Hello!

[happybutsimple]

I'm so so so so happy to have finally got my hands on a Renault 4 again.
I have loved them since I was little when Mum had two; both red, the first one had a bench seat and whilst I remember them as being leather they were almost certainly vinyl!! anyway, I remember sticking to them in the summer when it was hot ! The second one was a GTL I think, it had the red checked seats and door cards, she was called Poppy and I drove her until we had children and had no way of fixing their car seats in.
Now I have a yellow GTL, first registered in 1985, RHD. Whilst she starts & drives beautifully she not surprisingly needs an amount of welding/rust repair 'underneath' The previous owner had done an amount of fiddling; the drivers seat is heated, she has a sun-roof, new rear panels, an immobiliser, and I'm sure other things we have not yet discovered.
I would very much like to know what she would have looked like new, should she have those 'handles' on the front bumper? what are they called and what are they for?
That's all for now, I'm looking forward to mining your collective deep knowledge of all Renault 4's!

 

[jjad]

Hello! Yes, those 'handles' were added when the GTL was launched in 1978 I think.
Welcome to the forum!

 

[reidalpine]

I simply call them love-handles -R.

 

[AdamWilkes]

...or nudge-bars.

 

[RichardIRL]

should she have those 'handles' on the front bumper? what are they called and what are they for?

The French brochures refer to them as goat horns.

I think they were basically bumper extensions to protect the front of the body from parking damage by other cars as the bumpers are quite low and not very protective for the wings and grill area

 

[mr-reno-139]

Not very useful as slightest damage and then you can't open bonnet

 

[orsome]

eh, Love handles are found inside cars (like VW Beetle ) and are completely different matter

 

[JdeW]

You could name them "Tonkers" for the distinctive sound when you hit something....Driving....Brakingggg....and "Tonk"