Renault Dauphine

A little history

Not a single new car sold during five years of conflict and the possibility for a more prosperous working class of purchasing an automobile for the very first time combined to make the little Renault 4CV, launched in mid-1947, an instant hit. Obviously, its manufacturer started to think about its replacement as soon at it was put on the market but, as it turned out, its success was such that a direct substitute could not be imagined. Therefore, a larger car ended up being sold alongside the 4CV, rather than it replaced it.

The “Project 109” study started in earnest in July 1951. Ultimately, the car would become the Dauphine, placed between the 4CV and the Frégate, and addressing previous owners of 4CV whose improved way of life would allow purchasing a larger automobile, while the 4CV would continue to answer the needs of first-time motorists. Rarely the introduction of a new car had been so carefully prepared, the whole development lasting almost five years and including an in-depth study of the needs of the average French motorist.

The presentation of the Renault Dauphine took place in February 1956 in Corsica, where many journalists had been invited to test the first new Renault in more than five years. The public would have to wait one more month for its introduction in Paris. Finally, the Dauphine was officially unveiled during the Geneva motor show. A box-type automobile of much larger proportions than the 4CV, the Dauphine retained a rear engine, but of larger displacement – 850cc for 27 hp. Handling was extremely sound for a car based on this architecture, the Dauphine only oversteering when pushed hard in tight turns. The front luggage compartment was rather vast for the times. And, to make things even better, the Dauphine, after the initial prototypes had been corrected by Ghia, was a very elegant automobile, offered in a variety of bright colours.

As the 4CV before it, the Dauphine’s success was immediate and, ultimately, more than two millions were built until 1968, production continuing until 1970 in some countries. It, too, would survive its heir apparent, the Renault 8. Among the memorable variants of the original car, let’s name the Gordini from 1958, with its 38 hp engine; the Ondine, a better-appointed version introduced in 1960; and the R1093, a homologated racing development of the Dauphine fitted with a 55 hp engine and a four-speed transmission. Another noticeable equipment was the Ferlec electromagnetic clutch (optional from 1957) that turned the Dauphine’s manual transmission into a semi-automatic one. The excellent Dauphine engine was also fitted under the bonnets of such dissimilar vehicles as the Alpine A108 sports coupe or the Renault Estafette panel van. The outputs of the sporty versions’ perhaps seem ludicrous today, but the Gordini and the R1093 were quite effective machines back then, the Dauphine bagging a victory at the Monte Carlo rally, and two at the Tour de Corse, among countless minor trophies.

More than its success in France, the Dauphine’s achievements around the globe were remarkable in a time when brand new cars seldom crossed borders. Apart from FASA, Renault’s Spanish subsidiary, the Dauphine was produced under licence by Alfa Romeo in Italy (easily forgotten today, but there has been thousands of Alfa Romeo Dauphines built!), by Kaiser in Argentina and Israel, by Willys-Overland in Brazil and by the minor Todd Motors in New Zealand. It also served as the base for the Hino Contessa, after the Japanese company had produced the 4CV in the Fifties. Most notable of all, though it ultimately met with a bitter end, was the Dauphine’s great success on the American market. During the first large wave of imports that took place in the late Fifties, it was second only to the Volkswagen Beetle in terms of sales. Unlike the German car, the Dauphine offered four doors, a pretty silhouette and Parisian chic to American motorists. Alas, the Dauphine proved anything but durable on American highways, and suffered to the extreme from rust. To make things worse, Renault’s budding North American network was well below par to address the complaints of its disenchanted customers… When the “Big Three” unveiled their own compact cars, the Ford Falcon, the Chevrolet Corvair and the Plymouth Valiant, Renault ended up with thousands of Dauphines rusting in the open air in New York docks – most were finally shipped back to France at considerable expense.

About the models

Model: Renault Dauphine Gordini
Year: 1958
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Norev, as part of a “Gordini” box set offered in the “Renault Gamme Sport” series.
Acquired: second-hand as part of the complete set, offered by a friend and fellow collector in December 2006, in Manila, Philippines.

Norev’s rendition of the Dauphine Gordini suffers mostly from the poorly designed door handles, which have the naughty habit of swinging freely around their attachment points. Apart from this detail, this model is rather nice, and deserves a 13/20. This particular one was part of a three-car commemorative “Gordini” set, which also included a Renault 8 Gordini and an already presented Renault 12 Gordini (curiously Norev omitted the Renault 17 Gordini…).





