1965. These Renault Service vans became part of the French landscape of the course of thirty years.
All photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Hugues Vanhoolandt captures the color of the R4 at Retro between the calendar of events for the R4 Celebrations for 2011.
February 16-26 4L Trophy raid
February 28-March 28 Renault 4 display at the Autoworld Museum (in association with the Belgian 4L Club)
March 3-13 Renault 4 display at the Geneva Motor Show (Switzerland)
In 1961 The R3 was introduced alongside the R4 as an even less expensive version of the new car.
April 12-23 Renault 4 display at the Amsterdam Motor Show (Netherlands) (tbc)
April 16-17 Renault 4 display at the World Series by Renault meeting at Motorland
Aragon (Spain)
April 29 Renault 4 display at the Annual Shareholders Meeting
April 30-May 1 Renault 4 display at the World Series by Renault meeting at Spa-
Francorchamps (Belgium)
Plein Air model was the R4’s answer to the Fiat Jolly.
May 11-22 Renault 4 display at the Cannes Film Festival (France)
May 28-29 Display of Renault 4 vans at the Locomotion en Fête meeting
June 18-19 Renault 4 display at the World Series by Renault meeting at the
Nürburgring (Germany)
From June Renault 4 display at the Pavillon de l’Ile Seguin, near Paris (France)
June 25 Renault 4 display at the Losange Passion International meeting
Replica of the East African Safari Rally entry of 1962 where it placed 6th in class.
July 1-3 Renault 4 display at Goodwood Festival of Speed (England) (tbc)
July 2-3 Renault 4 display at the World Series by Renault round at the
Hungaroring (Hungary)
July 15-17 4L International Meeting in Thenay (France)
This is the last Gendarmerie R4 and was provided for the 50th anniversary celebrations.
September 17-18 Renault 4 display at the Renault factory in Flins, France
September 17-18 Renault 4 display at the World Series by Renault round at Paul Ricard
HTTT (France)
1108cc model of the very popular commercial R4 van, which allowed the top and back to open and could haul tall items.
October 8-9 Renault 4 display at the World Series by Renault round in Catalonia
(Spain)
October 8-16 Renault 4 display at the Lyons Motor Show (France)
Replica of a R4 Coupe de France Renault Cross Elf, a one make stock car race series for R4s only.
November 19-20 Renault 4 display at Rétromobile Show
November Renault 4 display at the Toulouse Motor Show (France)
November Renault 4 display at the Epoqu’Auto Show (France)
November-December Renault 4 display at the French Musée National de l’Automobile in Mulhouse
Set up for a Routes du Monde tour in 1964 through Scandinavia, this R4 is labeled, ‘Land of the Midnight Sun.’
Very good pictures, Hugues
I am nearly in tears! My first car was a 1962 right-hand drive Renault Fourgon (R4 van) which I bought from West’s Garage, Cambridge, England in 1965 after working all summer making meat pies. It was their worn-out parts van in Renault dull grey, but still lettered, when I took delivery. I think I paid 150 pounds – should have been 50! – and I don’t remember exactly what was painted on the bonnet but it referred to the fact that the chassis was now “greaseless”. Said statement was painted twice so that you could read it from both sides. I loved that car. It was in 1967 that I had it painted Vauxhall Honey Gold – think mustard – after I had nudged a taxi in Valencia, Spain because I was looking at an American girl (from Seattle) who also found herself in Spain on some college trip. She said. Driving back to the UK through France with more duct tape than sheet metal was an experience for another time. And then I sold it. I had two more R4s after that. The one I like to remember was a 1963 roll-back-roof saloon in Renault’s somehow-faded-tomato-red. I bought with widened steel wheels and a Dell’Orto carburetor whose air filter would never stay on. I guess that’s why I bought it.
I then sold it and went through a horrendous TR3 (I’ll never mention it again.) followed by a Peugeot 403 and Fiat 500 made under license by Steyr-Puch, and then I was “promoted” to a company car when I worked at Haynes, the workshop manual people. One day I’ll have to tell you about the dozens of cars I drove while in their servitude. Fiat 128… Alfa Romeo Alfasud (to Greece!)… Renault R8S…
Viva la Renault 4!
nice photos!…i love this car, we have our own Renault 4l here in mombasa, kenya, the one and only!!! 🙂