draft december renotes - Renault Owners Club Forum

Transcription

RENOTES
T H E
D I A M O N D
A N N I V E R S A R Y
I S S U E
M A G A Z I N E
4
O F
D E C E M B E R
T H E
R E N A U L T
O W N E R S
2 0 1 2
6 0 pA G E B U M p E R W I N T E R R E A D
A jERSEY GEM
C L I O I V, D A C I A A N D Z E S E C T I O N
M O T O R S p O R T H E R I TA G E
WHO IS DRIVING WHOM - CLASSICS
BACk ON THE ROAD AGAIN
F LY L I k E T H E W I N D M Y S U p E R C I N q
C L U B
02
CONTENTS
CLUB
OFFICERS
Secretary:
Sebastian O’Hallorhan
Email: [email protected]
Treasurer:
Malcolm Bailey
Mayhill House, London Road
Addington, West Malling
Kent ME19 5AN
Tel: 01732 849325 - 7PM to 9PM
Membership Secretary:
Damien Bailey address as Malcolm Bailey
Editor, Events and Webmaster:
Alasdair Worsley
07917 858 423 - Anytime may take message.
165 Scawby Road, Scawby Brook, Brigg,
DN20 9JX
Club Shop
Michael Fawke
Tel: 01303 255244
Modified Secretary:
Jason Ford
COpY DATES
Next issue of Renotes is due March
2013.
All contributions for that issue must
be received by january 31st 2013.
please send to the Editor:
Alasdair Worsley
at address above.
Subsequent issues - subject to
renewal will be june 2013 and
September 2013 with the cut off 1
MONTH before.
MEMBERSHIp
FEES
Full Uk and EEC £25
Full Non EEC £30
Senior Citizens and Unemployed
(includes Students) £20
Additional £5 for New Members over
normal membership.
CONTENTS
DECEMBER 2012
2
3
4-5
6-11
12-14
15
16-17
18-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-41
42-43
44-45
46-47
48-50
51
52-54
55
56-57
58-59
60
Contents
Editor’s Chat
Club News and Events
Classic - Renault Classics - Whose Driving Whom?
Classic - Renault Assisted Gearchangers
Modern - Tales from the Roadside
Classic - Back on the Road Again
Heritage - 60 Years of the Club - Revisiting the past
Motorsport - Fernec Szisz - An Appreciation
Modern - Renault News
Modern - Renault ZE Section
Modern-Clio IV Section - The Birth of phase 4
Modern- Dacia Owners Club
Alternative - Swedish Rally Track
Travel - A jersey Gem
Fly Like the Wind my Supercinq
Classic - LEjOG and jOGLE
Heritage - Renault 10 Years Ago
Louis - The Enigmatic Genius
Links - Around the Clubs
Travel - Loheac
Book Reviews
Classifieds
Shop
Front Cover: Keeping up with tradition: here is a traditional festive scene, this time from
Hub Habets’ Swedish Rally Track. As you no doubt know, Hub contributes every year an
article on his slotcar track which never ceases to amaze me in its detail. In this edition he
goes into some of the material that goes into making a track like this and shows the
attention needed to put together a car far smaller than any of ours. The watermark is a
closure to the 60 Year Anniversary and harks back to the first proper cover.
To see your car on the front cover, please send me either a photo or a good quality electronic file
(jpg > 1MB is best).
The opinions expressed in Renotes are not necessarily those of either the Editor or the Committee of
the RenOwners Club Limited.
© Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without prior permission.
DISCLAIMER
1. "Any person receiving any technical assistance from any member of the RenOwners Club Ltd shall hold
harmless that adviser from any and all claims for damages, losses, expenses or costs arising out of the provision of
that technical assistance and any person receiving such technical assistance shall waive any claims that it might
have or might pretend to have against that person arising from the provision of the technical assistance."
2. "A party receiving any technical assistance from any member of the RenOwners Club Ltd shall not be entitled to
rely upon that advice as given by the RenOwners Club Ltd. For the avoidance of doubt no advice given is by the
RenOwners Club Ltd and no person has authority to hold themselves out as giving advice backed by the
RenOwners Club Ltd."
RENOTES MAGAZINE 2012 - DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY
EDITOR’S CHAT
03
ALASDAIR WORSLEY AND MEMBERS OF THE CLUB
EDITOR’S CHAT
T
his edition may be a little
confusing. Not only is it arriving
with you a little earlier than the
normal magazine but, as you may
have spotted from the black looks of your
postman, it has grown a bit.
But ladies and gentlemen, this is it. There
probably cannot be any more.....no not
money, or time or a car to be looked
after...but the current printing methods
limit us to 60 pages and as you see we
have had to bind it differently to stop it
exploding. What is more, is that a lot of
you seem really shy about writing about
your cars. We have no problem with the
fact they are excellent vehicles whatever
their age or model. Please write about
them.
However, a large quantity of recent large
submissions, as well as a few non timecritical items from regulars which have
been piling up, has led me to decide to
clear the drawers out and also to round off
the Diamond Anniversary with something
a little special. Many, many thanks to all
those who have written, scribbled, dictated
and of course the few who type it or even
work out those PC thingies and email it to
me. Long may you continue to thumb the
paper with greasy thumb marks. My
drawers are now EMPTY!!!!!!
One page of this magazine is for every
year of the club; sixty pages for sixty years
in all. Based also on recommendations the
inner pages are slightly lighter than the
cover but, if you don’t like it, we will revert.
This is not a cost saving exercise.
A second question was the different
colours on the pages for the numbers.
This is based loosely on Renault’s
corporate guidelines, where each car and
section has a different colour. We use
them to show the areas we cover so club
news and shop is yellow, sport - black,
classic - brown, modern - green, ze - blue,
etc. The areas are based on the original
setup I did where, from 32 pages, 8 were
for adverts, shop, classified contents etc
and this left 24 pages, 8 for each area.
Classic, Motorsport, Modified and Modern.
If one does not take the space another
group fills it. As the magazine has grown,
some regulars have got their own colours
so you should be able to jump to a colour
and find a regular item there.
So what for the future? Well that is up to
you. This year we have shown what the
club can do and we will still hopefully be
ending the year in balance or small credit
as we always try to do. Again we have
minimised expenditure on shows by
charging fees so those who cannot make
it are not funding our fun.
Parts has grown massively but really now
will only continue with more help. It is
easily self financing and even a trip
abroad to recycle our duplicates into new
items has been amply rewarded by the
sales. Fees were reduced by a loan of a
van and free accommodation by our good
friends Alexandra and her family in the
Pays Bas.
Tools and manuals tick over nicely with
the Espace shock absorber tool out more
than it is in. Hopefully we’ll see the output
of this soon in the form of some articles for
the magazine, big hint.
Whilst sixty pages is not likely to be the
norm (not least because of the effect on
postal costs) and whilst material could
allow us to run to 6 magazines per year,
the post again crops up as a barrier - as
well as envelopes. It is possible within the
weight we have, to have 44 or 48 pages
regularly as we have had most of this
year. With new cars coming on line and
the expected growth area of DaciaRenault then I would hope we can count
on the articles to fill it.
In this edition 6 pages have been reserved
to reproduce a single page from each of
the 10 decades. Quite a few of these have
been scanned if you wish to read more.
Please bear in mind the age and quality of
the documents may affect their
presentation.
On the web, we have set up dedicated
sections for “Clio IV” (www.clioiv.com),
“The
Dacia
Owners
Club”
(www.daciaownersclub.com) and “The
Renault
ZE
Club”
(www.renaultzeclub.com) to allow us to
attract some of the very newest cars.
When a car is very new, there are so
many choices of clubs and businesses to
take your money that the prospect of a
general club where most of your fee goes
on a magazine, which does not cover your
car, does not attract. We usually start to
pick new members up when their cars are
about 10 years old or the low volume
sellers that have little “commercial”
attractiveness.
So we have set up areas where the public
can chat for free and build up interest and
where they are surrounded by like-minded
people. We will offer them the option of
joining an affiliated club for a small fee (to
cover insurance, web costs, etc) but they
will NOT get Renotes, tools, manuals and
the other “value” aspects of the Renault
Owners Club. They will of course have the
option of “upgrading” and receiving the
advantages, if they pay an additional fee.
Even if this does not have a large effect
on full members, it will no doubt give us
more exposure and hopefully, as the cars
age, more prominence in the field. Oddly
our big growth this year has been in
Espaces, Twingos, Renault 5s and the
early 2000 sporty hatches a welcome and
un-expected area and one that has led to
some articles in here and some planned
for next year.
Renault in France has launched their
website where clubs and individuals can
register free and share information. This
has
been
covered
before
(www.renaultclassic.com). The club is
listed there but the work involved in
maintaining multiple sites means club
news will primarily be placed in Renotes
with emergency or last minute information
on our site or by phone. We will put up
some general material but as the listing is
alphabetical and was up to 49 clubs within
5 days of launch, ours appears logically
quite low on the scale. I know D’ARC in
Germany vet their clubs both for size,
support and attendance at events (through
Renault Germany) and this may be
necessary on the corporate site if it fills up
with too many “Pink Renault Clio 1.2 1991
8V” clubs. As more is known about it, no
doubt the UK section will swell as well.
Most of the clubs/forums there are either
specialist model, period, or area-related
(in mainland Europe too) so there is a
good choice. New Members - please let
us know what cars you have.
04
CLUB NEWS AND EVENTS
W
ith
this
edition
the
membership fee for the rest
of the year to the end of May
2013 goes down to 1/4 of the
annual fee plus £5 if you are a new starter.
This takes you to May 2013 and you will get
one more magazine around March. Around
that time, you will be invited to rejoin for
another year (4 magazines), which runs
from June 2013 to May 2014.
If you have not rejoined by the end of May
2013 you will be removed from the list and
receive no more magazines. Also, if you
rejoin after that, you will have to pay the
additional £5 again, as we will not have a
record of your being a member previously.
From then on, memberships will run June
to May but new joiners will pay a
percentage based on the number of
magazines still to be received in that year
plus the joining fee.
All new joiners receive a pack, which
includes a membership card and unique
number and also some recent copies of
Renotes.
A
quick look forward and how
you can get involved.
Over the past few years the Club has
made significant strides in consolidating
its financial health and broadening its
activities and the range of services it
provides to members. Members, in fact,
benefit from the revenue, which the Club
derives from advertising in Renotes and
on our web site and the purchase and sale
of spares, which are bought by the Club
and sold at cut prices to members.
However, this will only continue if the
members contribute some effort towards
the running of the Club. At present the
Club is dependent on a handful of people
and if any one of these people resigns or
is unable to continue, the club could face
serious difficulties.
How can you help?
• Come to the AGM and support your
committee. Contribute ideas on how to
develop the Club.
• Run a local meeting at a local pub or
hotel. We would like to develop Regional
CLUB NEWS AND EVENTS
RENAULT OWNERS’ CLUB
Groups.
• Organise a Club attendance at a local
show. There are shows all over the
country but the committee cannot organise
attendance at every one of them.
• Write an article for Renotes.
• Join the committee and take on a role –
this will mean that some of the existing
committee can focus on one task rather
than dividing their time between two or
more.
We are accustomed to hear that everyone
has many demands on their time – the
committee don’t need to be told, all of
them also have full time jobs, families and
other demands on their time. But if they
are willing to make an effort why won’t
you??
Malcolm Bailey
N
ew Members.
This list may appear a little smaller than
normal but the magazine going to press
nearly 1 month early.
Norman Elston
kathryn Aspinall
Richard Thomas
Geoffrey pratt
john Bratley - Laguna
peter Major
Leslie Lewis
Grenville Allum
jonathan Hanns
Neil Wilson
kate jelen
Tom Borgia - Renault 11s and 19
jeffrey Sasin
john Curd
john Arnold 4CV R1063r
john Fitzgerald - 9 Avenue
Alec Huet
The Future and Things
One thing I see is that throughout pretty
much every age of “The Magazine” and
from the early 70s “Renotes” virtually
every magazine starts off with a desperate
plea for material and virtually all are filled
with a few regulars contributing over and
over (and for some this has been regular
contributions since before my car was on
the road - mid ‘50s). These people do not
have a dictate on the magazine or the
articles and we welcome any Renault or
motoring item for inclusion, even if it is in
an area which other people cover. So, if
you have something to write about another
club, a book you read, your automatic
gearboxes or any other topic, please do
so; hand writing, dictating, typed or even
the dreaded “computerised” file are all
acceptable. Just because this magazine is
compiled on a computer, in no way does
this mean you have to do so and I receive
hand written letters most months.