Model: Renault Dauphine
Event: 1958 Monte Carlo rally, driven by Guy Monraisse, navigator Jacques Feret (overall winners)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.62 of its Voitures de Rallye de Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in July 2006, in Souillac, France

We have briefly discussed about the Dauphine’s racing career. Though the car itself wasn’t particularly impressive, its historical victory in the Monte Carlo justified its inclusion in Altaya’s series of rally cars. Unfortunately Ixo's model of the Dauphine is fitted with grossly oversized side windows. Too bad! My rating is 12/20.









Model: Renault Dauphine
Year: 1961
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.31 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in September 2005, in Souillac, France

Remove the previous model’s few items that identify it as a racing car, and you get this plain Dauphine. In addition to the reproach already made above, Ixo painted its model into this bright orange that has never been a factory colour. This forces me to further lower my rating to 11/20.





Model: Renault Dauphine
Year: 1961
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: M6 as no.2 of its Renault Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Souillac, France

Same thing with Norev that provided a plain Dauphine for M6’s press series. It is based on the same mould as the Gordini we have seen above – and suffers from the very same flaw: 13/20.

Renault Fuego

First of all, a warm welcome to C.G. Michaels, our newest follower. Many among our most recent friends come from Argentina though, so today I’d like to discuss a car they know quite well.

A little history

As the Renault 15 and 17 coupes were based on the popular saloon, the Renault 12, the French company logically decided after the replacement of the latter by the Renault 18 to introduce a brand new coupe derived from the newest car. Tastefully penned by Michel Jardin under supervision by Robert Opron, it would receive Fuego as a name.

Production of the Fuego started in October 1979, replacing the R15/17 at Renault’s Maubeuge factory. Introduction would wait until March 1980 and the Geneva motor show. Most of the critics at the time concentrated on the styling. Not that it wasn’t elegant enough – on the contrary – but some judged that the new Renault unfortunately looked too similar to the Porsche 924, noticeably sharing the same concept of a rear opening glass “bubble” hatch. Furthermore, the Fuego, a much more modest car than the German machine, suffered from the comparison. On the road, the Fuego enjoyed a safe and predictable behaviour, a characteristic unsurprisingly shared with the R18. Alas, it also shared its engines, with no performance version initially offered. But in the end, the biggest problem the Fuego had to face was the fact that it simply came too late on the market. The concept of a coupe based on a mid-range saloon, powered by a large selection of engines, had been invented by the Ford Mustang then transposed to Europe by the Ford Capri. The large success that the cars designed for that niche enjoyed throughout the Seventies was quickly vanishing due to the fierce competition offered by the compact GTIs, a concept inaugurated by the Volkswagen Golf.

Renault tried to improve the performances of the Fuego by grafting to it more potent engines: a 2.0-litre block came first for model year 1981, but the car had to wait two more years for an able 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, with which it could finally reach 200 kph. That was a pity, as the Fuego had a particularly slick body ideal for high speeds. Several of its equipments were quite advanced for the time, too. Such was the case of the onboard computer, the remote door lock system (a world first, that today probably equips any single new car sold in the world) or the turbo-diesel engine, common nowadays on coupes, but an ultra-rare choice back then.

All these efforts were to no avail to save a car that was born too late. Though the Fuego cannot be called a failure, it was quickly withdrawn from production in Europe, being built until 1985 in France and 1986 in Spain. Due to the totally different specificities of the local market, the Fuego enjoyed a much longer career, and comparatively a much more successful one, in Argentina where the very last car was constructed as late as in 1992.

About the model

Model: Renault Fuego GTL
Year: 1981
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: M6 as no.16 of its Renault Collection press series
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in July 2006, in Brive, France

Norev offers this interesting but rather old reproduction of the Renault Fuego. It is quite correct but is betrayed by its simple and poorly adjusted wheels and simplistic front end. I’d give 11/20 to this model.





Model: Renault Fuego GTX
Year: 1982
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.89 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2007, in Souillac, France

Ixo’s version of the Renault Fuego is greatly helped by the fact that it is much more recent than Norev’s version. Alas, it suffers from poor adjustment of some parts - have a look at these large black lateral pieces to see how they poorly fit. This unfortunately brings my rating down to 12/20 when it could have been much higher.

ACL-Teilhol Rodeo

First of all, welcome to our newest follower David Sery!

A little history

The success enjoyed by the Méhari soon enticed Citroën’s archrival Renault to produce a competitor to this little off-road vehicle. In fact, Renault already had something in its range that was close enough, the Plein-Air. It had been actually developed by the Sinpar company, but less as a true off-road as the Méhari was than as a fun beach car in the spirit of the Ghia-designed Fiat 600 Jolly.

