Just became owner of an R4!

[lill_sankan]

Hey guys! I just found your forum and thought I'd become a member too! So let me introduce myself. I'm a 25 year old guy living in the north of Europe in Sweden. Have always liked the R4 model because of its looks and simplicity. Recently I got a chance to buy a nice example for a cheap cost. So I did! :-) Have done some work on it for example changing the exhaust system and some brake parts. Here are some pictures of it. Hope you like it! Will post more pictures and maybe some videos here further on if there is any interest.

On the way home in the rain.

The interior.

My two Renaults together.

And from behind.

 

[MATTT]

nice looking car
i wish my GTL had as much chrome

 

[John Doe]

Looks really nice

 

[malcolm]

Does look good and original from the photos. I love the radio and console. The green metallic paint seemed thin - I've only seen a couple of early cars in that colour but the paint was wearing off one, and the other had been resprayed. A good find there.

Yours must be from just before the facelift which I thought happened for 73 model year (starting Ocober 1972). Later cars had a black dash and steering wheel.

 

[lill_sankan]

MATT & John Doe: Thanks for the nice comments guys!

malcolm: The car is in a pretty good condition but not perfect in any way. Not many R4's has survived in Sweden unfortunately due to salted roads and thin Renault sheet metal. But this example has had only two owners in the same family, low mileage and has been sprayed underneath with oil many times during the years. The paintwork is not 100% good since the fenders for example have been replaced. About the facelif, I read that the new black dashboard came in 1974, at least here in Sweden, maybe it differs from country to country. Anyway nice that you liked the car!

 

[malcolm]

I used to have one almost identical to yours. It had been repainted, but was the same colour as yours inside. The only real difference was mine had a bench front seat and the later steering wheel and dash.

Mine was also in poor condition - sounds like yours has been very well looked after.

 

[lill_sankan]

malcolm: Hey again! Yeah they look like twins I didn't know the R4 also came with front bench seat? That's cool, do you have any pictrues of it? So was three people allowed in the front bench seat then? Another thing I noticed is the exterior rearview mirror, looks really nice when located there. So where can I find photos and info about you current R4? If you still own one, which I suppose One other thing too, in England where does the exhaust system end? On the left side of the car or in the back like on new cars?

 

[malcolm]

You can find out where the body shell on my green car went: http://www.renault4.co.uk/renault-4-restoration.htm Shame as it was quite a nice car - very good to drive.

The mirrors were often located on the front wings on UK cars. I think most of them were fitted by dealers or owners as there is no consistant position.

I can't find any photographs of the bench seat at the moment. It was fitted to basic models. Expensive models had separate seats. The back rest sticks outwards in the center to separate driver and passenger, so it wasn't intended to be used by a third passenger.

The exhaust on my green car exited ahead of the rear wheel, but it is more common to see the exhaust exit at the rear of the car.

 

[pepper]

Congratulations thats a lovely colour, and I love the earlier cars like yours. I've just bought a 1984 Tl though as my first four as I wanted something for our house in France and a tatty old four with a good chassis with no rust seemed like a great idea.

 

[lill_sankan]

Congratulations thats a lovely colour, and I love the earlier cars like yours. I've just bought a 1984 Tl though as my first four as I wanted something for our house in France and a tatty old four with a good chassis with no rust seemed like a great idea.

Hey thanks! Wow a house in France with a R4 parked in front of it sounds like a dream Do you have some pictures?

 

[pepper]

I have loads of pictures of the 4 there are a few on my gallery.

Here's a link to my gallery.

http://www.renault4.co.uk/forum/album.php?albumid=76

At the moment the car is here in the UK (I bought in the North of England and we live in the South Midlands) I'm going to get it all readied for its CT and then take it back over and reregister it in our department.

Right better set too finding some decent pictures of our house in France.

 

[lill_sankan]

I have loads of pictures of the 4 there are a few on my gallery.

Here's a link to my gallery.

http://www.renault4.co.uk/forum/album.php?albumid=76

At the moment the car is here in the UK (I bought in the North of England and we live in the South Midlands) I'm going to get it all readied for its CT and then take it back over and reregister it in our department.

Right better set too finding some decent pictures of our house in France.

That's a nice car! I love the patina. I'd buy a newer one like yours as an every day car, but they were not sold in Sweden in the 80's unfortunately. Anyway looking forward to see some pics of your house in France.

 

[pepper]

I managed to find a few fotopic photos from when we bought the house in 2004. The house is in the Vendee about an hour or so from La Rochelle.

For some reason I can't get Fotopic addresses to work on here. I shall have to nip over to Tinypic and see if I canget them sorted on there!

http://gallery88771.fotopic.net/c254636.html

Ahh sorry you'll just have to laugh at all my holiday snaps of 2004 rather than the choice ones!