Renault's Dauphine of 1956-1967.
There aren't too many French cars on the site as yet, but shown below is just such a vehicle, and now a very rare sight in the UK - Renault's Dauphine 4dr saloon, replacement for the earlier (again rear-engined) 4CV. The Dauphine sold well in the UK. Power came from a 32bhp engine, based on that found in the earlier Renaults, but enlarged slightly to 845cc. If 32bhp wasn't enough, a few lucky buyers left Renault dealerships with the keys to a 'hot' version, either the Gordini - with more power and disc brakes on all four corners - or the 1093, which was a factory offering built between 1962 and 1963.
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In France during the 1960s, the Dauphine was as much a part of daily life as the Minor and Mini were to us in the UK, a quick look at this movie database site shows how many times these small Renaults appeared in film, intentionally or just in the background.
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The car shown here, registration 1327 DK, looks like a standard model to me, fitted with just a few personal touches (radio aerial, single foglamp, and driver's wing mirror).
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Another Dauphine being worked on.
This next photo shows a chap working on his Renault Dauphine - checking the front tyre pressure to be exact. Unfortunately the Dauphine's registration is out of shot, but the car being RHD suggests a British-registered example of this popular Renault.
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| (Please click the thumbnail to view full-size image.) |
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Return to Old Photographs of Cars - Page 4.
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