Renault Estafette
| Renault Estafette | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Renault |
| Also called | Renault Hi-Boy (USA, Canada) Renault Petit-Panel (USA, Canada) Dacia Estafette (Romania) |
| Production | 1959–1980 (France) 1965–1969 (Algeria) 1975–1978 (Romania) 1964–1986 (Mexico) |
| Assembly |
Algiers, Algeria (CARAL) Mioveni, Romania (Dacia) Sahagun City, Mexico (DINA) ?, France |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Van (M) |
| Body style | 4-door minibus 4-door panel van 2-door pickup 2-door chassis cab |
| Layout | FF Layout |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,270 mm (89.4 in) |
| Length | 4,070 mm (160.2 in) |
| Width | 1,780 mm (70.1 in) |
| Height | 1,930 mm (76.0 in) |
| Curb weight | 975 kg (2,150 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Renault Trafic |
The Renault Estafette is a small front-wheel drive van, first introduced in 1959, initially using the water-cooled Renault Ventoux engine, then later the Cléon-Fonte engine in a range of body styles.
Following the launch of the Estafette, Renault became the only auto-maker in the world to simultaneously produce and sell vehicles with all three of the drive train configurations commonly used, with the front engined front wheel drive Estafette, along with various rear engined rear wheel drive cars such as the Dauphine and the front engined rear wheel drive Frégate and the ageing Dauphinoise.
In the summer of 1944 the French Ministry of Industrial Production set out a prescriptive plan to make the most of scarce resources for the post war motor industry. It was headed by Paul-Marie Pons and so it was known as the Plan Pons. Under the Plan Pons, Peugeot, Renault and Chenard & Walcker were restricted to making vans for 1000–1400 kg while Citroen was to make small trucks for 2 and 3.5 tonnes.
However, Pierre-Jules Boulanger at Citroen ignored the Plan Pons and went ahead with the design of the Citroën H Van, which launched in 1947. This unitary body with no separate frame design, with four-wheel independent suspension, and front-wheel drive, offered a powerful motor, capacity, and an exceptionally low loading floor. It was an immediate success, and continued in production to 1981.
Renault obeyed the Plan Pons instructions and designed the 206 E1 following general pre-war design ideas. It had a fixed chassis onto which the van body was bolted and the body was made by fitting metal panels to a wooden frame. This old-fashioned method paid off in terms of the time it took to build and overall production costs, because at the time stamped body panels were relatively expensive and it also saved weight. In this period of material shortages Renault did the best they could and the 1000 kg as it became known was a success, but not on the scale of Citroen's H Series that was selling to small businesses such as shop keepers and tradesmen. It was for this reason that Renault decided to fill the gap between the 300 kg Renault Juvaquatre and the 1000 kg 206 E1.
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