Renault 4CV

Renault 4CV

Specs Mentioned:

Make/ Model – Renault 4CV (1951)

Engine – 747cc, in-line 4-cylinder, Overhead valve, rear mounted

Power – 22hp 

Top speed – 57mph

Other – CV (cheval vapeur) was the French equivalent to ‘horsepower’ as a unit of power.

The 4CV, which refers to the French abbreviation for ‘four taxable horsepower,’ was finally unveiled to the public at the 1946 Paris Motor Show. Despite a withered French economy, Renault sold 37,000 4CV’s by 1950, making the car the most popular in France. The cars were popular in Germany as well, with 1760 of them sold in West Germany in 1950 alone. This allowed Renault to produce the 4CV at a rapid pace, and over one million 4CV’s were sold in its 14-year production period, the first French car to achieve more than one million sales.

Although this was a mini-economy car aimed for the masses, the 4CV was a capable car that was fun to drive. The French were thrilled with the car’s playfulness due to its rear engine/rear-wheel drive layout complimented by its light and direct steering rack, which took just 2 ¼ turns of the wheel from lock to lock. The car is capable of comfortably carrying four people while maintaining a playful charisma, even with just 17 horsepower. The 4CV was the car that the people of France had been waiting for. 

The featured car was employed by the Quickshaws company as a taxi and has been in the possession of the current owner for over ten years.