Over the years, we could have dumped
Renotes, made everything “on line”,
alienated a good proportion of the club
and at the same time gained many more,
probably with younger cars as the
membership fee would reflect the
remaining costs. But despite the lack of
offers of help, everyone told us they
wanted a magazine and wanted more of it!
Everyone I spoke to wanted to keep a
magazine and, what is more, use money
from advertising elsewhere to make this,
the spares, manuals and the tools bigger.
Not one person wanted to lose the
magazine. This was why in the first year I
did it was when no one else had offered to
do it except commercially. In fact, I did not
stand for the position or get elected to it
but it was felt that the only way to keep it
alive was to tack it on to my web work
which I was doing on loan.
Where we are now, as your coffee table
groans under the weight of this issue, is
that we offer a magazine with cheaper
printing costs (substantially), no editorial
fees and ample financial backing from the
club to go to about 48 pages an edition the limit of the postal charges. Please do
not see the size of this as meaning we
have plenty. Around 10 pages are to revisit
the old magazines and we have some
special one off adverts. Take out the new
articles and the magazine is very empty.
But the magazine needs content. That
means YOU and YOU and yes YOU!
hiding in the corner.
SIMpLY FRENCH - SUNDAY 12th MAY
RENAULT FESTIVAL 20-21 jULY
RENAULT CARAVELLE SPECIAL REVIEW
05
CAT SOUTHAMPTON
CHARITY
F
and reinforce the Apprentice’s existing
skills, expertise and know-how, through
one of the most effective learning
environments possible: that of creation
and innovation.
Brigitte might have started out as part of
an internal competition project for Groupe
CAT but along the way, she has turned
heads and transformed into a multifaceted and unique experience for many
people along her incredible journey.
Southampton was one of four Groupe CAT
centres competing in this unusual project.
Pitching its skills against Teesport and
Thorne in the UK and Belgium's Machelen
centres, Southampton was certainly up to
its challenge and presented "Brigitte" a
1968 Renault Caravelle during the
presentation awards for CAT at The
Goodwood Revival in Chichester last
month.
rom the depths of a Northampton
barn totally hidden from view, to
the smiles of appreciation and
adulation at Goodwood, a unique
rags to riches story for a faded "film star"
Renault Caravelle called "Brigitte"
transformed by the team at CAT UK
Southampton into an iconic motoring
legend.
Conceived initially to encourage
apprentices in the art of learning additional
skills and techniques, the project focussed
on skills which could be "lost" in today's
world of refurbishment and repair. The
project of complete vehicle restoration
was selected by CAT because of its close
match to some key areas of business
operations; that of providing remarketing
support services for customers in the
Used Vehicle market. In providing vehicle
inspect, collect, refurbishment and
remarketing solutions CAT is instrumental
in using the latest repair techniques and
industry products but also in ensuring the
continued development of staffing skills
and techniques. By developing the skills
and techniques used in “real-life” by its
technical staff, CAT believed that an
“ultimate” skills test would further develop
All of the entries were reviewed by CAT's
panel of judges and awards were made
based on the original purchase condition
and the amount of work needed to
complete the restoration. Each entry had
to meet strict cost and restoration budgets
which meant each team had to research
their chosen project car well.
The Southampton team commenced the
long and arduous search at the end of
2011 and with advice along the way from
experienced staff in Southampton, help
and resources from the Renault Owner's
Club, Southampton produced a car to be
very proud of.
All of the restored vehicles have been put
up for sale with the net proceeds from
each centre's vehicle being donated to
locally-nominated charities.
Project Manager for Southampton, Ian
Bradley said “The team spirit that has
come through our centres, not just
Southampton, has been fantastic. The
competition has been an excellent base of
learning for our apprentices and
technicians in developing and improving
their skills, methods and techniques – all
necessary in our operations. We are
delighted that this not only has increased
our commitment to delivery of customer
satisfaction but has at the same time,
provided valuable funds back into the local
community. The Rose Road Association,
Countess Mountbatten Hospice and
Naomi House are all local charities and
close to everyone's hearts here. We are
delighted that Brigitte, our wonderful
Caravelle can be sold and her net
proceeds will go to these worthy causes.
We are open to all serious and generous
offers for Brigitte and will sell to the
highest confirmed offer received. We are
obviously very keen to generate the
highest sale possible so we can maximise
the net proceeds for our charities"
If you are inspired by our story and
would like to ensure three local
charities receive much-needed funds
through the purchase of this gorgeous
car, then contact CAT Uk's Ian Bradley
by email: [email protected]
to make your offer!
Southampton's 1968 Renault
Caravelle "Brigitte" pictured with
a 1955 Renault 4CV "Buttercup"
restored by CAT Teesport.
06
RENAULT CLASSICS - WHOSE DRIVING WHOM?
CLASSIC
LAWRENCE MACDUFF
R
enault classics – are you driving
them, or are they running your
life for you ?
The Renault 12 registrar ponders the
question.
The upstairs back window of my house
overlooks a not unsubstantial yard, in
which there would be plenty of space, if it
wasn’t for the aforesaid classics. All of
them sport that famous diamond badge
and represent a mixture of driving
necessity, ill-advised curiosity and the
abandonment of any shred of financial
common sense. I mean, what one guy or
girl needs so many toys, in which to
indulge? I rather suspect there are quite a
few more guys or girls just like me, only to
the detriment of any worthwhile solvency, I
also have in active use a certain stretch
limo with some 49 seats that’s even older
than the most ancient of my classics.
However, lets not go there but look
instead at the contents of the yard, and…
…just how did they come to get there?
First of all, as one of the “baby boomers”,
it is inevitable that I should want to remain
connected in some way, with the so-called
halcyon years of motoring, and, in fact,
with so much else from the 1960s to the
1980s. People will tell you that you should
move with the times but as you get older,
keeping abreast of new technology
becomes so hard and so time consuming,
that many of us are simply unable to do
so. Instead, we cling on to much from our
earlier life that was uncomplicated in so
many ways. We’re comfortable with it that
way and in motoring terms, there’s
something exceptionally gratifying about
being out and around with your favourite
classic and finding it the subject of
interest, whether parked amidst a sea of
anonymity in the supermarket car park,
the ferry terminal or at the filling station.
In motoring terms, Renault 12s were
always and will always be, my first love. I
drove my first one in 1983 and there has
never been a year since then, when I have
not had one Renault 12 in commission.
The last, which was the 11th one which I’d
bought over a 25 year period, came late in
2009 at the ripe old age of 36. 99% of its
brothers and sisters have long since been
scrapped but this car has now given me 3
years and 7000 miles, bringing my
lifetime’s total Renault 12 driving mileage
to somewhere around 800,000. This
particular car, DRS 235L remains all but
free of corrosion and has only run 43,000
miles. Like its 10 predecessors, it is totally
dependable and free of temperament. It
took the family to north east Scotland on
holiday in July – four of us and a full load
of luggage and was still able to average
40mpg over the 600 mile round trip ; what
more could you want?! It’s maybe not as
economical as a modern car but just
consider the carbon footprint – so good
that a car will never have to be
manufactured to replace it, while
financially there is absolutely zero
depreciation and in this day and age, isn’t
that worth something !?
My other two 12s both date from 1976.
The automatic has been with me since
2002. It has covered 65,000miles, of
which 25,000 have been in my ownership.
Also completely dependable, she needed
much welding last year but still has life left
in her. The other is a 12TL like her “L” reg.
sister. She’s away getting new wings but is
otherwise 95% rust free, has also only run
43,000miles and is responsive and
economical. Both these cars now have
greatly improved mirrors, supplementary
instrumentation and 12TS
style consoles with radios,
just to make them a little less
basic.
Our climate kills old cars in
winter so the three 12s have
to be parked up but do get
out on fine days for exercise.
Late in 2008, I picked up a
tidy Renault 19RN to serve
off season. I saw this as
necessity, though, in reality,
it is an indulgence but 4
years on, I have little reason
to complain about this car. It
has proved competent but as
my first “modern” Renault
there was a learning curve
and as usual with my car
purchases, I’m usually
buying my first example
when everyone else is busy
scrapping theirs ! For a short
time, I was able to get some
spares from the breakers but have had to
accept that unlike my 12s for which I have
every conceivable part, I simply hadn’t the
space or inclination to do so with the 19.
The 19 was a Renault best seller across
Europe. Quite an understated car in my
view, it came in a nice range of colours
and mine, in burgundy metallic, was one
07
LAWRENCE MACDUFF
CLASSIC
of the nicest. Colour schemes are a very
personal matter though I never really
understood why many car manufacturers
think that grey is in any way, a welcoming
colour scheme for an interior. This really
makes my 19 internally quite lifeless but
that’s the way it came. I’m reminded of this
lack of passenger appeal when I’m out
driving our coaches. My employer has two
identical Volvos, one with a grey interior
scheme and one with a warm brown one
and the latter is so much more inviting for
passengers to sit in.
Mechanically, the 19 introduced the
“Energy” overhead cam engine range
when launched in 1989. I’m not sure if this
was a clean sheet design or an
evolutionary one but, whatever its origins,
it has the most raucous signature tune
imaginable. Within the car, this is not
apparent but externally and this applies to
Clios and early Meganes with this engine
series, the general mechanical clatter from
the top end is remarkable, even with valve
clearances correctly set. Mine has only
run 67,000miles and I’m never going to
know what ultimate mileage capability it
has but I’m not aware of this “E” type
engine having any premature wear
tendencies as long as good oil is used and
is regularly changed.
All cars have their poorer points, though
again this is a very personal
assessment. The booted
Chamade version of the 19,
had plenty luggage space
but I can’t truly say the hatch
has. In my case it now has
even less, because, after the
simple effective stowage of
the 12 spare wheel in the
side well, I soon came to
despise the under boot spare
tyre cradle and transferred
the wheel to the boot floor.
The designer genius who
thought up the cradle idea
had clearly never had to
change a wheel in the rain,
at night, when a sodding
nasty job became doubly
bad, as you struggled to get
the cradle wound down and
then grappled with a well
corroded filthy and heavy
spare wheel from where it
had been for several years beforehand!
I have one other pet hate with the 19 and
that is the factory fitted alarm system. The
last thing you want when your head is
stuck under the bonnet and you are in
course of disconnecting the battery, is for
that klaxon to go off, giving you the fright
of your life and that it will do if you don’t
watch what you’re doing with the battery
leads! The system is a pain in the neck,
because that tell tale alarm warning light
at the rear view mirror, consumes far more
power than you might think. Leave your
car a month and the battery will go flat.
Nowadays, who in their right mind is going
to steal a 20 year old Renault 19 ? I took
such a dislike to this system that I asked
my garage to disconnect it but this proved
far too complex to do, as the central door
locking system is linked in to it. An
isolating key in the glove box, was
checked out by my garage but it was
found to cut off power to everything, not
just the alarm system. In any event, the
key for this isolator had long since been
lost. I much preferred my Megane’s
immobiliser system though that had its
drawbacks too.
The 19 is nice enough to drive. With
moderate use of revs - 3000rpm is quite
sufficient the car performs adequately in a
quiet un-fussed manner. I’ve never tested
its handling capability too far but on mine,
the brakes have never really inspired
much confidence – I’m still convinced one
of my 12s would pull up more quickly if
push came to shove even though all brake
components on the 19 have been
renewed. It also seems to be the case that
callipers are prone to seize, which has
also been a problem with our 5GTL.
My partner, like me, uses her classic, a
Triumph Herald, for summer transport
only. Six years ago, she finally had to
scrap her long serving winter car, her
beloved Ford Cortina Mk5. A replacement
was needed and in late summer 2006, I
caught up with the 5GTL she now uses off
season. Though it’s her car, it’s part of the
Renault “fleet” and when it came, it
represented another first time model for
me to deal with. I suppose one thing that
has coloured my car acquisitions, other
than the non standard methods I’ve
successfully used, is that I’ve rarely ended
up with my preferred version. It’s just been
down to pure chance. In this case it
happened to be the “Superfive”. Much as
with the 19, I’d seen loads of 5s around
and about but, by the time of my
purchase, there were precious few left on
the road and certainly none of this age.
D23 NGE was new in ’86 and having been
garaged throughout its life, was in very
sound order. So, to my owning
08
CLASSIC
LAWRENCE MACDUFF
experiences; they’ve been interesting and
I have encountered a few problems,
though one of them remains unresolved.
As with the 19, the scrappie was still
getting 5s in to break, so I picked up
various bits and pieces while I could –
things like lights, lenses and mirrors.
