Enjoy a year of celebration for the Renault 4’s 60th birthday
Renault is planning a full year of festivities to mark 60 years since the little 4L (Quatrelle) went on sale. The French firm sold over eight million 4s in 100 countries during a production life that exceeded 30 years.
The 4 was Renault’s answer to the Citroën 2CV. It was cheap, rugged, reliable and flexible. Launching with a four-cylinder motor of just 603 cc it would, over the years, almost double that capacity to 1.1 liters by the end of production. The 4 had a separate body and chassis which made it simple to add a van to the line-up, while its long-travel torsion-bar independent suspension smoothed out the roughest of roads and was almost maintenance-free.
Massively popular in its home country, the 4 was also a huge export success. Latin America lapped it up and the 4 became one of the best-selling cars in Colombia after the company began assembling it there. Renault 4s were also built in Mexico, Australia, Italy, Ireland, Slovenia, and Portugal.
Six decades from its launch in 1961 this remarkable Renault is being remembered with a series of films and events. Each month on the 4th and 14th days Renault will release new content on its social media channels with IRL events including displays in Paris and a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
So mark your calendars, this is what Renault has in store:
February will see the release of over a dozen illustrations commissioned from sports illustrator Greg to highlight the three decades during which the 4 was sold, and the company’s flagship Champs-Elysée showroom will play host to an exhibition focused on the “Parisienne” edition, replete with weird wicker-pattern bodywork.
In March Renault Classic will send its 30-strong heritage fleet of 4s out to be displayed through France. A month later, a series of stop-motion films will be released, using model cars. In May the Champs-Elsée store will be stocked with Renault 4 merchandise and more owners tales will be told in a series of videos.
For the summer the Renault 4 will appear at the famous Cannes Film Festival, celebrating its many silver screen appearances and in November the Renault 4 van will be in the spotlight.
We’ll definitely be joining in the celebrations of this landmark frugal French funster. Will you?
