The Renault 4CV was a car produced by the French manufacturer between 1946 and 1961. An inexpensive “popular car” inspired by the Volkswagen Beetle, and which has the merit of becoming the first French car to sell more than a million units. In Spain it was known as 4/4. On August 12, 1953, the first models of the Renault 4CV manufactured in Spain paraded through the streets of Valladolid.
The 4CV was originally conceived and covertly designed by Renault engineers during the German occupation of France during World War II, when the manufacturer was under strict orders to design and produce only commercial and military vehicles.
A design team led by Fernand Picard, Charles-Edmond Serre and Jean-Auguste Riolfo envisioned a small, inexpensive car (similar to the Volkswagen Beetle) suitable for the economically difficult years that would inevitably follow the war. The first prototype was completed in 1942 and two more prototypes were produced over the next three years, with the 4CV finally being introduced to the public and media at the 1946 Paris Motor Show.
At its launch the Renault 4CV was nicknamed “La motte de beurre” (the piece of butter) due to the combination of its shape and the fact that many early models were painted in sand yellow German Army surplus paint. assigned to the Afrika Korps.
The 4CV was powered by a 748cc engine producing 17bhp, mated to a three-speed manual transmission. Despite an initial period of uncertainty and poor sales due to the devastated state of the French economy, the 4CV had sold 37,000 units by mid-1949 and was the most popular car in France.
It was replaced by the Renault Dauphine, launched in 1956
It remained in production for over a decade, being replaced by the Renault Dauphine, launched in 1956, but the 4CV did in fact remain in production until 1961, just a year before the more expensive Dauphine was discontinued. It was eventually replaced by the Renault 4 which used the same engine and name as the 4CV and sold for a similar price. 1,105,547 cars were produced.
The 4CV came to be used, with various modifications, as a racing car, winning both the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Mille Miglia. The first collaboration between the Alpine company and Renault, a partnership that would go on to win the World Rally Championship with the legendary Alpine A-110 in later years, was the Alpine A-106, which was based precisely on the 4CV.