My first task after I got this car was to
change air and oil filters but it was the
latter that caused me to lose my rag and
that wasn’t the one I was cleaning with!
Shoving an engine designed for in line
installation into a transverse location
causes problems but is this not where a
designer is supposed to plan accordingly,
so that essential servicing is not
compromised? Sure wasn’t the case on
the 5. With its short engine bay as you’d
expect in such a compact car, careful
planning
was
more
important than ever but
the genius, who designed
it, thought nothing about
shaping the cooling
system hoses in such a
way that you could lay
your hands on the oil filter
canister. That was already
buried under the spark
plugs and leads but the
radiator hoses and the fan
motor frame further
impeded access and were
just waiting to rip the skin
off a hand or obstruct a
tool when attempting to
remove the canister. Sod’s
Law ensured that the filter
on this engine had not
been off for a very long time and by the
time I got it out, both hands were sore and
bleeding. Your garage would doubtless
remove the spill tray, since the car would
be elevated in a nice warm working
environment, where dirt and grime are not
permitted. I chuckled the last time I did an
oil change, thinking that a mechanic on a
modern car would think this sort of access
was truly a sinecure. Compared to the
stuff crammed under modern day bonnets,
it must be a real pain to have to dismantle
so much for access to what you can work
with, though that’s not much nowadays.
Out on the road, the Superfive proved an
excellent motorway cruiser but it is
incredibly highly geared and is anything
but suitable for city use. To illustrate the
gearing situation, it proved possible to
accelerate to 80mph in 3rd gear without
revs being over 5000rpm. Where you
might take “give-ways” comfortably in 2nd
gear in the 12 or the 19, the Superfive
demanded the use of 1st. It has a
dreadfully poor steering lock and quite a
heavy clutch action though its brakes were
effective. Early on, however, the car ’s
handling seemed remarkably twitchy, to
the point of being really disconcerting. I
couldn’t understand why till my garage
cottoned on to the fact that the rear tyres
were original and though they had plenty
of tread, their being 20 years old had
resulted in the side walls hardening and
losing their flexibility. There’s a lesson that
might have been learned only after a
disaster !
The Superfive, like the 19, also had its
spare wheel carried in a cradle, so I
shifted it into the boot, making a small
space, even smaller but at least my better
half might now have a sporting chance of
changing a wheel if I wasn’t around to do
it for her.
One abiding problem, for which I’ve yet to
find a cure, is a hesitancy mainly within a
certain engine speed range. This has all
the symptoms of damp electrics but
everything has been checked out and the
coil pack changed, yet it is still occurring.
In a couple of extreme cases, the engine
has lost power and come to a standstill
when a re-start has not been possible for
several minutes. We thought fuel
starvation was responsible, so off came
the carb, for a clean, though little dirt was
found ; then we thought that a blocked
petrol tank breather could also have
caused it but not so. The engine’s running
is controlled by a Renix electronic ignition
unit and these seem to be generally
reliable, so the plan is now to whip out a
plug, the next time the engine comes to a
halt and see if the spark looks weak. This
malady occurs all year round, so
carburettor icing has also been ruled out.
Any ideas, anyone out there ?
When I last penned an article for Renotes,
I had recently become the owner of my
first Megane. Sadly it will be my last,
though this was partly down to its body
state, as well as its many poor design
features. I bought a very
run down 1.6RXE early in
2010 and spent a fair bit
of time and money putting
it right mechanically. Its
faults in this area were
simply down to neglect
and lack of use, while its
body, as I described in an
earlier Renotes article,
was full of corrosion, very
much down to poor build
quality. By July 2010 it
was tested and out on the
road and I kept it for 14
months before finding
another home for it. I
simply didn’t have time to
devote to the constant
effort needed to keep the
body from looking too dilapidated but
some of it was down to some really
shocking bits of detail design.
Probably the first thing that I found to be a
real pain was the immobiliser system. At
least this didn’t have the horrendous
klaxon of the 19 ; the Megane’s system
was silent – but deadly. At first I couldn’t
understand why it didn’t seem to work at
all until I found that you almost had to
stand at the windscreen and aim the
activator within a very narrow field at the
interior mirror, before the doors would
unlock. Unfamiliar at this stage with the
car’s foibles, I innocently changed the key
fob batteries, which made not a whit of
difference. Further enquiries confirmed
09
LAWRENCE MACDUFF
CLASSIC
that the sensor unit being some 15 years
old, was on the way out, so for a price
approaching what the car had cost, I
obtained a new one, only to find that it did
not make an appreciable difference. You
still had to be pretty close to the car before
it would activate the door locks. The next
discovery, was that if you frittered about
too long and wasted time getting
comfortable in your seat before placing
the key in the ignition, you were then too
late to get a start. Your only warning was a
tiddly wee red light at the top of the
instrument cluster flashing rapidly after
you turned the ignition key and for me as
a 6 foot tall novice Megane owner, I didn’t
even see that blighter to begin with.
So, having got it started (and that was
never a problem) out you went on to the
road where I found this
car’s general handling and
road manners beyond
complaint. This was the
biggest engined car I’d
ever owned. As I’ve
explained in previous
articles, I’ve never had the
slightest wish or need for
high performance, so this
1.6 litre Megane was
perfectly satisfactory for
me. It proved a little higher
geared than the 19, which
was beneficial as it
dropped engine revs at
70mph motorway cruising
to a more respectable
level than on the 19. Gear
change,
clutch
and
braking action were all perfectly
satisfactory. At the opposite end of the
spectrum, I could only describe most of
the switchgear as anything but that. Let’s
take the headlamp beam aim control for
starters. When you have a need to adjust
your headlight beam, that need is at night.
Thus, that control must be readily
accessible and should be backlit in such a
way as it is easy to find, see and operate.
Not so on the Megane. It was all but out of
sight, low down on the designer curved
dash panel, almost invisible, especially
since it was beside another switch with
which it could easily be confused. It was
dimly lit so the numerals which showed
which level of aim you were selecting,
were impossible to read. In fact, you could
only really undertake this adjustment when
stationary and, in my view, that simply
wasn’t good enough.
As I’m on this topic, I must air my views on
headlamp beam aim because this
constitutes one of the biggest hazards of
present day night time motoring. Almost all
modern cars, have this wonderful beam
aim adjustment facility available within the
car, yet the vast majority of drivers are
either ignorant of its existence, or cannot
be bothered to use it, with all that that
entails. It is a huge problem and it is
virtually impossible to enforce an improved
standard. I now feel that the matter of
beam aim needs to be taken out of drivers’
hands and undertaken by the car’s own
electronic systems. So, I failed the
Megane on that one all right. I also had no
truck with the placing of the hazard lights
switch. When you need to use this, it can
be in an emergency and it does not do to
have it on top of the central door locking
button where the wrong switch can be
depressed all too easily.
In my 14 months with the Megane, I had
few mechanical concerns. The engine was
the “K” series 8 valve unit with multipoint
fuel injection, which seems to be held in
good enough regard, certainly more so
that the 16 valve designs that followed it.
My dealer said that these engines ate coil
packs, so I quickly visited the scrappie
and picked up a pair to have in the boot as
spares. I never had an on road failure but
at least these were accessibly located on
the camshaft cover so could readily be
changed if the need arose.
More of a pest was the starter. The unit
itself never failed but it was inevitably
located in an exposed position low down
on the engine, where it was doused in all
the moisture of the day. That might not
have been so bad, had the designers not
thoughtlessly specified open spade
terminals, so no prizes for guessing at the
outcome. Sod’s Law will always ensure
that if something like that is going to fail, it
will be when it is wet. The terminals are all
but impossible to reach from above, so
you’ve to jack the car up some way, to get
at the so-and-so’s from underneath. If
however, you’re lucky enough to have
room to do a bump start, you need to be
quick or your immobiliser might just
operate at the least
opportune
moment.
Technology brings its own
problems, doesn’t it!?
The one car I now have,
which is yet to feature in
these notes, is my Renault
9 Boston. This turned up
in Practical Classics for
sale in 2011. I don’t
regularly
buy
these
magazines
simply
because of their sheer
cumulative cost but often,
for light reading, perhaps
on a holiday flight or
something similar, I’ll get
one to browse through. So
it was, that this 9 car was advertised ; a
picture was included ; I feebly resisted the
impulse not to make further enquiries for a
couple of weeks, then phoned and the rest
is history. I brought it the 296 miles from
Derby to south west Scotland in one hop
when it averaged 48mpg despite running
between 65 – 70mph all the way but, very
sadly, that has proved to be the best I can
say about this car.
Rather in the way of the successor 19
model, the 9 and 11 sold very well across
Europe and there were lots of them in
Britain. They embraced more modern
vehicle design than the 12 14 and 18
models they replaced but they were not
short of faults. I once questioned how on
10
CLASSIC
LAWRENCE MACDUFF
earth the 9 managed to win the European
Car of the Year Award in 1982, when the
sardonic reply came that you just needed
to look at the competition of the day to see
why….!
Once more, the purchase of yet another
model of Renault introduced me to many
new issues I’d not previously come
across. This car was in fantastic condition
bodily. Outwardly all it needed was a good
polish, though there were a couple of
visible areas of seemingly minor corrosion.
Usually when I take on a car that is new to
me, one of the first things I do, is to
remove all the wheels in turn and brush
out every last scrap of road dirt.
Accumulations of caked muck can do
huge damage to a car’s structure and this
is the one area which I personally find is
99%
neglected,
even on a car which
may have been in
an
enthusiast’s
hands. This 9 in fact
had only come to
me very late on in its
life ; it had been with
its original owner for
24 years. So, in
went the brush, out
came plenty of muck
and once most was
away, I poked my
head in under the
front wings where I
found the worst
possible mud traps
you could think of.
Right in behind the
headlights,
the
external wing panel and the inner wing
were so close that you certainly couldn’t
get a hand in. Even a long handled brush
wasn’t a lot of use. Looking at the state of
the off side front wing, it was soon clear to
see what was happening. It simply
couldn’t be left that way, so the car went to
the body builders for wing removal and
repair when a significant section had to be
cut out, new metal welded in and the
whole area treated. The nearside showed
no perforation but I had the area cleaned
out under pressure and treated.
Any other body corrosion was very
localised but here’s another dead ringer
for trouble on many cars, the petrol tank
filler pipe location. On the Megane, the 5,
the 19 and on this 9, mud collection
around this pipe was considerable. On all
cars, I’d found that rust had taken a hold
on the panel work in the vicinity but had
luckily not got to perforation point ; left
untreated, it certainly would have. For the
same reason, wheel arches are other
danger points. I have always always found
that it is time well spent to undertake an
annual inspection underneath the cars and
if you keep on top of this chore, it pays
dividends. I’m even luckier in that I have
pits but handy as they are, they’re not
essential.
While crawling about under the 9, I found
the flange mounted design of the petrol
tank to be another recipe for trouble. Dirt
had readily collected between the flange,
the tank and the chassis and soon as I
started scraping, I smelt petrol – yes the
tank was perforated. OK, it was 25 years
old but I didn’t think much of a design that
allowed that to happen and for that
reason, the 19’s tank, which perpetuated
this thoughtless arrangement, has also to
be watched. Elsewhere the car’s under
body condition was first rate as you’d
expect from a car that had lived its entire
life in Norfolk.
A white car can look very smart but the
slightly ivory shade of this 9 Boston is
even nicer because it doesn’t have that
coldness of pure white. But, there sure is
some work in keeping such a finish
looking nice. You can’t simply do the
outside panels without also dealing with
the door valances, sills and the rest. Now,
to avoid excessive wear, your door hinges
also need oil, so what happens you can
imagine for yourselves. The trouble is, that
it is small details like these that ruin the
presentation of a car. Then there’s the
under bonnet space and there’s few less
enjoyable tasks than trying to clean and
maintain this area on a white classic car
especially if you’re going to display it at an
event.
Here’s another interesting topic for those
of you who devote time to keeping your
car ’s engine bay smart. Few engines,
especially older ones are completely oil
tight and the “Sierra” series fitted to so
many
classic
Renaults including
the 9, was more
leak prone than
most. There are
various engine block
de-greasing
compounds
available but once
the unit is clean,
what colour is it and
can you see leaks at
all? If it’s black and
that’s the most
common, you don’t
see much. A long
time back, I started
painting my cars’
engine blocks in a
pale grey where
upon any leakage
becomes immediately obvious. This is
common practice on marine engines
simply because it highlights a matter of
some importance that needs seeing.