During the spring of 1970, Renault unveiled the Méhari’s true rival, the Rodeo 4. Once again, this wasn’t a genuine Renault design, its development having been outsourced to a little company from central France, Ateliers de Construction du Livradois or A.C.L. It was originally sold under the ACL name through Renault’s network.

The Rodeo 4 was again based on the Renault 4, more precisely its tougher van version, but received a totally original plastic body. Its engine was the R4’s traditional water-cooled 845cc, 34 hp four. Though more powerful than the Méhari’s, it had to propel a substantially heavier vehicle than its rival did, even if at 640 kilos, it could hardly be called overweighed. In October 1972, a new model was added to the Rodeo 4. Designed with a lucrative army market for a light off-road vehicle in mind, the Rodeo 6 was based on the Renault 6’s chassis and powered by its stronger 1.1-litre engine, and later by the 1.3-litre of the largest R5s.

Despite being a success in its own right, the Rodeo series always suffered from being an imitator of the Méhari, which it was never able to dethrone. Sold from model year 1977 under the Renault logo, the Rodeo was produced two years later by a renamed Teilhol company (from the name of ACL’s director, and though the Teilhol name was unofficially but commonly used from the very beginning of the car).

In September 1981, the Rodeo 4 and 6 were replaced by a single car simply called the Rodeo, even if a Rodeo 5 moniker was sometimes used to avoid any confusion. More compact and fitted with a modern body, the new offer failed to seduce its potential buyers and was withdrawn in May 1986, when it disappeared without any successor.

About the model

Model: ACL Rodeo 4 Coursière
Year: 1971
Maker: Universal Hobbies
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: M6 as no.4 of its Mythique R4 press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2007, in Souillac, France

The Coursière was one of many models offered by Teilhol in the Rodeo range, and Universal Hobbies has proposed a very accurate and tasteful die-cast of this car. My rating is 15/20.

Alpine A108

A little history

Many artisans sprung up in France during the Fifties, with a large part of them producing nimble sports cars. Such a trend was favoured by the availability in the country of two small production engines that were excellent bases for racing preparation, the flat-twin Panhard and the Renault 4CV’s inline four. None of these companies, some of them only enjoying a brief existence, was more successful than Alpine.

We have already seen how Jean Rédélé, Alpine’s founder, created the A106. By the late decade some more modern cars had been introduced, while the 4CV’s, from which the A106 drew most of its parts, had been joined in Renault’s range by the Dauphine. Rédélé’s logical step was to commission a new car based on Renault’s newest popular car, calling it the A108.

Alpine’s very limited production at the time allowed great flexibility, but is an automotive historian’s nightmare today. Hardly two cars were alike, and even the switch from the A106 to the A108 was gradual. Therefore, the very first A108s, introduced during the 1959 Paris motor show, were hardly different from the A106s they replaced. They enjoyed some technical refinements but overall looked similar. Still, the final A108’s design was already in embryo, in the form of specially-bodied A106 prototypes presented over the years. The first “true” A108 appeared in 1960, surprisingly not during a motor show, but on the starting grid of a racing event. For the Tour de France, Alpine had developed a special A108 coupe, the fastback “berlinette”, which proved a success and was immediately nicknamed “Tour de France”.

The 1960 A108 Tour de France now had all the characteristics of what is today perceived as a classic Alpine. A central tubular backbone supported a small Renault inline four, set at the extreme rear of the car, and a fiberglass body that was sealed into place. This arrangement made the A108 incredibly light: the car would only weigh in the vicinity of 580 kilos.

The A108 was good enough, but its concept was soon further refined into the mythical A110. For a time both models were produced, but the berlinette version of the older car retired in 1963. The A108 nonetheless survived in two forms. First was a 2+2 coupe, introduced in 1961, which enjoyed a lengthened platform and a different body. Designed by Chappe & Gessalin, a coachbuilder associated with Alpine since its very beginnings, but which would soon develop its own sports car, the Alpine-inspired but Simca-powered C.G., the A108 2+2 had odd proportions and seemed out of balance. Performances were comparatively disappointing, and the 2+2 was often seen as a lady’s car. It was produced in limited quantities until 1965, though a much more elegant GT4 had been added long before. The second A108 survivor was built in faraway Brazil as the Willys Interlagos, available in a full range of berlinette, coupe and convertible models. Though the American company had concentrated on Jeeps and trucks in its homeland, its local subsidiary was still building road cars, among them an updated version of the Aero sedan and, starting in 1960, a Renault Dauphine built under license. In 1961, Willys clinched another contract for the soon-to-be-discontinued A108, to be constructed in the Americas as the Interlagos after the famous local circuit. If I’m not mistaking – our Brazilian friends may correct me if I’m wrong – this license owed much to “Bino” Heins, a young local pilot who was killed a few years later at Le Mans while driving an Alpine, and his father, the brand’s local importer.

