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56-663: The Renault Estafette is a light commercial front-wheel drive van produced by the French automaker Renault . Initially used the water-cooled Renault Ventoux engine , then later the Cléon-Fonte engine in a range of body styles. It was replaced by the Renault Trafic . Following the launch of the Estafette, Renault became the only auto-maker in the world to simultaneously produce and sell vehicles with all three of

112-477: A Dauphine dashboard into a work of art. In 1950, the president of General Motors (GM) had visited Renault, noting the cars' drab colors, inside and out. According to their own 1951 Survey , Renault's studies had shown that women held stronger opinions on the colors of a car than the actual choice of a particular model. Coincidentally, well-known Parisian textile artist Paule Marrot (1902–1987) had written to Renault's chairman, Lefaucheux, giving her opinion that

168-747: A car appropriate for their increasing standard of living, and the onset of the French Autoroute national highway implementation. Internally known as "Project 109" the Dauphine's engineering began in 1949 with engineers Fernand Picard , Robert Barthaud and Jacques Ousset managing the project. A 1951 survey conducted by Renault indicated design parameters of a car with a top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph), seating for four passengers and fuel consumption of less than 7 L/100 km (40 mpg ‑imp ; 34 mpg ‑US ). The survey indicated that women held stronger opinions about

224-432: A car's colors than about the car itself (See below, Marrot at Renault ). Engineers spent the next five years developing the Dauphine. Within the first year, designers had created a ⅛th-scale clay model, studied the model's aerodynamics, built a full-scale clay model, studied wood interior mockups of the seating, instrument panel, and steering column – and built the first prototype in metal. Having largely finalized

280-445: A dedicated commercial vehicle network for heavy and light commercial vehicles, Volkswagen, whose franchised dealers usually have standalone van centres, Iveco, and Isuzu Truck. Isuzu Truck market commercial vehicles up to 18 tonnes GVW and Iveco market their heavy truck range with their Daily van to complement this. Many franchised dealers also retail used LCVs, with the poorer quality examples sent to specialist auctions for sale. There

336-597: A full 1000 kg capacity. In 1973 the grille was updated, with a plainer modern look. The Estafette continued in production until 1980 when it was replaced by the Trafic, having sold over 500,000 units. In Romania, a version of the Estafette was produced for the Romanian Post between 1975 and 1978, by Automobile Dacia , in only 642 units (842 by other sources). At the 2024 IAA Show in Hanover , Renault revealed

392-412: A member of the Dauphine team — "to rid Renault of their stuffy image. After decades of being dipped in various shades of black and grey, car bodies [would be] painted in happy pastels." Working with four others and after setting up a new test laboratory to measure fabric wear as well as paint wear and uniformity, Marrot proposed new body and interior colors. The new paint colors contrasted with those from

448-469: A powerful motor, capacity, and an exceptionally low loading floor. It was an immediate success, and continued in production to 1981. Renault obeyed the Plan Pons instructions and designed the 206 E1 following general pre-war design ideas. It had a fixed chassis onto which the van body was bolted and the body was made by fitting metal panels to a wooden frame. This old-fashioned method paid off in terms of

504-440: A version of the 4CV's water-cooled Ventoux engine with capacity increased from 760 cc to 845 cc, and power increased from 19–32 hp (14–24 kW). According to Road & Track , the Dauphine accelerated from 0–110 km/h (0–68 mph) in 32 seconds. Engine cooling was facilitated by air intakes behind each rear door and a vented rear fascia. Heavier and 12 in (300 mm) longer than its predecessor,

560-438: A white steering wheel, rear bypassing (vs. roll down) windows, twin horns (town and country) selectable by the driver and twin open bins on the dashboard in lieu of gloveboxes. Exterior finishes included a range of pastel colors. Subsequent to its introduction, and as a promotion for both companies (and an early instance of co-branding ), Renault worked with Jacques Arpels of the prominent jewelers Van Cleef and Arpels to turn

616-480: Is a large network of independent used commercial vehicle retailers who retail thousands of used commercial vehicles every month. LCV dealers are increasingly using the Internet to help sell their vehicles in addition to the traditional print media. Renault Dauphine The Renault Dauphine ( pronounced [dɔfin] ) is an economy car manufactured by Renault from 1956 to 1967. Like its predecessor,