While I was progressively cleaning the 9’s
bay, I was also using the car and
becoming more aware of its problems. I
had a head gasket leak, a very contrived
throttle cable run and a fierce clutch all
needing attention but only the first of these
problems has been fully resolved. The
cables have been re-routed as well as
replaced but there seems to be an
endemic design issue here and about the
town it is impossible to drive this 9
smoothly.
11
LAWRENCE MACDUFF
CLASSIC
However, my biggest grouse has been the
carburettor itself. This is a Weber twin
choke unit, in essence the same as those
on my 12s. In those cars, I never had a
minute’s cause for complaint, except for
carburettor icing in extreme cold. The 12
carbs ran the same huge mileages as their
parent engines and only ever needed
accelerator pump linkages kept clean and
greased. The 9’s Weber at 65,000 miles
seems to suffer from worn linkages, pins
and jets. Press the throttle too far and the
second choke sticks, causing engine
racing and a load of excavation to free it.
I’m told that the nature of the car ’s
previous use had much to do with that but
with knowledgeable carburettor overhaulers now a thing of the past, I seem to
be condemned to suffer these difficulties.
I’m also told that the carburettor body
could have warped a fraction, causing the
flaps to seize. When cold, the engine
doesn’t like starting. It will fire and die,
often 3 times before it will stay running.
But, the 9 can shift. It is light (though quite
tinny) and in this 1.4 litre 5 speed form,
the gearing is just about right, making it
very fast off the mark but able to cruise
comfortably at 60. Ten mph faster, the
engine’s turning at 3500rpm, same as on
the 19, which is on the high side but
probably typical of the period when it was
built.
A final tale before I sign off. As someone
well used to automatics, I appreciate their
many advantages but it is well worth
considering just how big a benefit a car so
fitted is to someone who has mobility
difficulties. The mere process of ageing
can bring all manner of problems such as
arthritic or osteo related impairments.
Someone very close to me is beginning to
suffer, making me think ahead to a
possible need for an automatic. It was just
pure chance that I recently happened to
get a call from the Renault dealership on
the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. I
met the owner many years back and I’ve
visited with various 12s and the 19. He
knew therefore that I would be interested
in something different and that turned out
to be an early Clio. It had been in the
hands of a local family for a long time.
They had needed an automatic to allow
elderly family members to have mobility in
an area where public transport is very
limited. This Clio was a 1.4RT automatic
and had run only 14,000 miles but
gearbox problems had resulted in its being
taken in for repair and therein lay the
difficulty. The garage had some
diagnostics and checked the obvious but
without success. The car was of very little
value despite its condition and even once
the problem was diagnosed, if that was
possible, repair costs would be far in
excess of the car’s worth
what you needed out of a manual but
there are none of these around now. Even
supposing there were, what was it going to
cost to do a conversion? It was simply just
not on, though I haven’t yet said no to the
car. Then, as luck would have it, I very
recently spotted an identical “N” plate Clio
in the local Morrison car park and caught
up wit its elderly owners. Only 25,000
miles on the clock and yes, they might sell
in a year or so, so I could have one of
these if I wanted. Mmmm….what should I
do ?
So, I was faced with a dilemma. Did I let a
I’m sure that many members already own
seemingly otherwise sound car go for
all of the models I’ve referred to in this
scrap, or should I take it on? I abhor
story. Many of your experiences will span
waste, which is endemic in the modern
a longer period than mine and will
age and is much the product of built in
doubtless differ in many ways. So, why not
obsolescence but what could I do ? The
put pen to paper and describe your trials
car would have to be trailered the 250
tribulations and triumphs with your own
miles back here and even before it
favourite Renault classic – there must be
reached the mainland, there was the
lost of fascinating stories just waiting out
substantial cost of a 3½ hour ferry
there to be shared with the Club’s
crossing. The project made utterly no
membership. I know that I for one, would
economic sense and that was just getting
certainly like to hear about them.
it to my Kilmarnock home. I would then
have to have the gearbox removed and
the one expert locally, had retired some
years ago, closing
that door. Checking
with my own garage,
they had had a few
customers
with
them. Reliability was
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Could
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12
RENAULT ASSISTED GEARCHANGERS
CLASSIC
ALASDAIR WORSLEY
T
ransfluide
little more detail, as features of it will come
back into play as we work through the 60s
and 70s autos and even on into the 80s and
90s and then into the most recent
ones....just in time to review the EDC of the
Clio IV Sport...because, yes, on that car it
will be auto only and flappy paddles....right
back to the start indeed.
Again, credit must be given to our partner
clubs in France who have assisted in the
compiling of this article.
This is always the most difficult gearbox to
write about as it should have been so
successful but was fitted to a relatively large
car and as such was never destined to be
made in numbers.
It also marked a turning point at the time for
Renault, where they realised complex
electronic wizardry and gearboxes just don’t
mix: something they came to realise on
other auto gearboxes.
pARTICULAR SpECIFICATIONS FOR
"TRANSFLUIDE" MODELS
This article relates mostly to the Renault
Type R1104 Frégate "Transfluide" Manoir
and covers only the items, which are
specifically "Transfluide."
bottom dead centre (10.3mm) and closes 6
degrees or 0.30mm after top dead centre.
The camshaft no. 3535286 in the 671-03 is
identified by the presence of two grooves
on its front bearing.
Outside, the engine the Transfluide also has
a canister oil filter mounted near the
flywheel to filter the Transfluide oil.
Oil pump
A new high pressure pump and delivery
pump with an 8mm tube was used. These
engines also incorporated the feature
where, if either the oil pressure fell too low
or the temperature was raised too high,
then warning lights came on inside the car.
Carburettor
Note that since August 26th 1958 all
vehicles being equipped as R1103 and
R1104 are specifically 12V vehicles.
A Solex carburettor type 32 PIC BT auto
starter (choke) with fuel pump is used on
the Transfluide.
That is not to say electronics were not used.
They were just only used when needed.
The Engine.
The first item again is the gearbox and, like
the Jaeger and the Ferlec it is a manual
gearbox. Unlike the Jaeger, though, the
gears are changed by stick and rod. Just
like the Ferlec.
The engine fitted to the Transfluide is not
identical or even similar to the other
engines of the same series. The Transfluide
engine carries the code 671-03 rather than
the 671-01 of the standard motor.
Again like the Ferlec one of the clutches
was electrically operated with a solenoid but
that solenoid was simply in and out like a
starter motor solenoid.
The power of the Transfluide engine
advances up to 80 BHP and it has a torque
of 17.2 m/kg at 2,500 rpm. It must only use
“Super” petrol. The bore and stroke remains
at 88x88mm. However, the compression
ratio increases to 7.5:1 and the inlet valves
are increased to a diameter of 39.5mm,
which required a new cylinder head. There
was also a new oil pump and new camshaft
with different lobes.
Some settings are changed for the engine
671-03.
Basic jet: 27.
Main jet: 130.
Automatic nozzle: 180
Idle jet: 50.
Calibrator: 120.
Emulsion tube: 19.
Injector pump: low.
Pump nozzle: 50.
Nozzle Petrol choke: 110.
Needle: 1,7 mm.
Float (nylon): 5.7 g,
With Depression.
The second clutch...yes there are 2
clutches, so when you keep reading about
the new “efficient dual clutch” on the Clio IV
you may come to realise nothing is really
new in this game...is a simple torque
converter like on an auto box.
That is what should make it reliable. But
there were 2 death knells for it. The car it
was fitted to was relatively large and as
such inefficient. Many a car got swapped to
a Diesel engine at some point in its life, the
Transfluide made it even more so. The
second was their previous “successes” with
auto boxes....Although I know of at least
one that was around a few years back as
that owner was kind enough to give me his
manuals.
It is worth covering this box, though, in a
The new camshaft leads to a different
pattern of opening. This is not technical
detail, which I would normally include but in
most other cases the engine remains the
same regardless of the gearbox, so, in this
case, it is a special feature.
The set up now means that the inlet valves
open to 0.35mm and open 10 degrees or
0.80mm after top dead centre and close 54
degrees or 14.1mm before bottom dead
centre.
The exhaust opens 46 degrees before
Transfluide Clutch
The Transfluide clutch comprises 3 main
parts and is filled with 3 litres of SAE 20 Oil.
(Fig. 1)
1- The Impellor (driven plate)
2- The Receiver (output plate)
3 - The deflector
The entire unit is housed inside a casing.
The oil circulates from outside, through
channels into the casing into the spinning
Transfluide - Torque converter - and back
out again, passing through a filter.
On both the Impellor and the Receiver are
fins. When the car stands at rest, most of
the oil gathers at the bottom of the donut-
RENAULT ASSISTED GEAR CHANGERS
13
ALASDAIR WORSLEY
CLASSIC
Fig. 1
switches the current on to the solenoid’s
outer windings (7), which at the same time
activating another relay (3), which puts
current to the inner windings (8). To stop the
solenoid always being on, when the piston
(9) is fully withdrawn a switch (12) is
pushed by a pin (11). The piston (9) pulls
the rod (10) which pushes the clutch out.
On the side of the solenoid is a device,
which allows air in, as the cylinder slides
back and places it behind the cylinder;
coupled with air is a vacuum from the
engine manifold. This assists this second
clutch to move very quickly.
This serves 2 purposes. You grab the lever,
the electric clutch flips out, you change gear
and it flips back in instantly. The take up is
handled by the Transfluide..
A picture of the lever switch arrangement is
in figure 4.
shaped disc. When the car starts to rev up,
oil is picked up and starts to be thrown
round and round the donut. This oil pushes
on the fins of the receiver and causes them
to start turning. This then causes the output
shaft to turn and, if the car is in gear, it will
move off. If a sudden load is put on the
output or input shaft, such as braking or
accelerating, the force on the fins cause the
second set of fins to slow down too so you
can to a degree obtain engine braking.
(Fig.2)
it for you. In this figure, the gear lever (1)
has a switch built in half way down (Fig 3).
This switch activates a relay (6), which
Gearbox.
From a layman’s point of view, the gearbox
is a lovely rest from all this technology. It’s
manual and the gears are changed
Fig. 2
Second Clutch
As if having 1 clutch were not bad enough,
Renault decided another one was needed.
A “dual clutch”. Thankfully, though, the
second clutch (Fig. 3) is a little less
complicated. This is just a standard
automotive clutch with the standard trust
bearing but, instead of a pedal operating it,
an electric solenoid (pull push device) does
Fig. 3
14
RENAULT ASSISTED GEARCHANGERS
CLASSIC
ALASDAIR WORSLEY
Fig. 4
“conventionally”. The second function of the
gear lever is just like an ordinary one in any
normal manual car, in that it moves forks
that move gears.
This could mean 2 things: either none
survived long enough to go wrong or they
just never went wrong. Bearing in mind the
number of Frégates here and in France I
see with non standard engines, I am
inclined to favour the idea that none needed
The only exception is that whilst having 3
fixing as they had been changed. I do know
forward gears and a reverse (MA- Marche
of at least one recently sold as the previous
Arriere) as well as a Neutral there is a park
owner of that one sold me the manual and
(P). Which in effect locks the gearbox into 2
also had the advert in the last magazine for
gears, rendering it impossible to move. This
the manuals for other
Fig. 5
cars. So perhaps
somewhere out there
is because you cannot park it in gear and
rely on the engine to hold it as the
Transfluide will slip. (Fig. 5).
near the Welsh
marshes one still
exists to tempt us.
The gearlever is mounted on the side of the
steering column and the gear is shown on a
display on the column showing a series of
numbers with the active one highlighted.
This has a lot in common with the American
column changes of the 50s and 60s.
One last and
important note is
the effect the
transfluide has on
the car. It is often
said
that
the
Frégate engine
looks rather small
under the bonnet.
Well, consider the
last picture (Fig. 6)
So what went wrong with them? Well, oddly,
I would think not a lot. The parts, manual,
workshop manual and amendments and the
technical guide, which I own are all pristine.
and that not inconsiderable “lump” on the
back of the engine. That is the housing for
the Transfluide and the conventional clutch
plate. No small fry! I have also included a
general overview picture of it all together
(Fig. 7)...they even had different engines for
right and left hand drive!
Next time.
We enter the period of the 16 autos and
more conventional systems on the way
along our trek into Renault’s assisted gear
changers.
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
TALES FROM THE ROADSIDE
15
ROBERT PREECE
MY RENAULT
K
nock, Knock.
EDITORS NOTE....THIS ARTICLE
CARRIES A CERTIFICATE 18....NOT
FOR THE YOUNG OR FAINT HEARTED
OR.......
