Renault 4CV 1946

Classic Car | Renault 4CV

Renault 4CV 1946Origin France

    Engine 760 cc, straight-four Top speed 57 mph (92 km/h) Renault’s small car, the 4CV, looked similar to its British rival, the Morris Minor. However, with an all-independent suspension and a rear-mounted engine under the skin, it had more in common with the German Volkswagen. It was the first French car to sell more than a million.

Renault Juvaquatre 1945

Classic Car | Renault Juvaquatre

Renault Juvaquatre 1945 Origin France

   Engine 1,003 cc, straight-four Top speed 60 mph (96 km/h) This was the wagon version of Renault’s first uni body-construction, mass-market model. It was conventional and basic, with only three gears and mechanical brakes. The wagon and sedan were dropped in 1948, but a van was still on sale as late as 1960.

Renault Frégate

Renault Frégate 1951 

Origin  France
Engine  1,977 cc, straight-four Top speed  78 mph (126 km/h))

Nationalized after WWII, Renault needed  an upmarket sedan and launched the Frégate in 1951. Although conventional looking, the Frégate had independent suspension, spacious unibody construction, and handled well. The car, with its 2.0-liter engine, was slow, and sales were not as brisk as the company had hoped.

Renault Dauphine 1956

Classic Cars | Renault Dauphine

Renault Dauphine 1956
Origin France

Engine 845 cc, straight-four Top speed 66 mph (106 km/h)

     A development of the tiny, rear-engined Renault 4CV sedan, the Dauphins kept that vehicle’s mechanical layout, but put it into a larger, stylish body that resembled Renault’s conventional Frigate big sedans. Despite sometimes wayward handling and rust problems, more than two  million Dauphins were sold in 12 years

Renault Floride/Caravelle 1958

Classic Cars | Renault Floride/Caravelle

Renault Floride/Caravelle 1958
Origin France

   Engine 845 cc, straight-four Top speed 76 mph (122 km/h)

   The Floride/Caravelle design was inspired by American Renault dealers. Styled by Italian design house Frau and built by French coach builder Chausson, it used the rear-engines Renault Dauphin sedan’s underpinnings. The car’s limited performance improved with time. Later models even had four disc brakes.