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672-672: The Arctic Circle in Norway, suspension testing in Sicily , weatherseal testing in then- Yugoslavia  – a total of more than two million kilometres of road and track testing. In December 1955, Pierre Bonin (director of the Flins Renault Factory ) and Fernand Picard presented the first example to leave the factory to Pierre Dreyfus , who had taken over the project after Lefaucheux's death. Renault officially revealed

728-512: The Citroën Ami 6 the Dauphine, though by that time, Renault had registered the name. At introduction, the Dauphine was positioned in the marketplace between the concurrently manufactured 4CV , and the much larger Frégate . The new model followed the 4CV's rear-engine, four-door three-box sedan format, while providing greater room and power and pioneering a new focus for Renault on interior and exterior color and design. The Dauphine used

784-520: The Flins factory where Renault would ultimately initiate its production (and which would later be named in Lefaucheux's honor). Renault considered the name Corvette for its new model, but to avoid a conflict with the recently launched Chevrolet Corvette instead chose a name that reinforced the importance of the project's predecessor, the 4CV, to France's postwar industrial rebirth. The final name

840-547: The Renault 4CV , the Dauphine is a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive four-door sedan with three-box styling . More than two million Dauphines were built and the design was produced under licence by other manufacturers outside of France. Along with such cars as the Citroën 2CV , Volkswagen Beetle , Morris Minor , Mini and Fiat 600 , the Dauphine pioneered the modern European economy car. Renault marketed numerous variants of

896-611: The embargo date of March 1, 1956. The Dauphine debuted on March 6, 1956 at Paris' Palais de Chaillot with over twenty thousand people attending, two days before its official introduction at the 1956 Salon International de l'Auto in Geneva. In addition to its internal project number, Project 109, the prototype had been called by its unofficial model designation, the "5CV" . Lefaucheux, Renault's chairman, often simply called it La machine de Flins (the Flins machine) , referring to

952-472: The 3.5 T gross vehicle weight) does not require a tachograph and can also be driven by people with a regular car license without the need for an Operator's License . The speed restriction is higher than heavy goods vehicles: 60 MPH on dual carriageways and up to 70 MPH on motorways. Qualifying light commercial vehicles include pickup trucks , vans and three-wheelers – all commercially based goods or passenger carrier vehicles. The LCV concept

1008-613: The 4-door body featured monocoque construction with "a pair of perimeter-shaped longitudinal box sections and substantial cross-bracing", but without the 4CV's rear-hinged suicide doors . Overall, Dauphine styling was a scaled down version of the Renault Frégate , itself a classic three-box design of the ponton genre . Renault received styling assistance for the Dauphine at the request of Lefaucheux in June 1953 from Luigi Segre of Carrozzeria Ghia , especially with integrating

1064-542: The Dauphine at its Flins factory , with a car leaving the assembly line every 20–30 seconds, and with engines from the company's headquarters factory on Île Seguin in Billancourt , Paris. The highly automated Billancourt site could produce an engine every 28 seconds. The Dauphine was also manufactured worldwide: Argentina: Industrias Kaiser Argentina produced the Dauphine under the Renault License in

1120-636: The Dauphine by lobbying to revise the basis for taxation from engine-displacement to overall length, successfully damping Dauphine sales. 73,000 Dauphine's were manufactured in Italy. New Zealand: Dauphines were assembled under contract to W R Smallbone Ltd by Todd Motors' Petone plant from 1961 to 1967, according to Mark Webster's book Assembly. This lists 1964 output at 199 units, 384 in 1965, 354 in 1966 and 233 in 1967. Renault assembly shifted in 1967 to Campbell Industries in Thames and Campbell Motors took over

1176-631: The Dauphine enter production. He was killed in an automobile accident on February 11, 1955, when he lost control of his Renault Frégate on an icy road and was struck on the head by his unsecured luggage as the car rolled over. The Flins factory was renamed in his honor, and he was succeeded on the project by Pierre Dreyfus . By the end of testing, drivers had road tested prototypes in everyday conditions including dry weather and dusty condition testing in Madrid, engine testing in Bayonne , cold testing at

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1232-563: The Dauphine's platform. Italy: The Dauphine was manufactured under license by Alfa Romeo at its Portello, Milan facility from 1959 to 1964 and marketed as the Dauphine Alfa Romeo — featuring a Magneti-Marelli 12 volt electrical system, rather than 6 volt in the French model, and carrying a logo "Dauphine Alfa Romeo" or "Ondine Alfa Romeo." As a chief competitor to Alfa Romeo, Gianni Agnelli , Fiat's chairman, targeted

