independent suspension and being light, we learned clutch control and climbing hills, getting off of sand and reversing downhill all offroad. I'd like to believe that's what gave me a decent foundation for when I started driving modern cars, being far more forgiving and so much faster than the renault 4.
Unfortunately these seem to rust very easily. I have yet to drive a 2cv, so when I get the chance I'll probably buy one.
Also not sure I'm wrong but I think I've seen one do 140km relatively ok (top speed however). And I've seen someone fit a modern 1.6 Clio engine in one of these, surprisingly scary but fun.
In Slovenia we called them katrca I still remember family when my Grand uncle had one he sadly passed away this year in May and from what I know the old four is still somewhere down in a field
SIMPLY LOVE IT. Always have, my Aunt had one in the early 80's and I was obsessed with it.
So lovely. i really love old cars reviews much more enjoyable than sports cars and all. great job mate, keep it up.
My eldest brother had one of these in the late 70s/early 80s. It was a bit of a rust bucket but he loved it. He drove me all over Scotland in it following our football team. His had flaps below the windscreen for direct fresh air and I remember looking through them. That was before seat belts were mandatory.
how many other cars were made for over 30 years, like the 2cv it was simple but got the job done no fuss just smiles
i had a few of these in the 80s and loved them but they disintigrated with rust here in scotland , my fav was the van , loved it. thanks for posting
Yes , yes ,yes the review I've been waiting for I'm buying one when I move to Spain
👍
I owned one of these on Guernsey, it had a easy life, (speed limit was 30mph on the entire Island), and was not too big for the numerous one lane minor roads!
Happy days in 1985-6, working with a great bunch of Irish nurses in the Peter port hospital.
Remember seeing the Renault 4s as a child in late 70’ to 80’, they used to be common but not as common as Peugeot, Citroen were being driven by high profile people in Uganda, back in those days. In fact they were darling to catholic fathers. I appreciate seeing it, it memories me with my childhood.
Back in the early 80s I had a mk2 Escort RS2000. I thought I was the bees knees. My mum had a white Renault 4 called Rene. Then it snowed heavily and I realised the R4 could navigate snowdrifts with ease on its little tyres. It became my daily commuter. I'd still take one over an RS2000. Great memories, thanks.
As a lad I really liked the 4 , still do 40 years later such a cool car 👍
What a classic little car, my parents used to have this thing back in the days. In fact, one my first road trips as a child was in Renault 4.
I bought a 1974 Forgonette F4 a few years ago, also LHD and I love it.
Thoroughly enjoyed this, a teacher at our school had one (around 1986) and we could bounce it into different parking places thanks to the handles on the front! Great little car though, this one is in such lovely condition.
My Mum had a Renault 4 in the early 1980’s, I seem to remember it spending a lot of time parked on the driveway waiting for weeks for a spare part from France.
A lot of 4's are still in everyday use in the Morocco together with MK2 Transit van minibuses some roads in the Atlas Mountains it can look like 1985.
Love to know how I missed this one. What a very neat and tidy wee car. I've never seen one in person, though. Lovely review, Matt.
Renault 5 was 1972 so there was a big overlap in production dates.
The Renault 4's end of production in 1992/1994 was 2/4 years after the Clio I was first made in 1990, 4/2 years before the Renault Super 5 Campus ended production in 1996, and 6/4 years before the Clio II was first made in 1998!!!
A friend of mine lent me his white Renault 4 to attend my College interview in 1975. I had no car at the time, and loved my short dive in the 4.
Always enjoy your full reviews, very entertaining, thanks
What a charming wee car, simple, practical and no wonder it sold very well. Would be good to borrow Ian's Elly and Compare. Cracking review as usual.
it would be a contest to see what rolled most!
Miss these sort of wacky cars and the sheer diversity of design in the past. Today's cars are so uniform and, consequently, dull. Effective, but dull.
Really enjoyed that video, nice to see an R4 on here. At one point in the early 2000s we had a 1972 R4 TL and a 1985 R4 GTL. Hugely amusing as while both were 4 speed gearboxes, the earlier car had reverse where the later car had 1st, and vice versa. You really had to remember which one you were in whilst at a set of lights!
I keep an ex Gendarme 87 model in France in a barn. When we go to the house even after six months + in the barn she will start on the third or fourth spin. Usually driveable straightaway, sometimes the front brake pistons stick on due to rust build up but they soon free up again.
Cost me 400 euros ten years ago. I registered it as a 'vehicule de collection' , so now it only needs an MOT every five years. Even with 300E a year insurance it's cheaper than a hire car
BTW the back seat folds down all the way into the back seat foot area, so you really do get a massive load space.
The gear change is brilliant, such fun to drive
Our neighbour owned a 1968 Renault 4, my stepfather had broken down and Mr Crawte drove out in his four to tow him home. My stepfather was in a huge MK 4 Zephyr and in the boot was another Zephyr engine, as my stepfather had visited a scrapyard. That little Renualt 4 towed all that weight home 20mls.
With no harm done to it.
Great little practical utilitarian Renault 4. Cant manufactures produce a simple car like this with no tech for 1st time car buyers!? Lovely quirky machine! Thankyou!
Rather than crossovers , I wish modern cars were made like this ! Roomy , high ground clearance which means practical !
The R4 was the first car my family owned, this video was awesome to watch.
These are really lovely cars but remember designed and built before safety was a proper consideration. A friends wife had a head on accident in one. Not particularly fast but that gear lever reared up into the car and took her lower jaw off. She suffered other injuries as well but recovered . Great review as usual. One of the best You tube channels