About the models

Three models today… but none of the most obvious A108 berlinette type!

Model: Alpine A108
Year: 1959
Maker: Eligor
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.29 of its Alpine & Renault Sportives press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2011, in Souillac, France

The model itself is nicely done and correctly assembled, but the paint job is a complete disgrace. For this reason I’ll limit my rating to 9/20, though with a nicer paint it could have been much higher. Interestingly, this doesn’t to be an isolated problem for Eligor, as I already complained about the poor quality of the A106 convertible.







Model: Alpine A108 Coupé 2+2
Year: 1961
Maker: Universal Hobbies
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: M6 as no.52 of its Renault Collection press series
Acquired: new with neither box nor stand (probably a production overrun or quality control reject), in January 2007, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

Overall proportions and respect of scale are correct, but could have been better. Many separate parts have been fitted by Universal Hobbies. At any rate the model is more good-looking than the original, arguably the ugliest Alpine ever produced. My rating is 12/20.











Model: Willys Interlagos
Year: 1964
Event: 1964 Brasília 12 Hours, driven by Emerson Fittipaldi (finished 2nd overall)
Maker: Eligor
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.8 of its Alpine & Renault Sportives press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2007, in Souillac, France

Basically Eligor’s A108 fitted with a different paint; as Axel’R’s version of the very same car is noticeably dissimilar (see this limited edition – 50 pieces only – collectible on our friend Tohmé’s excellent blog), and though I never saw a picture of the original vehicle, I suspect that Eligor’s budget version doesn’t mind much for accuracy. I’ll give a 11/20 to this otherwise nicely made model.

Renault Frégate

A little history

Extreme dirigisme in post-war France had the government decide that the now state-owned company Renault would limit itself to the production of popular cars. Apart from the tiny 4CV, the only cars produced at the Billancourt factory were rather utilitarian: the panel vans and two-door estates based on the defunct Juvaquatre, and the Colorale series, a large and upright estate that can be considered as an early crossover. These rules nonetheless soon became more lax, and Renault planned to launch a new car in the 2-litre class, then occupied by the sole Citroën Traction Avant. Originally, the car was to be an outgrown 4CV, that is, a bulbous four-door saloon with a rear engine. Ugly sketches and concerns about the weight balance brought Renault engineers to revert to a traditional layout, front engine driving rear wheels, fitted with a body reminiscent of Chevrolets and Plymouths of the era.

The design of the Frégate, as was its name, was progressing well when a new conflict erupted in faraway Korea. News reached Renault that the French authorities would forbid any new car to be introduced after January 1st, 1951 in an attempt to curb the industry’s appetite for raw materials. The Frégate was hastily introduced at the Paris motor show in October 1950 in order to circumvent this pending rule. In retrospect, this proved a fateful decision. The new model had been insufficiently tested, and the very first cars to be delivered suffered from so many flaws that production had to be halted until November 1951 in order to correct a few of these problems. Unfortunately the Frégate immediately gained a poor reputation, from which it never fully recovered. Worse: nothing changed on New Year’s day, 1951, so the Frégate’s premature launch proved totally useless…

The main complaint of early Frégate owners regarded the poor performance of the car. The Frégate had received the 2-litre four of the Colorale and, with only 56 bhp to put in motion such a heavy vehicle, sluggishness couldn’t be avoided. This was still acceptable from the truck-like Colorale, not from the top-of-the-range automobile the Frégate pretended to be. Designing a new engine would require several years though, so the car’s repute was harmed even further.

The Frégate was also involved in a crucial yet tragic event in Renault’s history. On February 11, 1955 Renault’s dynamic CEO Pierre Lefaucheux lost control of his Frégate while driving on an icy road and was killed in the accident. Renault lost the man to whom has to be credited both the 4CV and the incoming Dauphine. Ironically, one of the only reasons to praise the Frégate was its road handling…

Finally, Renault was able to improve its Frégate in 1956. A new Etendard (“Standard”) engine, a 2.1-litre four rated at 77 bhp, allowed decent performance. Two new models were added in a revised range: the luxurious Grand Pavois, laden with chrome and receiving a two-tone paint job, and the Domaine estate. During the following year, a Transfluide version proposed a semi-automatic transmission, a rare offer among European cars of the time. If Renault seemed bustling then, it wasn’t without a reason: the launch of the new DS by archrival Citroën had hit the sales of the Frégate hard. Attempting to counter the near-perfect “goddess” proved futile in the end. The Frégate’s sales sagged until the car was retired without a successor in 1960. With the exception of the ephemeral Rambler, a rebadged AMC shortly produced during the Sixties, Renault deserted the upper section of the automotive market for the next fifteen years, until the R20/30 range was unveiled.