1288-752: The Dauphine, including a luxury version, the Renault Ondine , a decontented version as the Dauphine Teimoso (Brazil, 1965), sporting versions marketed as the Dauphine Gordini and the Ondine Gordini , the 1093 factory racing model, and the Caravelle/Floride , a Dauphine-based two-door coupé and two-door convertible. As Louis Renault 's successor, and as Renault's chairman, Pierre Lefaucheux continued to defy

1344-538: The Dauphine, then under development for 1957. The only example of a rear-engined van was the Volkswagen Type 2 , and it did not offer load-space or a low floor to rival the Citroën. Reluctantly Fernand Picard , the designer of the 4cv, agreed to give the go-ahead to the team headed by Guy Grosset-Grange to try something new. As a question of production logic, they had to use existing Renault parts, and that meant

1400-486: The Estafette concept. Created under the new Flexis Group (a partnership between Renault and Volvo Trucks ), the Estafette is the first vehicle to use the company's newly developed 'FlexEVan' platform, which enters production in two years time. The new Estafette will serve as a replacement for the Trafic and, according to Flexis CEO Philippe Divry, will serve "as the first example of what electric utility vehicles will look like tomorrow". Light commercial vehicle In

1456-629: The French Légion d'honneur (Legion of Honor) , and Marrot's textiles were later licensed by companies as diverse as Nike and Hayden-Harnett. The Renault Ondine, an upmarket variant of the Dauphine, was introduced in 1961 and was offered for two years. It featured a 4-speed transmission. The Gordini version was offered with a 4-speed transmission, four-wheel disc brakes from 1964 and increased horsepower, performance tuned by Amédée Gordini to 37 hp (27.2 kW). Both Dauphine Gordini and Ondine Gordini variants were offered. The 1093

1512-569: The German Gutbrod Atlas that was carrying 1000 kg using a tiny 622 cc engine. They brought one to France, and used it as a test bed for the 845 cc engine and were soon satisfied that it would work well. And so began over 2 million kilometres of testing. Launched in June 1959, the new van was to be called the Estafette from the Italian Staffetta, meaning Courier. At launch, the engine, although mounted near

1568-481: The Santa Isabel facility. 97,209 IKA Dauphines and Gordinis were produced as follows: Argentinian regulations required the manufacturers to incorporate extra bumper bars as seen here in the photographs of an Argentine unit. Australia: Renault (Australia) Pty Ltd assembled the Dauphine at Somerton , Victoria . Brazil: The Dauphine was produced under license by Willys-Overland , between 1959 and 1968, in

1624-493: The UK, light haulage is a restricted-weight delivery service where the maximum permitted gross vehicle weight rating without the need of an operator's license is also up to 3.5 tonnes. Usually light haulage excludes a distribution center as the majority of deliveries are direct. A delivery may consist of a single, multiple or priority urgent load and can be either same day or next day delivery. The vehicle (as long as it doesn't exceed

1680-454: The canopy which could easily be pushed forward and stored behind the cab which was closed off. The tailgate of this model could be used as a convenient loading ramp or be removed altogether. A minibus was also introduced seating eight passengers and the driver. Originally the Estafette was available only in four colours from the factory; grey, blue, yellow or orange. The Estafette gave all it had promised, with its low floor and wide rear opening;

1736-505: The cars of postwar Paris were a uniformly somber parade, and wondering whether an artist could not help find fresh, vibrant colors. Marrot had attended Paris' prestigious L’école des Arts Décoratifs , had won a gold medal in 1925 at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes and had received a 1928 Prix Blumenthal . Convinced of her value to the project, Pierre Lefaucheux made her

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1792-552: The competition, the Peugeot 203 and Simca Aronde , including bright colors with names such as Rouge Montijo , Jaune Bahamas , Bleu Hoggar and Blanc Réja . Marrot and her team then developed complementary interior fabrics for the seats and door panels, turning to Paris' large textile houses. Marrot also designed the Dauphine's emblem of three dolphins over a crown, which adorned the Dauphine's steering wheel and hood throughout its production. Later in life, Marrot went on to win

1848-529: The development of the Dauphine's successor, the R8 , which supplemented the Dauphine in 1962. Renault celebrated the end of Dauphine production with a limited edition of 1000 models. The last of the base-model Dauphines was produced in December 1966 and the last Gordini models were sold in December 1967. By this time the Dauphine had been excluded from the manufacturer's production lines and Dauphine assembly during