In common with other breakdown and
recovery operators, at our company, we
have mechanics such as myself, who
operate out of spec lift trucks, together
with dedicated drivers, who would be
called on to do the longer recoveries.
Sometimes this will entail the casualty
vehicle being collected from the incident
scene, or, alternatively, we mechanics will
relay the casualty to a convenient
changeover location for onward travel. It
was just such an occasion that gave rise
to the following events.
At the time, we had at that time taken on a
recently retired chap as a part-time driver,
albeit with very little experience of actual
life on the road. I had been scheduled to
meet said driver at Junction 1 on the M54
to pass on a car. Apart from being a
regular changeover point, this area also
has the deserved reputation as a haunt of
the local working girls.
These door knockers, as they are known,
are the bane of many a lorry driver,
however, if they are humoured and
generally treated civilly, they will usually
accept NO for an answer and move on to
the next lorry looking for a bit of business.
On this particular occasion, I pulled up to
find our driver already there; not only was
he there but he had company in his cab!!!!
Knowing this particular driver, I was more
than a little surprised, to say the least; this
needed further investigation!!
Amidst much ribbing and smirking, I
enquired as to his intentions with the girl.
It transpired that she had pounced as
soon as he parked up and, as he
understood it, had offered to help by
giving him a hand. Thinking that this
meant help with his work, he suggested
that she got in the truck until I got there.
When I pointed out that the young girls
help would leave him as breathless as a
full day’s work would, with the added
complication of explaining some nasty
little rash to his wife, he realised the grave
error of his ways and then left me to
explain to the girl!!! The young lady was a
little disappointed but perked up when
another truck pulled in behind us.
Knock, Knock, `Do you need a hand or
anything driver? `
So you see, readers, the life, of a
breakdown and recovery patrol in the
independent sector is a very varied one
but the mix of people and places you meet
and come across more than makes up for
the bad times. So until the next issue, give
us a wave and please give us a bit of
space as you pass by the scene of an
accident or breakdown. Enough of us get
hurt and killed at the roadside already.
Thinking about timings, I suppose
Season’s Greetings are probably in order
and I look forward to meeting again in the
New Year.
PS I shall be at NEC Classic show so
perhaps I will see you then.
16
BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN
CLASSIC
MICHAEL WRIGLEY
One day in April 2009 I decided enough
was enough. My Renault 20 had lain
dormant, reasonably well cared for and
hopefully still restorable, for nearly 17
years. I had been to the What Car - “Car
of the Year” awards and they had on
display Andy Mitchell's 20, because the 20
was actually the first ever What Car - “Car
of the Year”. It was time to prioritise the
assessment and hopeful rebuild of my car.
The point at which the rarity of this car
was brought home to me was when only 3
of the 16 technicians in our workshop at
the main dealer I was employed by, could
identify it. It had turned up one Sunday
and was sitting in the workshop looking a
little down at heel with nothing working
and I literally was to find out how much of
nothing worked.
The first job was assessment. Had I left it
too long? I am terribly sentimental and the
trouble with this was that I might have to
take a decision that the car had reached
the end of the road. So having told the
chaps what it was and why it was here,
they were all thrilled to learn that I was
proposing all the mechanical work be
done at work! For a team that considers a
6 year old car to be old, this was a new
concept. Some of the younger ones had
no idea about the workings of a
carburettor and rapidly discovered that
plugging the computer in to diagnose the
issues was not going to be an option.
So, with trepidation, it was pushed on to
the MOT ramp, the only ramp that lifted
the car by its wheels as that was the only
thing we knew for sure would take the
weight. For a laugh we mock MOT'd it.
Four sides of A4 later I had an accurate
assessment of the problem of simply
getting the car MOT'd.
Key, though, with corrosion around the
rear suspension as the only MOT
bodywork issue and roof corrosion the
only other concern, we had a sensible
shell. From there I knew it was being
restored. We needed a plan. The plan was
simple, work on it in spare time to get it
running, get to the point where the MOT
required only bodywork and then get it to
the bodyshop.
From April to December 2009 the
technicians fiddled with it at every
opportunity. Starting with the engine which
hadn't even turned since the mid 90s, they
first turned it by hand, second checked the
wiring loom to give a passing nod to
safety, connected a new battery, rigged up
a fresh temporary fuel supply and turned
the key. Much to everyone's surprise it
went on the third go, although most will
remember that the emissions might not
have pleased Greenpeace and the noise
reminded us that the exhaust hadn't
survived. It's all very well connecting a
state of the art exhaust extraction system
to the back of the car but when the
exhaust has the integrity of a wet sheet of
tissue, not much of the gas actually
reached the end of the pipe and the
workshop looked distinctly hazy.
Nobody could find the car on their systems
by registration plate and some give up at
that point. I called the DVLA who
confirmed it was on their system and said
there was nothing they could do and they
didn't know why it wouldn't show up.
Mysteriously it then showed up
everywhere after that, so their system
must block cars that have no action for
years. That helped a little but parts were
hit and miss. Some things were hard to
source or had been modified. The cambelt
was unobtainable from Renault UK but the
dealer in France got it next day. Brake
components were fine once we worked out
what the car had on it. Perishables are
tricky until you know a newer model that
shares the item. Brake flexible hoses
proved very tricky and they were custom
made as braided steel hose which was
surprisingly cheap.
From that point we did all the usual
service items: installed a new cambelt,
took all the brakes apart, replaced fuel
and brake lines, flushed the fuel tank,
replaced the seized water pump, flushed
the cooling system and cleared a mouse
and deposits from the interior. We sourced
and fitted the exhaust, some wheel
bearings and countless other little items
that were missing were found in boxes in
the back of the car. Again, luckily, said
mouse had not been that hungry and little
had been touched inside. Some lucky
apprentice got to remove all the lights,
clean the contacts, replace all the bulbs
and check the earths. One new lens was
sourced from the brilliant eBay, once I had
worked out the correct French search
terms.
December 2009 saw an MOT failure sheet
that listed only 2 bodywork areas and I
took great delight in using the ability to
drive an MOT failure to the place of repair
to take it on the road for the first time
Now came the big challenge: parts.
since September 1992. By the time I
reached the bodyshop 5 miles away I
knew that the only piece of interior
equipment that worked was the sunroof
and milometer. No speedo, rev counter,
fuel, temperature gauge or ammeter, no
warning lights at all, no central locking, no
electric windows, radio, interior or dash
illumination and not even the clock or
heater fan worked. We still hadn't worked
out how the tailgate lock went back
together but as we hadn't sourced any gas
struts it stayed shut. I also knew the
cooling system was badly named and
anyone wishing to follow me could simply
hang well back and follow the trail of
water!
Projects like this need luck and you can
make your own luck. I heard about a chap
who had a new rear bumper 3 years ago.
The person who told me still had his
phone number and he still had the
bumper. £25 and 150 miles later it was
mine. There were still several key
problems with the car becoming usable
but the most fundamental was that I had
no sunroof seal.
BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN
17
MICHAEL WRIGLEY
CLASSIC
corrosion in the roof. They also put all the
trim back together with no workshop
manuals.
What really helped at this point was the
sourcing of a spares car by a chance
search on Google of photos leading to a
photo of one being advertised on Retro
Rides. A very, very corroded left hand
drive car of the same derivative and year
was found. This became a huge source of
trim clips, rear seatbelts and millions of
tiny items, as well as a giant instruction
manual. Only a few months later Alasdair
emailed me about another car "in the
Surrey area". I guessed immediately
where it was and 4 days later my long
suffering wife was delighted to find
another Renault 20 on the drive. With a
sunroof with a seal!! It's an identical car to
mine in every respect except it’s automatic
and too far gone to go back on the road.
Fast forward to September 2011 and the
Renault 20 comes back from Medcalf
gleaming and as complete as possible and
with the all important MOT. Driveable yes,
usable definitely not!! All those electrical
items still didn't work, so back to the
workshop and over the next 4-5 months
out came the dashboard, the fusebox, all
the doors in pieces, even the pod with all
the dials was taken completely to pieces
and amalgamated with another one to
have one where everything worked. Every
so often I would have it for a few days, do
15 or 20 miles and come back with a new
list of challenges. In September 2012 it
went through its MOT and failed on only
the horn which had worked a few weeks
before.
It now essentially is usable. Some areas
remain unresolved. The auto choke
doesn't work and the car isn't tuned that
well. I can't do it and as we can't plug in
the computer, nor can the chaps at work.
They've got pretty close but it's not right. If
you know these carbs, live near Surrey
and would be willing to have a look I'd be
very pleased!
I can't source a rear wiper arm so far. I
haven't worked out how to get the rear
overriders off the spares car without
ruining them so mine has none fitted. A
relay is playing up intermittently and I
haven't traced it yet. I still have a list of
minor items a mile long but I can and do
drive it. Recently I discovered that whilst
the fuel gauge does move, empty is when
it reads 1/4.....making my own luck
extended to this discovery happening
whilst turning around in my driveway after
a 20 miles trip!
So was it worth it? The car of my
childhood back on the road. Absolutely, I
love driving it, my wife tolerates it, the
children love the visibility due to the low
window line and total lack of headrests.
They also enjoy the big squashy seats and
the huge sunroof. It attracts attention
wherever it goes and brings back
memories.
My next project is my Triumph Herald. I
learned to drive in it and never got around
to selling it at the end of university. As I
said, terribly sentimental.
At the bodyshop, Medcalf of Chertsey,
they are used to doing crash repairs and
also well known for restoration but mostly
more exotic stuff. There are always
interesting and rare cars there. So turning
up to find that my Renault was being
worked on by the same chap who was
fettling a Ferrari 250 GTO or an Aston
Martin DB6 was just normal. Medcalf do a
lot of work for my old employer and
agreed to take on the 20. Over the next
nearly 2 years they worked on it between
jobs and did a great job on the body-work
in the end totally respraying it and sorting
what turned out to be serious corrosion on
the rear suspension turrets and dreadful
18
1952
60 YEARS OF THE RENAULT OWNERS CLUB
THE RENAULT OWNERS’ CLUB
19
1962
20
1972
1972 was, as the Queen put it, an Annus
Horibilis for the club. Only half the year’s
newsletters were to come out and on the
back of the expenditure of the 60s on the
Rallye Renaults and the oil crisis, the club
was on its knees. 60 years was but a
dream. However it was also a time when
the new “Renotes” tried to be a monthly
A5 magazine of around 16 pages, subject
to, of course, anyone sending material in
for it. The Editor at the time was Bernard
Brown, who is still a member today.
It was good to meet all the club members
who I only get a chance to see at Rallye
Renault. It was a little unfortunate that
cause for mumblings arose during the day
about this and that, some justified in my
humble opinion but to date no letters have
reached us regarding these, so I would
suppose that the weather had something
to do with it (psychologically of course)
and that most people are now reasonably
content. We hope to have a full report in
the next issue when all details are to
"That's our new efficiency man - he always
waits to make up a four before going
through the revolving doors."
4. A pedestrian is often prone to be
careless and, if he is careless, he is often
prone.
5. Doing business without advertising is
like winking at a pretty girl in the dark. You
know what you are doing but she doesn't!
An angel on the horizon came about with
a bailout from Renault, which allowed the
club to continue (and in modern day
money this was a big bailout) but lessons
were learnt, which stay with this club (with
the odd blip) to this day.
By standing on the issue that all Renaults
are created equal and no Renault is more
equal than another, coupled with not
spending the money of the masses on the
delights of a few, we sit here today in the
shade of a far better club for all, I think,
than at any time in our past. Granted, this
has meant some have stood aside along
the way but that is and will always be the
nature of clubs and often they are the
stronger for it.
hand.
Frank (Sub-Editor)
Because of the format of the magazine in
the 70s and early 80s, it is hard to include
a scan to give the feeling so I have
reinserted the text and used a photo of the
cover. The contents maybe give an insight
into the ‘70s with a section for “Rallye
Renault” and a “Woman’s Page” how
err...not PC these days. June had
amongst others, a cutaway of the new
Renault 5 from Autosport by the late John
Bolster and a Club run to Hever Castle to
celebrate the day I was born...says it all
really.
Rallye Renault. june Renotes 1972
The Rallye this year was not blessed with
the best of weather but I am sure most of
you enjoyed yourselves somehow. I
arrived with Hazel and children on
Saturday at 9.00 p.m., the time arranged
with your Mag Editor, who arrived from his
Ale and Chat at 11.0 p.m. After setting up
the canvas on Esta we got down to sleep,
I won't dwell on this aspect.
