AUTO HISTORY
Renault’s 4CV hit North America during the post-Second World War auto boom but the diminutive four-cylinder sedan never was popular on this side of the ocean.
Following the Second World War, European countries started exporting cars to North American to earn precious dollars. They began landing in the late 1940s mostly from England and France.
Others soon followed. The earliest French arrival was Renault, a well established French manufacturer that had built cars since 1898. Although some large Renaults had been sold in the United States early in the twentieth century, and some were even bodied by American coachbuilders, it was virtually forgotten in North America. The car that started to change that was the diminutive 4CV (four taxable horsepower), also known as the "Regie."
The design of the 4CV had been going on since 1941. Volkswagen designer Ferdinand Porsche is said to have provided technical advice after the war when he was incarcerated in a French prison on war crimes charges. Louis Renault had also been imprisoned as a Nazi collaborator, and had died in prison.
4CV prototype testing began in 1946 and it was introduced at the 1947 Paris Auto Show. It began arriving in North America in 1949, a tiny, unit construction four-door sedan (a convertible was also offered) with "suicide style" front doors hinged at the rear.
Louis Renault had been influenced by Ferdinand Porsche's rear-engine Volkswagen design so he mounted the 4CV's four cylinder engine longitudinally behind the rear axle. Initially 760 cc, it was decreased a few years later to 747 to fit the 750 cc racing class.
Power went to the rear wheels through a three-speed manual transmission with a floor-mounted shift lever. Its four-wheel independent coil spring suspension had swing axles at the rear. Hydraulic brakes were fitted and steering was by rack-and-pinion. Instead of the 12-volt electrical system of English cars the 4CV had six volts.
Unlike the air cooled Volkswagen the 4CV's engine was water cooled with radiator air entering through small slots just ahead of the rear fenders and louvres on the engine cover. The external radiator cap was just below the rear window and the fuel filler for the 26.5 litre tank was under the engine cover.
The rear engine was quite a novelty in North America. The Volkswagen had not yet arrived in any numbers in the U.S., and not in Canada at all, and rear engines brought back memories of the revolutionary but ill fated Tucker.
Little attention seemed to be paid to weight distribution or oversteer back then, and the rear engine gave the Renault good traction in snow. But it would take the German Volkswagen to really legitimize rear engines in the minds of drivers, to the extent that even General Motors used it in the Chevrolet Corvair.
Although the 4CV had four doors it was a snug little cabin because its 2,108 mm (83 in.) wheelbase and 3,607 mm (142 in.) overall length didn't allow much interior accommodation or trunk space under the short front hood.
When Tom McCahill of Mechanix Illustrated tested a 4CV in February, 1952, the biggest complaint from the 6 foot 1 inch (1,854 mm), 250 lb (113 kg) Mr. McCahill was the lack of room "...just too small for any comfort if you happen to be one olive pit above average size." One of his complaints was the limited front foot room caused by the intruding wheel wells.
McCahill reported modest performance from the 23 horsepower engine, up from the earlier 4CV with 19. He said it was “just short of enough moxie to yank a greased duck out of Joe’s mouth” (Joe was McCahill’s labrador retriever). The 544 kg (1,200 lb) convertible accelerated to 97 km/h (60 mph) in 38 seconds and had a top speed of 105 km/h (65 mph).
This performance was comparable to the English Morris Minor and Volkswagen, but it was still slow. Fuel economy was the biggest attraction with up to 50 miles per gallon (5.6 L/100 km) achievable.
The 4CV was joined by the Dauphine model in 1956 based on 4CV mechanicals. While still small by North America standards it was more suitable to North American tastes and driving. The very attractive little sedan had a modern, full envelope type styling and an enlarged 845cc, 30-horsepower engine gave it better performance.
The Renault 4CV was continued in production until 1961 by which time a million had been made, including some assembled in England. Versions were also made in Japan. It had been a popular car in Europe, particularly France where it was a favourite, but its small size made it only marginally suitable for North American motoring.
The 4CV was a handy, economical little runabout for average size people to commute or run errands. Although it did re-introduce the Renault name to North America, it didn’t achieve anything like the popularity of the German Volkswagen.