About the models

Model: Renault Frégate
Year: 1954
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.26 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in February 2005, in Souillac, France

A little plain perhaps… well, the original car is anyway. My rating is 12/20.





Model: Renault Frégate Manoir
Year: c.1958
Maker: Eligor
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.24 of its Les petits utilitaires des années 50-60 series
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in October 2007, in Brive, France

A nice model, though many details look a little too much “plastic-like” to my taste, and overall presentation is simpler than Ixo’s version. I’d give 11/20.









Model: Renault Frégate
Year: 1959
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: M6 as no.7 of its Renault Collection press series
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in July 2006, in Brive, France

Pleasant, though I noticed when I first got this model that it seems to incorporate details from cars built during different model years. That’s often a problem with die-cast manufacturers basing their models on collectors’ cars rather than original documentation. For this reason I’d limit my rating to 11/20.

Schlesser Buggy

A little history

A nephew of the unfortunate Jo Schlesser, who was killed during his very first Formula One Grand Prix, Jean-Louis Schlesser made himself known first on racing tracks. As his uncle, he even appeared in Formula One at a rather ripe old age, making himself famous during the only race he actually started (the 1988 Italian Grand Prix) for a mishap with race leader Ayrton Senna. Schlesser was much more successful in endurance racing, where he clinched two world championships in 1989 end 1990.

Nonetheless Schlesser had already had an attempt in the Paris-Dakar race by then. From 1989 he became a regular competitor and, after giving up his race tracks activities, decided to compete with his very own machine starting in 1992.

Schlesser didn’t make things easy for himself, choosing to build a buggy. This type of cars had often been entered in the Dakar in the past, but all attempts had ended in complete failure. The pilot-constructor’s original approach was to design a vehicle which light weight would allow being competitive with no more than a two-wheel-drive transmission. Furthermore, Schlesser would be alone on board, assuming the functions of both the pilot and navigator (he would later revert to a more traditional division of tasks). Though he was able to record some early wins in a few rally-raids, his regular entries in the extremely difficult Paris-Dakar were, for several years, said to be courageous but doomed to failure.

His first major success came in 1998, when his regularity brought him a world title in rally-raid racing – he would retain the crown until 2002. A victory in the Dakar finally stopped eluding him in 1999. The bold approach of the stubborn Schlesser had finally paid off and, even better, the Frenchman would renew his victory in 2000.

Today, Jean-Louis Schlesser’s little team is still active in rally-raids, though its heydays seem over. Actually, after being powered by Porsche (1992-94) and Seat (1995-96), the buggy’s brighter days date back to the cooperation with Renault (1997-2002), which PRV V6 was both powerful and reliable. After a switch to Ford engines in 2003, results significantly dropped and, furthermore, an apparent partiality of the FIA towards large, money-laden factory teams at the expense of the smaller outfits played against Schlesser.

About the models

We could have so many more models if the little game between die-cast manufacturers wasn’t to copy each others!

Model: Schlesser Mégane Buggy
Year: 2000
Event: 2000 Paris-Dakar Rally, driven by Jean-Louis Schlesser, navigator Henri Magne (overall winners)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.31 of its 100 Ans de Sport Automobile press series
Acquired: second hand with stand but without box, in December 2008, in Brive, France

Altaya distributed this Ixo-made model a few years ago through one of its early series. Competition was scarce back then and standards of quality were therefore low, so this die-cast could seem a little crude by today’s standards. My rating is 11/20.







Model: Schlesser Mégane Buggy
Year: 2000
Event: 2000 Paris-Dakar Rally, driven by Jean-Louis Schlesser, navigator Henri Magne (overall winners)
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: M6 as no.11 of its La Légende du Paris-Dakar press series
Acquired: brand new, in June 2006, in Souillac, France

When M6 started its own “Dakar” collection, imitating De Agostini which had already done the same on the Italian market, several of the models provided by Norev were similar to the ones already sold by Altaya (we’ll see some others in later posts). Though roughly identical, they enjoy a few improvements here and there, justifying a slightly higher 13/20.











Model: Schlesser Mégane Buggy
Year: 2000
Event: 2000 Paris-Dakar Rally, driven by Jean-Louis Schlesser, navigator Henri Magne (overall winners)
Maker: Bburago
Scale: 1/26
Distributed by: Bburago
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in December 2011, in Brive, France

A simple but sympathetic model of this car at a larger scale. My rating is 11/20.