Caption: Some of the R.O.C.
Gang Prior To Departure.
1972 “JOKES TIME”
1. Two old drinking pals met
unexpectedly at the Golden
Gates.
Fred: "What are you doing up
here? I didn't expect to see you
for some time."
George: "I didn't expect to arrive
yet, either. But I was out in the
car with the wife and just before
we reached the M4, she said 'Be
an angel and let me drive.' Well,
here I am!
2. "I hear your doctor is very
gentle with children." "Rather! If
he wants to spank his son, he
chloroforms him first !"
3. Proud director to eager visitor:
21
1982
Ten years later, the magazine is still A5
but the thickness has certainly increased.
Where the 1971 and 1972 “file” is about
an inch (25.4mm) thick, the 1982,1983
and 1984 “file” whilst 50% bigger in years
is twice the size. Although some of this
must come down to the increase in font
size. Editors (yes 2!) were Pat and Nigel
Timms. It revisited, at this half way point,
some of the previous magazines. It also
spelt the time where the Renault Scene
would be represented by two clubs.
mirror.
The Renault Frères had come into being
as the needs of these specialist cars and
runs of differing speeds and owners’
needs, meant, with the blessing of all
involved, a charter was drawn up to create
two clubs, one pre-1940 and one post.
p.L.I.p.
For 1982 the Renault 20TX, 20TX Auto,
30TX and 30TX Auto are being equipped
as standard with a revolutionary new
device. P.L.I.P.
Editorial july 1982
Again our second mid-summer barbecue
to celebrate the Club's 30th Anniversary
was a great success, with over twice last
year ’s turn out. The weather tried to
dampen things down in the afternoon but
did not succeed and then improved for the
evening.
The Club received tremendous support
from Barretts of Luton who supplied
bunting and a display of Renault 9s, one
of which was used for the Autotest, giving
everyone present a chance to try the car
and its manoeuvrability.
They also gave demonstration drives in a
5 Gordini and donated many prizes to the
winners of the Autotest and concours. Last
year everyone commented on how good
the meal was. This year they were again
unanimous in their praise for Sheila and
Peter who had even exceeded last year's
very high standard.
As we sat under a rather cloudy sky many
Renault stories were swapped, much wine
and ale was supped to quench dry throats.
Praise must also go to Sally and Geoff
Morgan for their hard work, Nigel Patten
for the Autotest and also to Ted and Joyce
for the beautiful anniversary cake. The
Saturday before the barbecue saw many
Renault owners at Goodwood where they
had the circuit for the day to drive the cars
as fast as they wished without the fear of
a blue light appearing in the rear view
Those of us without high-powered cars
were able to experience a few laps in a
faster car (quite breathtaking would be a
fair description). Our next trip will be a
outing to Reading in early August and then
the A.G.M. in September when we will
have an autojumble and concours; so start
looking out those odd bits you wish to sell.
Don't forget Brighton 6th/7th Nov.
made access, particularly for stretcher
cases, far easier than with the
conventional rear wheel drive vehicle.
The ambulance has 3 way roof ventilator,
piped oxygen, roof to floor storage
cabinets and full bulkhead with sliding
doors dividing the driver’s cab and patient
section.
Editor: Although not from this actual
magazine, this photo is of the 1982
demonstrator. I’m behind the camera aged
10 in Northern Ireland with my father.
By using batteries and infra-red rays, the
electro-magnetic locking and unlocking of
the doors can be done by a tiny match-box
sized transmitter which is carried by a
special key ring.
This system takes one step further the
electro-magnetic central locking which
was introduced for the 16TS in the 1960s
and is now to be found as standard
equipment on many Renault cars from the
9 TSE, 14, 18, up to the Fuego 20 and 30
model.
RENO MASTER
ambulance.
T35
for
Specialist
vehicle
body
builders/ Pilcher Greene have
converted the Renault Master
T35 for ambulance use. Based
at Heathrow Airport the first two
ambulances were built for
Transcare International and are
for use anywhere in Western
Europe.
The Renault Master fitted the
criteria demanded of the
ambulances. High reliability,
each will average about
100,000 miles a year, comfort,
quietness and stability were of
great importance in moving
seriously ill patients and also
for the attending medical-staff.
The crews' reaction to the
vehicle was very favourable,
especially the low floor which
22
1992
60 YEARS OF THE CLUB
23
1992
24
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25
2002
26
2002
27
2002
28
MOTORSPORT
FERNEC SZISZ - AN APPRECIATION
STEPHEN DINE
their testing department. When Renault
began racing in 1902, he became Louis
Renault’s riding mechanic, his first event
being the Paris – Vienna race. Early
success in racing had brought further
orders for cars but with the tragic death of
Louis brother Marcel Renault in the illfated Paris – Madrid race of 1903, Louis
withdrew his other cars from the event and
racing in the future.
After reading Richard Horvath’s interesting
articles on Southern France & Spain in a
£250 Renault, Richard pays tribute to
Ferenc Szisz former Renault racing driver.
It is a known fact that Szisz won the very
first Grand Prix held in 1906 in a works
Renault, what of the man himself?
Having researched
into Szisz in more
detail, with some
conflicting
information
recorded through
the passage of
time, I have used
the most reliable
sources to give
readers an insight
into his life.
Ferenc Szisz was
born
on
20th
September 1873 in
the small town of
Skeghalom
in
Austro – Hungary.
After serving as an
apprenticeship
with
an
engineering
company
in
Budapest, then
some brief time
working in Austria
and Germany, he arrived in Paris in the
Spring of 1900, where he started work at
Renault’s Billancourt factory.
With Szisz’s engineering background, it
was not long before he became part of
By 1905 however, it was clear that Renault
could not stay out of major events, as
racing played a big part in manufacturers
winning the ever growing demand for
orders for ‘motor cars’. With Louis no
longer driving a race car himself, Szisz,
who, by now, was chief of the testing
department at Billancourt, became one of
three drivers for the assembled team, the
others being Maurice Bernin and J
Edmond. Under the name of Francois
(the French translation of Ferenc) Szisz he
competed in various races, including the
Gordon Bennett Cup and later that year
the Vanderbilt Cup at Long Island, with
degrees of success.
Undoubtedly a highlight of Szisz’s career
was the win of the very first Grand Prix,
held at Le Mans in weather described as
‘tropical conditions’ on 26th & 27th June
1906. This two day event started at Le
Mans then headed to St Calais onto La
Ferte Bernard before heading back to Le
Mans. One lap was 103.18 kms long with
12 laps being covered over the two days.
Szisz’s red 12.9 litre Renault AK 90cv,
numbered 3A, averaged a 62.97 mph and,
through a timed kilometre past the
Grandstand on the Le Mans course, where
cars were still accelerating, Szisz was
timed at 92.43 mph, fastest of all the cars.
(It was said that the Renault could touch
100mph at favoured points on the Le
Mans course). What made this victory
even more special, is that Szisz had
stopped on the fourth lap to examine the
rear springs of his car, finding one broken.
With the impracticalities for attempting to
change it, he continued but now using the
transmission brake only. He was noted for
his level-headed but fast driving and the
Renault for being a sturdy, reliable car
with a higher performance than many
credited it with.
Szisz’s prize money amounted to 45,000
francs, received from the French Labour
Minister, Barthou. He also became a big
star in France with poster and postcards
being printed, which picture him as the
winner of the big event. Victory at this race
FERNEC SZISZ - AN APPRECIATION
29
STEPHEN DINE
MOTORSPORT
Ferenc Szisz driving in the Vanderbilt
Cup, Long Island, New York, 1905
swelled the order books for Renault, with
1906 having orders for 1,600 vehicles, by
1907 it had risen to over 3,000 and by
1908 the number was up to 4,600.
In 1907 the GP race was held on a 47.7
mile circuit outside Dieppe, raced over a
smaller distance of 477.4 miles. The
organisers this time imposed a fuel
consumption formula restricting the cars to
231 litres of fuel and new regulations
dictated that the Renaults should now be
painted in French Blue.
There is some debate as to
whether, had it not been for
Szisz having to consider
saving fuel in the later stages
in the race, he might have
caught the eventual winner,
Nazzaro in a FIAT. Instead he
secured an excellent second.
When the respective cars had
their remaining fuel measured
after the event, the Renault
was found to have more fuel
remaining than thought, with
the FIAT also having less, a
tantalising thought for what
could have been a different
outcome.
Renault would re-appear in what had, by
then, become Formula 1, with their
revolutionary Turbo engines, turning the
sport on its head. Renaults success in
rallying through the 50s & 60s is another
story.
In 1909 Szisz may have left Renault to
open his own garage in Neuilly-sur –
Seine. In July 1914 Fernand Charron lured
him out of retirement to drive an Alda in
the French GP at Lyon, although he was
unable to complete the race due to injury.
With the onset of the First
World War, Szisz joined the
French Army serving as head
of Transport Troops in Algeria,
before being hospitalised with
typhoid fever.
After the war, it is said he
went to work for an aircraft
factory, some sources say he
continued working for Renault
in the 20s & 30s. Szisz
eventually retired to a cottage
in Auffargis, near Paris, where
he died on February 21st
1944 aged 70 years and he is
buried with his wife in the
churchyard cemetery there.
His grave is still maintained by
ACF and the Renault factory
itself. That same year his
former employer, Louis
Renault, followed him into the
next world on 24th October.
The story does not end here though, as
some years later some Hungarian
historians claimed they had ‘found’ Szisz
who had actually returned to Hungary.
This person was even taken to the
Budapest Fair in 1956, where he was
interviewed and photographed giving false
data about his date of birth and racing
activities. Rumoured to have possibly
been Szisz’s brother, this person died in
1970.
Many car manufacturers
withdrew from racing in 1908,
including Louis Renault and it
was not until 1977 that
30
RENAULT NEWS
MODERN
RENAULT AND THE RENAULT OWNERS’ CLUB
R
enault-Nissan and Daimler
expand scope of collaboration
gearboxes in Mexico. The new
transmission will feature "start and stop"
and "park and shift by wire” technologies.
However they have just reinforced their tie
ins with Mercedes and Mercedes no
longer have Mclaren on their side. Like
wise the Smart Coupe is in need of a
revamp....humm.
I’m going with Caterham though, they
have experience of road going cars and a
specialist large scale division that could
cope. Also whilst in f1 they are more likely
to enjoy a long term relationship whereas
the leading teams that are not tied to
Renault can chop and change. All we
need to ensure is that the parts are still
there in 10 years time or like other past
Renault branded Alpines, there road going
numbers could be into double digits as
quickly as their predecessors in the UK.
Renault-Nissan and Daimler partner on
fuel-efficient engines and transmissions.
Original projects remain on track as
partnership expands globally.
PARIS, France --- The Renault-Nissan
Alliance and Daimler are collaborating on
two new projects to accelerate
development of fuel-efficient powertrains.
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn and
Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche confirmed
the new projects Friday in an annual
media update about the Franco-JapaneseGerman partnership.
The new engine project is a jointly
developed 4-cylinder gasoline engine
family co-led by Renault and Daimler. The
direct-injection turbocharged engine will
feature state-of-the-art technology in a
compact package. It targets low emissions
as well as a significant improvement in
fuel economy.
The companies expect to jointly
manufacture the new engines. They will
debut in Daimler and Renault and Nissan
vehicles in 2016.
In the new transmission project Daimler
grants Nissan a license to manufacture
automatic transmissions using Daimler's
latest transmission technology for Nissan
and Infinity vehicles starting in 2016.
Nissan subsidiary Jatco is planning to
manufacture these newly licensed
“These new components demonstrate how
broadly and rapidly our collaboration is
proliferating – while all the time remaining
rooted in specific projects that give
tangible benefits to our customers,” Ghosn
said. “The relationship is expanding
organically and logically.”
“The collaboration achieved a milestone
this year, with the first vehicles and
engines from the partnership now on the
roads,” Zetsche said. “Furthermore, all our
engineers are keeping an open mind,
looking with fresh eyes at all potential new
areas of collaboration.”
Ghosn and Zetsche confirmed that all the
original “pillar projects” announced in 2010
have been accomplished or are on track.
The companies are also moving forward
with advanced research on fuel-cell
vehicle powertrains and they are working
on a cross-supply program for battery and
powertrain components of zero-emission
versions of their small cars.
Alpine.
This is a goer although Renault/Nissan
have said that they will need outside help
to achieve it. Suggestions on line range
from Lotus, Caterham, Red Bull,
Williams....hey ho here we go again.