1904-543: The drive train configurations commonly used, with the front engined front wheel drive Estafette, along with various rear engined rear wheel drive cars such as the Dauphine and the front engined rear wheel drive Frégate and the ageing Dauphinoise . In the summer of 1944 the French Ministry of Industrial Production set out a prescriptive plan to make the most of scarce resources for the post war motor industry. It

1960-488: The engine capacity was insufficient at only four CV (748 cc). The four-cylinder engine was redesigned to increase its capacity to 845 cc by increasing the bore to 58 mm, giving the car a new informal designation, the 5CV. By 1954 a second series of prototypes incorporated updates, using the older prototypes for crash testing. Lefaucheux followed the testing carefully, often meeting with his engineers for night testing to ensure secrecy, but did not live to see

2016-411: The engine's air intake at the rear doors. The Dauphine had a front-hinged trunklid, which housed the headlights and opened to a seven-cubic-foot trunk. The spare tire was carried horizontally under the front of the car, behind an openable panel below the bumper. The interior featured adjustable front bucket seats and a rear bench seat, a heater, painted dash matching the exterior, twin courtesy lamps,

2072-468: The exterior design, testing of the prototype began at Renault's facilities at Lardy , France  – by secrecy of night, on July 24, 1952. Using new laboratories and new specially designed tracks, engineers measured maximum speed, acceleration, braking and fuel consumption as well as handling, heating and ventilation, ride, noise levels and parts durability. Engineers tested parts by subjecting them to twisting and vibration stresses, and then redesigning

2128-649: The following versions: Dauphine: 23,887 units (1959–1965); "Gordini": 41,052 units (1962–1968); "Renault 1093": 721 units (1963–1965); "Teimoso" (simplified model, without accessories): 8,967 units (1965–1967). A total of 74,627 units was produced in Brazil. Israel: Kaiser-Frazer in Israel manufactured the Renault Dauphine 845 cc between 1957 and 1960 later in 1963 also the Hino Contessa 900 with

2184-519: The franchise in 1968. Campbell's also assembled the Hino Contessa from 1966 to 1968. When Renault assembly began in Australia in the late 1960s, Campbell's supplied jigs. Japan: In Japan, the Hino Contessa 900 used the Dauphine's platform under license. Spain: In Spain, Renault's subsidiary F.A.S.A built Dauphine FASA between 1958-1967 (125,912 units). United States: The Dauphine

2240-420: The front of the Estafette, was of the same size and output as that fitted to the recently introduced Renault Dauphine . The Estafette's emphasis was always on economy and practicality rather than on power or heavy-duty performance. It was introduced in four body types; the normal van with the rear door in three sections, in a variation on the stable door style. The upper part with the window hinged upwards, while

2296-475: The gap between the 300 kg Renault Juvaquatre and the 1000 kg 206 E1. This position was previously held by the Renault Colorale van that had ended production in 1957, and left for 2 years without a successor, until the Estafette came over. It was clear that they needed a front-wheel-drive van, but the company had just signed up to a policy of rear-engined, rear-drive models with the 4cv and

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2352-478: The high roofed version were especially popular with companies having to load bulky items because although the 0.8-cubic-metre (28 cu ft) increase in capacity didn't sound like a lot, the additional height did allow a man to stand inside to help load. And it was very popular as a mobile shop, which at markets became as typically French as the ice cream van is English. In 1961 came the Alouette version which

2408-422: The lower part was divided into two halves, opening to the left and to the right. A sliding door on the pavement side of the load space was also normally fitted, as was a sliding driver's door. There was a high roof version with translucent plastic roof that on its lower part was left unpainted and the top was normally white (though later models could be fully painted). The pickup version had a tubular frame to support

2464-517: The model's existence to the press through L’Auto Journal and L’Action Automobile et Touristique in November 1955, referring to it simply by its unofficial model designation "the 5CV" . Advance press preview testing began on February 4, 1956, under the direction of Renault press secretary Robert Sicot, with six Dauphines shipped to Corsica . Journalists were free to drive anywhere on the island, while under contract not to release publication before

2520-540: The model's final years was subcontracted, along with that of the Caravelle , to Brissonneau and Lotz at Creil . In 1956, according to a retrospective in The Independent , when the Dauphine debuted "it proved an almost instant success across the globe: the new coachwork was deemed highly elegant, the price was low, and the Dauphine's overall size was still suitable for congested Parisian streets." In 1957

