Renault Dauphine
| Renault Dauphine | |
|---|---|
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|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Renault |
| Also called | Alfa Romeo Dauphine IKA Dauphine IKA Gordini |
| Production | 1956–67 |
| Assembly |
|
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Supermini (B) |
| Body style | 4-door saloon |
| Layout | RR layout |
| Related |
Renault Floride/Caravelle Henney Kilowatt Hino Contessa |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 845 cc (51.6 cu in) Ventoux I4 |
| Transmission | 3/4-speed manual push button 3-speed automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,267 mm (89.3 in) |
| Length | 3,937 mm (155.0 in) |
| Width | 1,524 mm (60.0 in) |
| Height | 1,441 mm (56.7 in) |
| Curb weight | 650 kg (1,430 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Renault 4CV |
| Successor | Renault 8 |
Renault Dauphine (pronounced: [dɔfin]) is a rear-engined economy car manufactured by Renault in a single body style – a three-box, 4-door saloon – as the successor to the Renault 4CV; more than two million were manufactured during its 1956-1967 production.
Along with such cars as the Volkswagen Beetle, Morris Minor, Mini and Fiat 500, the Dauphine pioneered the modern European economy car.
Renault marketed variants of the Dauphine, including a sport model, the Gordini, a luxury version, the Ondine, the 1093 factory racing model, and the Caravelle/Floride, a Dauphine-based two-door coupé and two-door convertible.
As Louis Renault's successor, and as Renault's chairman, Pierre Lefaucheux continued to defy the postwar French Ministry of Industrial Production – which had wanted to convert Renault solely to truck manufacture. Lefaucheux instead saw Renault's survival in automobiles and achieved considerable success with the 4CV, with over 500,000 produced by 1954.
The Dauphine was born during a conversation with Lefaucheux and engineer Fernand Picard. The two agreed the 4CV was appropriate in its postwar context, but that French consumers would soon need a car appropriate for their increasing standard of living.
Internally known as "Project 109" the Dauphine's engineering began in 1949 with engineers Fernand Picard, Robert Barthaud and Jacques Ousset managing the project.
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Wikipedia