Now the original Alpine concept needs to
be recalled. Running gear Renault, body
someone else and in GRP - I suppose
Carbon Fibre would be nice but they are
talking £30-£40,000
This was the line at the start of October
from Renault UK.
1. We want to re-launch Alpine
2. To do this, we must have a partner
3. That partner would be announced later
this month
4. The new Alpine will be in the spirit of
the A110 and cost around 40,000 euros
Clio Williams - Again
Again the rumour mongers are active with
a suggestion of a new Clio Williams to
build on the new Clio IV Sport and ties to
Formula 1. Whilst this topic keeps coming
up, the fact it always comes up in the
same magazine and forums with same
unnamed sources leaves us just to
wonder.
Carkraft
Renault backs re-launch of CarKraft road
safety project
27/09/2012
Road safety is, quite rightly, a major
priority for Renault and this has led to the
manufacturer backing the upcoming relaunch of CarKraft – an initiative which
aims to reduce the number of people killed
and seriously injured in road accidents
across Northamptonshire.
The award-winning road safety scheme,
which
has
the
support
of
Northamptonshire County Council,
specifically targets the central England
region due to its position at the heart of
the UK’s strategic road network.
RENAULT NEWS
31
RENAULT AND THE RENAULT OWNERS’ CLUB
MODERN
With the backing of Renault and Adrian
Flux Insurance, CarKraft will be relaunched at the home of the British Grand
Prix, Silverstone, on Sunday, 28th
October, where drivers will take part in a
mix of workshops where they can
experience simulated adverse conditions
at a purpose-built facility.
The initiative also explores the main
causes of car crashes – alcohol, mobile
phone use, speeding and seat belts which
aren’t used. Tutors running the event are
all highly qualified motoring professionals
with many years of experience of both
motor racing and advance driving
techniques.
Drivers aged over 17 will experience the
Kick Plate and Ice Hill, which both
generate the effect of a loss of wheel
traction to explore car control under
extreme conditions. They will also be
assessed on public carriageways with a
police driver, who will provide essential
guidance.
As a proud global partner of the United
Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety,
which through its Road Safety Fund is
striving to reduce the number of road
accident victims across the globe by 50
per cent before 2020, Renault’s
involvement with CarKraft is a natural fit
for its road safety policy.
CarKraft, which has evolved since its
original launch in 2001 to also now include
non-drivers between the ages of 15 and
21 and licence holders of all ages from
right across the UK, costs £49.99 and
lasts around four hours.
To book your place at Silverstone in
October and for further information, visit
www.carkraft.info or call 01604 364406.
More details on the Road Safety Fund
which has Renault’s support are available
at www.roadsafetyfund.org
Renault Classic
‘Renault Classic’ launches its own
website! A brand new website
(www.renaultclassic.com) devoted to
Renault Classic went online on
Wednesday, October 3.
In addition to addressing the needs of all
those who have an interest in classic
Renault vehicles, the new site’s mission is
to strengthen Renault’s ties with Renault
and Alpine-based clubs and enthusiasts.
The new website will be a valuable source
of information about Renault Classic, plus
all the latest news and details of upcoming
events.
It will also permit clubs to promote their
own activities, news and calendars.
There are several hundred Renault clubs
worldwide, so putting them all in contact
with each other and catering for their
needs were two major objectives during
the design of the Renault Classic website
(www.renaultclassic.com) which went
live on Wednesday, October 3. This
exciting new tool will provide clubs,
collectors and Renault and Alpine
enthusiasts with a chance to communicate
together and also allow them to access a
realm of useful information, not only about
Renault Classic but also about the Renault
and Alpine fans community.
Contents will also feature a presentation
of Renault Classic, including a calendar of
the events in which it plans to take part,
plus an introduction to Renault’s own
collection of vehicles. Meanwhile, clubs
will be able to register and publish their
own news, dates and pictures.
forms to take part in special events.
The site will also have its own Facebook
page
(http://www.facebook.com/renaultclassi
c) and will permit access to Renault
Classic’s YouTube channel.
Renault Owners’ Club helped to found this
site and attended the meeting where its
content and uses were discussed.
It will contain some material about the club
but we will always communicate in the first
instance with our members through this
magazine and our website. Using Renault
Classic more as a tool to build on our
relationships with clubs around the world.
It will also hopefully show how many UK
Clubs there actually are , as a request of
the Renault Owners’ Club was that ALL
clubs should be allowed to register and
Renault should choose which ones to
accept. Initial ideas had the UK clubs
deciding who should be included but we
were against that proposal as we felt bias
could lead to some clubs being included or
excluded. t is nice to see more clubs
joining every day.
http://en.renaultclassic.com/club/clubdirectory/directory-detail/club-renault-o
wners-club/
Another section of the website will be
given over to the availability of
downloadable documents, such as
authenticity document requests or entry
32
SECTION NEWS
T
he next six pages are something
new for the club in 2013 but which
has been discussed quite widely.
Traditionally the club starts to pick
up members when their cars reach 10 years
old. This is due to less parts being available
and also less cars to support a dedicated
club. We also tend to gain membership
from a lot of the more standard cars.
When a car is new an owner is usually
greeted with a whole host of clubs to join,
ranging from free to fee paying. Some are
run by genuinely interested people and
some by commercial outlets wanting to
make money from members or
advertising. This was brought home to us
recently when we were contacted to see if
we would sell our Dacia Owners’ Club to a
person already running another non
Renault club car site, not someone likely
to take a large interest in this one maybe.
We therefore decided to set up sections
specifically for these new cars, many of
which are built on previous technology.
These sites would have 3 levels of
participation. The public would be free to
look at the site and make use of some
general areas of “tempters”, they would
not be members and will be notified of this
regularly. Then we would have the on line
users. These would get more access to
the site and be able to attend events, they
would also be able to make use of section
shops and that is it, no Renotes, tools,
RENAULT ZE
manuals, parts, etc, (all, though, open for
review), although they would get an on
line email keeping them up to date with
progress. They could come to an AGM (as
anyone can) but not have any votes.
However any other business would allow
them to put forwards ideas which could be
adopted in line with the club rules.
The third level would be that they would
join the full club and get everything
everyone else does. This would be our
target. Oddly, setting up such sections
does not cost the club money. Technically
at the moment the sections are
contributing to the club.
These would be:
ZE - www.renaultzeclub.com
Clio IV - www.clioiv.com
and
Dacia
Owners
Club
www.daciaownersclub.com
R
enault ZE
At the recent Paris motorshow there was
much to interest the Renault ZE (and for
that matter all ZE) car owners and buyers.
The big one, though, had to be the
following news.
GIREVE project: a memorandum of
understanding setting up the “Groupement
pour l’Itinérance des Recharges
Électriques de Véhicules”
-
Over time, we hope the sections will
contribute more to the club and events
and, as time goes on, join the full club and
contribute to Renotes. We hope, though,
that people will make them welcome as all
our cars were modern once. They will also
be invited to take part in some of the
Facebook groups we have which certainly
seem more popular than the forum at the
moment.
Forum - www.renaultownersclub.org.uk
Facebook - Search Renault Owners’ Club
(the big one, not the many copycats)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1440
48032305488/ You will need a facebook
account to use this, though.
Caisse des Dépôts, electricity distributor
ERDF, PSA Peugeot Citroën and Renault
have signed a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) to create a joint
structure to develop roaming services for
charging electric vehicles and plug-in
hybrids, known as GIREVE. The signature
took place on October 3, 2012 following a
press
conference
with
Arnaud
Montebourg, Minister of Industrial Revival,
Delphine Batho, Minister of Ecology,
Sustainable Development and Energy and
Frédéric Cuviller, Minister of State for
Transport, the Sea and Fishing.
A set of “made-to-measure” services
With these services, drivers will be able to
locate and use any charging stations
regardless of who owns them:
municipalities, parking managers, mobility
operators, etc.
IT applications on GPS or smartphones
will make it possible to locate all the
available stations and possibly to book
one.
Drivers will be able to charge their
vehicles freely: not just in their usual area
and with their contractual operator but
also outside their area and on stations run
by other operators, in France and
elsewhere.
Extensive consultation.
On the request of the ministries, the four
signatories of the MOU will engage in
extensive consultation with stakeholders
to bring in new, suitable partners and
endow the structure with the expertise and
resources required.
The first task will be to create a nationwide
directory of charging stations with precise
information on each one, including its
occupancy. This directory will be made
available to operators so that they can
develop user services such as mapping,
charging, mobility and customer support.
The structure will create the data
exchange standards to be used by this
directory, enabling payment clearing
services between operators. It will also
represent France in dealings with other
countries so that these standards can be
extended to cross-border exchanges. It
may also advise municipalities in its area
of expertise.
The French government will be associated
with this project, named GIREVE. It will
oversee progress as part of a process
open to all stakeholders, enabling the free
creation of services meeting the
expectations of electric vehicle users.
Now why is this important in the UK? Well,
it shows that competitive manufacturers
understand that only by working together
can enough charging points be put in
place to make electric cars feasible for
longer journeys. To a lot of people this
matters. Whilst a lot of journeys are of
short distance, from time to time people
need to make longer trips and without
having 2 cars, an electric car stops this. A
lot of families have just 1 car.
If this idea can be rolled out into other
countries on a standard platform then we
could soon see a Europe wide charging
system, similar to ideas already in place in
countries as far afield as Israel.
Meanwhile at paris, Renault ZOE
claimed 51 percent of the votes in the
‘Best Green Car of the 2012 Paris Motor
Show’, a sign that the public sees Renault
ZOE as a real car which combines
attractive
lines
and
innovative
technologies with extreme respect for the
environment.
RENAULT ZE
33
SECTION NEWS
Thanks to ZOE, Renault has put zeroemission mobility within reach of ordinary
motorists. It is the first car to have been
designed from the ground up as an
affordable electric car
and it boasts a taxpaid price tag (in
France) that starts
from just €13,700*,
making it ideal for
everyday use. ZOE
incorporates a raft of
advanced
technologies,
including six world
premieres that have
been developed to be
easy to use, extend
range and optimise
connectivity. For the
first time, all the
ingredients are in
place for the mass development of electric
cars to take off. ZOE’s launch marks the
beginning of a new era of electric mobility
for all.
The six world firsts introduced by Renault
ZOE:
1. The world’s first mass market electric
vehicle with a tax-paid price tag (in
France) starting from €13,700*.
2. The world’s first mass market electric
vehicle with an NEDC-cycle homologated
range of 210km**.
3. The first vehicle to be equipped as
standard with ‘Range OptimiZEr ’, a
system designed to optimise real-world
range under all driving conditions. In builtup areas, for example, customers can
expect a real-world range of between
100km and 150km depending on their
driving style and the prevailing weather
conditions.
4. Thanks to its Caméléon battery charger,
ZOE is the first electric vehicle that can be
fully charged in between 30 minutes and
nine hours depending on the power
available at the charging station (between
3kW and 43kW), using a single type of
connector for the car.
5. The first electric vehicle to enable the
massive roll-out of fast charging stations
which are easier to use and up to four
times more economical for local
authorities.
6. The first Renault vehicle to be equipped
as standard with Renault R-Link, an
integrated, connected multimedia tablet.
DHL
DHL in France have also noticed an
interest in ZE, with a lot of their vehicles
doing stop-start and the ability to do
multiple runs, ZE seems a no brainer,
especially in city areas.
Renault will supply DHL France with a
fleet of electric vehicles by 2015. A total 50
vehicles have already been confirmed.
The first four which are Kangoo Z.E., will
be delivered by the end of 2012.
Renault already chose DHL in 2011 to
manage the logistics of battery shipments
to all Z.E. centres and expert sites across
France. The new partnership signed today
strengthens the cooperation between
Renault and DHL in the development of
electric vehicles in France.
DHL, the global leader in transport and
logistics, chose Renault to help it develop
the use of electric vehicles as part of its
activities. DHL has already confirmed an
order of 50 vehicles, comprising both
Kangoo Z.E. and ZOE, to be delivered
between now and 2015. Additional orders
will depend on the different potential
needs.
François Guionnet, director of Renault
Parc Entreprises said: “Renault is
particularly proud to take part in this key
stage of DHL’s GoGreen Program, which
aims to reduce the carbon emissions of
DHL by 30% by 2020.”
34
SECTION NEWS
R
enault confirms that New Renault
Clio will be manufactured
simultaneously at the Flins plant
( France) and the Bursa plant
(Turkey). But at this point, Renault cannot
supply any figures on the share of New
Renault Clio production between these two
plants.