2576-442: The new engine being developed for the Dauphine, but adapting it for a front drive van was not simply a matter of moving it and turning it around, and therefore they had to match it to a new gearbox, which gave them the opportunity to choose gear ratios to suit the van's needs. They also worried if the 845 cc engine would cope with a 600 kg payload, and they doubted it would have enough power or durability, until they heard of

2632-496: The parts for manufacture. By August 1953 head engineer Picard had an almond-green prototype delivered to Madrid for dry condition testing, ultimately experiencing only five flat tires and a generator failure after 2,200 km (1,400 mi). Subsequently, Lefaucheux ordered engineers to test a Dauphine prototype directly against a Volkswagen Beetle. The engineers determined that noise levels were too high, interior ventilation and door sealing were inadequate and most importantly,

2688-466: The postwar French Ministry of Industrial Production  – which had wanted to convert Renault solely to truck manufacture. Lefaucheux instead saw Renault's survival in automobiles and achieved considerable success with the 4CV, with over 500,000 produced by 1954. The Dauphine was born during a conversation with Lefaucheux and engineer Fernand Picard . The two agreed the 4CV was appropriate in its postwar context, but that French consumers would soon need

2744-441: The time it took to build and overall production costs, because at the time stamped body panels were relatively expensive and it also saved weight. In this period of material shortages Renault did the best they could and the 1000 kg as it became known was a success, but not on the scale of Citroën's H Series that was selling to small businesses such as shop keepers and tradesmen. It was for this reason that Renault decided to fill

2800-410: Was a factory racing model limited edition of 2,140 homologated , which were tuned to 55 hp (41 kW) and featured a twin-barrel carburettor , four-speed manual transmission and tachometer, had a top speed of 140 km/h (87 mph), and were produced in 1962 and 1963. All were painted white with two thin blue stripes running front to back along the hood, roof and trunk. Renault manufactured

2856-451: Was a simpler version of the minibus with removable seats that could convert it into a camper van and was indeed popular with French conversion companies. Finally a chassis-cab version was introduced onto which innumerable bodies could be fitted. In May 1962 the 800 kg (1,764 lb) rated Estafette was the first vehicle to receive Renault's newly developed "Sierra" series water-cooled four-cylinder 1,108 cc five-bearing engine, which

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2912-479: Was attributed to a dinner conversation at l'auberge de Port-Royal , chaired by Fernand Picard, where either Jean-Richard Deshaies or Marcel Wiriath said "the 4CV is the Queen of the road, the new arrival can only be the Dauphine. Dauphine is the feminine form of the French feudal title of Dauphin , the heir apparent to the throne. Ironically, both Robert Opron and Flaminio Bertoni of Citroën had wanted to name

2968-496: Was created as a compact truck and is usually optimised to be tough-built, have low operating costs and powerful yet fuel efficient engines, and to be used in intra-city operations. All of the above light commercial vehicles are sold through dealer networks. Usually, a car dealer will have a franchise for the sale of a manufacturer's cars and the LCVs will be sold as an addition. The exceptions to these are Mercedes-Benz, which has

3024-550: Was destined to appear in a passenger car a month later with the launch, in June 1962, of the Renault 8 . In 1968 a series of 70 vans were issued to the police at the Winter Olympics held in Grenoble , and this led to a long-term contract, but Renault's biggest customer for the Estafette was PTT, the French telephone company. In 1968 it gained the 1,289 cc engine developed for the not-yet released Renault 12 to give

3080-645: Was headed by Paul-Marie Pons and so it was known as the Plan Pons . Under the Plan Pons, Peugeot , Renault and Chenard & Walcker were restricted to making vans for 1000–1400 kg while Citroën was to make small trucks for 2 and 3.5 tonnes. However, Pierre-Jules Boulanger at Citroën ignored the Plan Pons and went ahead with the design of the Citroën H Van , which launched in 1947. This unitary body with no separate frame design, with four-wheel independent suspension , and front-wheel drive , offered

3136-432: Was the base vehicle for the electric Henney Kilowatt . Among the aftermarket options for the Dauphine was a supercharger from United States company Judson Research & Mfg. Co.; this sold in 1958 for US$ 165, and was designed to be installed in about two hours without any chassis or body modifications. By the early 1960s, Renault sought to avoid the single-model-culture that had nearly destroyed Volkswagen, accelerating

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