I have fond memories of the Renault 4, a simple, reliable little car.

James May's eulogistic comments about the late-lamented Renault 4 in July 9 Telegraph Motoring raised many nostalgic memories about this excellent little car, of which we owned five different examples both here and in Africa. It was simple, reliable and capacious internally, while trim in size externally, with supple suspension and perfectly acceptable performance even from the original 3-speed, 800cc version. It is such a pity that there is no equivalent basic motorcar produced by any manufacturer today.

Asked on 27 August 2011 by DN, Manningtree

Answered by Honest John

I drove one this year and should remind you that your glasses are somewhat rose tinted. They may be simple and practical but are nothing like as good to drive as a 2CV. Fiat attempted a Renault 4-like ECObasic, and originally developed the TwinAir's engine for it, but crash safety rules made it a still-born project.

Tags: safety reliability classic cars small cars

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