The Renault 4 was introduced in 1961 as a direct competitor to Citroen’s highly successful 2CV. In the beginning there was also an R3 version with only 603 cc, but the R4 with 747 or 845 cc prevailed and only very few R3s were delivered. Exceptionally roomy, the water cooled engine provided a much better noise comfort than the Citroen, although performance was only marginally better. The engine was the very first in the world with a completely sealed-off cooling system. It was located behind the front wheels and gear-change was done via a horizontal stick in the dashboard which was linked to the gearbox sitting in front of the engine, before the front axle.
It was also the first car fitted with a real fifth door, making it the world’s first hatchback.
At the end of its career the GTL version appeared It had a 1108 cc engine was installed with the same horse power of as the 845, but which much higher torque, resulting in a less nervous ride and better fuel economy.
When production, which took place in about 15 countries world wide, finally stopped in 1994 over 8 million cars were produced, the highest ever for a French car.
Shown here are a 1961 747 cc L version, a 1963 845 cc L version and a 1994 GTL version.