Renault 4 timeline

1956

Sensing the end of post-war austerity and an approaching era of increasing prosperity, Renault begins to develop what company president, Pierre Dreyfus, calls a ‘blue-jeans car’.

1961

The R4 is first launched (along with the short-lived R3 variant, which featured a 600cc engine and an even more basic level of trim) at the 1961 Paris Motor Show. It is Renault’s first front-wheel-drive passenger car.

1963

Renault first offers the Dauphine’s 845cc engine in the 4 Super.

1965

The R4 is rebranded as the Renault 4, which it will stay so named for the rest of its (very long) life.

1967

The car becomes France’s bestselling car with production reaching a total of 370,000 units a year.

1978

The 4 GTL is fitted with the 1108cc ‘Sierra’ engine, which would be sold with most export models from then on.

1992

Renault 4 production ends in France, with more than eight million cars built. The car wasn’t quite dead yet, though – it was made in Slovakia for a further two years.