Starting in November, the Flins plant will
produce Clio Collection (based on the Clio
III), alongside New Clio and ZOE. Based
on Clio III, Clio Collection is Renault’s
entry-level offer in the B segment.
If we assume the entry price of £10,300
for the Clio IV remains on target then at
long last we will see both affordability,
reliability and economy back as the drivers
for Renault.
This marks a major stepping stone for
Renault which saw all 3 variants of the
Clio IV unveiled together at Paris, Hatch,
Estate and Sports.
New Clio.
New Clio is the first production model to
give full expression to the Renault design
renaissance inspired by Laurens van den
Acker. The promise was to take the style
and emotion of the brand’s concept cars
and carry them over to production models.
New Clio fulfils that pledge. The Renault
logo, now more vertical and set proudly
against a black background, stands out as
a symbol of this renaissance.
CLIO IV
III, with ground clearance reduced by 10
mm. It is wider in track (+34 to 36 mm
compared with Clio III), while the lower
ride height not only provides the car with a
solid stance but also benefits its
aerodynamics.
With pronounced shoulder lines, New
Clio’s coupé-like silhouette is accentuated
by integrated rear door handles concealed
close to the rear quarter lights. The ratio of
wheel-size to vehicle-height has been
fine-tuned for a more dynamic look, while
the large-diameter wheels are pushed 15
mm outwards compared with Clio III in
order to fill and finish flush with the wheel
arches. A steeply raked windscreen
accentuates this dynamic feel, as does the
ratio between metal and glazed surfaces
when New Clio is seen from the side (twothirds and one-third respectively).
New Clio opens up the world of
personalisation to a far wider audience.
Centred for once on a five-door family
hatchback rather than a three-door or
‘premium version, the personalisation
programme covers the biggest selling
versions.
New Clio personalisation programme – the
essentials:
Available for core-range mainstream
versions, a wide variety of exterior and
interior features that can be personalised,
striking and original graphics, easy to coordinate elements, especially in the cabin,
quality standards.
83 g CO2 / km :
NEW RENAULT CLIO NOW RIVALS
WITH HYBRID VEHICLES
Thanks to the Renault Energy range of
extremely energy-efficient engines, the
energy-optimised versions of New Clio cut
CO2 emissions by up to 30 per cent:
Diesel versions: CO2 emissions as low as
83 g / km (NEDC cycle). Petrol versions:
CO2 emissions as low as 99 g / km
(NEDC cycle). Building on the expertise it
has gained as an engine supplier in
Formula One, Renault has demonstrated
that a vehicle powered by an internal
combustion-engined can – thanks to new
technologies and an ongoing quest for
maximum efficiency – perform as well as
certain hybrid models in terms of fuel
consumption(9) and CO2 emissions and
much more cheaply.
Using technology to reduce CO2
emissions. The engines available for New
Clio pack a raft of technologies, including
Stop&Start, kinetic braking energy
recovery (Energy Smart Management),
thermal management (switching off the
cooling circuit when the engine is cold,
etc.), active cooling-air flaps to enhance
aerodynamic performance by optimising
how much air is channelled to the radiator
and the use of low rolling resistance tyres.
New Clio Estate.
“ “Simple, sensuous and warm: these are
the three words that sum up the design of
Clio – just like that of DeZir. This is no
accident, for both these vehicles were
designed by the same team. As a five door
hatchback with the appeal of a three-door
car, New Clio is all about passion. And
thanks to the skills of our engineering
teams, it has remained faithful to our
original vision”
Antony Villain,
Director, Exterior Design Studio
Smoothly flowing and free from hard
edges, New Clio’s design is all about
volumes. Renault’s designers have paid
close attention to achieving balanced
proportions. It is a low-slung car (height:
1,448 mm) and sits 45 mm lower than Clio
assembly is in the factory to Renault
New Renault Clio Estate is one of the
major revelations on Renault’s stand at
the Paris Motor Show. The newcomer
shares the same dynamic breeding as the
hatchback but has its own distinct identity,
with carefully honed forms created by
designer Yohann Ory. New Clio Estate will
appear in dealerships from the first quarter
of 2013 (depending on market). An
assertive personality inspired by the
classic shooting brake.
CLIO IV
35
SECTION NEWS
area’s flat floor and the ability of the front
passenger seat to fold flat, New Clio
Estate offers ‘record’ maximum load
length. This versatile feature is unique to
New Clio Estate and stands out as a
significant ‘plus’ in the segment.
New Clio Sport.
LED daytime running
lights, sill extensions
and 17-inch wheels, with
18inch rims available as an
option.
All
these
elements combine to
make it
a genuine attention
grabber. A dual-tailpipe
exhaust system and a
“ Thanks to its athletic proportions, New
Clio Estate is not only practical but also
extremely elegant.”
Yohann Ory
Designer of New Clio Estate
Research reveals that estate-car
customers are strongly drawn towards the
aesthetic design cues of shooting brakes.
New Renault Clio certainly has the style
and it also dials in practicality and
versatility for good measure. The Estate’s
wheelbase is identical to that of the
hatchback, although the rear overhang
has been extended by 201 mm to 823
mm. With an overall length of 4,262 mm,
New Clio Estate is high on style and, at
the same time, is compact and
accommodating. Its profile features a long
bonnet and pronounced rear shoulders,
while its lines stretch rearwards towards to
an upright tailgate that points to the car’s
high carrying capacity. As on the
hatchback, the rear door handles are
concealed. The smooth, flowing lines are
accentuated by the integration of the B
and C pillars which are flush with the
surface of the glass, while the roof
appears to float to emphasise the design’s
overall elegance.
The beauty of New Renault Clio and
particularly practical New Clio Estate is
even more versatile than its hatchback
sibling and will appeal to customers
looking for a car that stands out as a
strong design statement but which is also
extremely practical. The space at the front
has been thought through particularly
carefully, as has access to the 443 dm3
VDA luggage area. This is 130 dm3, or 30
percent bigger than that of the already
roomy hatchback and the loading sill has
been made significantly lower.
Thanks to the combination of the cargo
drive any of the sporting Renault
derivatives we have developed. We’re
also proud to be producing the R.S. in
Dieppe, home of Alpine and proud to be
using the EDC gearbox for an R.S. version
for the first time. ”
Patrice Ratti
Managing
Director,
Renault
Sport
Technologies
The announcement of a new sporting
version of Clio is always an eagerly
anticipated event among the model’s
sporting fan-base and those who
appreciate beautiful cars. Powered by a
1.6 litre turbocharged engine mated to
EDC dual clutch transmission, New Clio
R.S. 200 EDC is an innovative response
to the highly sophisticated expectations of
the compact sports hatchback customer.
In addition to being a thrill to drive, it has
distinctive style and is poised to be a
favourite with the connoisseurs.
“ New Clio R.S. 200 EDC proclaims loud
and clear the values of Renault Sport:
beautiful and fast, it has everything that’s
needed to make it the benchmark car in
the high-performance sports hatchback
class – just like its predecessors. The
introduction of a very high performance
turbocharged engine, with plenty of torque
at low revs and coupled to the EDC dual
clutch transmission (Efficient Double
Clutch) developed by Renault Sport
engineers, results in a car that raises the
sporting driving experience to a new level.
The expertise of Renault Sport
Technologies is reinforced by long-term
programmes in the most demanding types
of motorsport, including racing and
rallying. It is this experience which makes
us so passionate about handling feedback
and you can feel this the moment you
sporty
sound signature round off this exclusive
package.
Inside, the ambience is sporting, with red
the dominant colour. A steering
wheel flanked by the two gearshift
paddles, a dedicated instrument pack
and aluminium-capped pedals all spell
performance and passion. Yet Clio
R.S. 200 EDC also pays particular
attention to the comfort of its occupants.
The bucket seats, with leather upholstery
optional, provide extra lateral support and
it goes without saying that Renault’s
Sport’s latest comes with all the
equipment expected of a high-end model:
multimedia
system,
touchscreen
navigation, Bluetooth® radio with USB
connectivity, handsfree entry and starting,
driver aids. Automatic climate control and
parking sensors are also optionally
available.
Special feature: personalisation
New Clio R.S. 200 EDC will be offered
with a specific Renault Sport exterior
personalisation programme. The starting
point for the programme is the choice of
four themes which can be combined with
different motifs, plus upgrade elements
and trim packs with clearly differentiated
characters.
Now everyone can configure the precise
type of sportiness that suits them best.
36
SECTION NEWS
D
acia - “Da Chee Ah” not “Day sea
a”
This is initially not going to be a regular
section in Renotes but will reflect the mix
of people within the Renault Owners’ Club,
some of whom will also own Dacias. The
Dacia is to be marketed in Renault
garages and a lot of the technology is
common to both machines. Perhaps we
should view them as the modern day
equivalent of the Gordini, Alpine and
Delorean where Renault products were
used in cars branded under other names.
DACIA OWNERS CLUB
DACIA OWNERS’ CLUB SECTION
for the 7 year warranty that you can
choose to take out.
And that is the point with the Dacia. The
base model...nicknamed Nato spec by the
press...has exactly what a car needs. 4
wheels, an engine and it goes. What you
choose to add on from rear electric
windows for the invisible passengers to
air-con, 4WD, diesel and a 7 year
warranty is up to you and your wallet.
Trunk volume of 320 dm3 VDA remains
unbeatable given the car ’s price and
compact design. Sandero is no slouch on
practicality and versatility either, with a
60/40 split-folding rear bench, which folds
down to increase load volume to 1,200
dm3 VDA.
Gasoline: TCe 90
For the first time, New Dacia Sandero is
available with the TCe 90, a new symbol
of the Renault group’s powertrain
excellence. This exceptional engine
combines driving pleasure and comfort
with controlled fuel consumption (5.2 l/100
km*) and CO2 emissions (120 g/km*) for
reduced running costs.
The engine choice is a no brainer. The 1.5
regularly crops up in Renotes as people
discuss their 144,000 mile cambelt
change, or how upset they are that the
alternator has gone at 500,000 miles....so
It may also be a stepping stone for some
that is a proven powerplant. Likewise the
to be reintroduced to Renault via a budget
1.6 Petrol. Nissan’s 4WD is (sorry) head
car. Interestingly in some markets it even
and shoulders above any other available
Featuring the latest technology and
wears a Renault badge.
including Renaults. Switches also seem to
downsizing techniques, the TCe 90 is a
follow the idea that the
three-cylinder, 898cc turbocharged
designer picked every bit he
gasoline engine. With its ultra-low-inertia
New Logan: the stylish and elegant
family
could
findcar
that no one had
turbocharger plus variable valve timing, it
ever had
trouble with.
New Sandero: the roomy and compact
hatchback
with five seatsdelivers 66 kW (90 hp) at 5,250 rpm and
generates 135 Nm from low engine
New Sandero Stepway: the charismatic adventurer
The 1.2 for the Sandero will
speeds (90% from 1,650 rpm), making it a
come as no surprise.
lively and responsive performer with
smooth acceleration. It brings drivers a
Steel wheels are standard but
best-in-class balance between driving
as I used to say when people
performance and fuel consumption.
insulted my Kangoo....you
can’t see it when you are
Gasoline: 1.2 16V 75 (Euro 5)
sitting in it and once in it you
This 1,149 cm3 engine, developing 55 kW
never wanted to get out.
(75 hp), is an impressive all-rounder,
(Besides being able to get a
equally at ease in the city or out on the
tumble dryer, washing machine and fridge
Only 2 cars are initially going to be
open road. Fuel consumption is a low 5.9
in it all at once!)
marketed in the UK and my personal
l/100 km*, for CO2 emissions of 137
guess is that this may be all we see for a
g/km*.
If we do get any others, I think it would be
while. It does a manufacturer little good to
the “Stepaway” first although it has
overpower the market themselves to the
The 1.2 16V 75 engine is also available in
crossovers with the Duster and then
possible detriment of other cars they sell.
an LPG version for lower running costs
possibly the Logan, which introduced
At Paris motor show, the plans for Dacia
and just 125g/km of CO2* (in course of
Dacia to the world.
going forwards were laid out, alongside
homologation). Diesel: dCi 75 and 90
the chance to view the facelifted Duster
(Euro 5)
and Sandero models we will see in the
Sandero from £5,995
UK.
Renowned for its driving pleasure,
New Dacia Sandero: the compact 5-door
performance reliability and environmental
One of the good things I have seen in the
hatchback that does everything you need
respect, the 1.5 dCi is available in 55 kW
press is an understanding of what theses
New Sandero is a modern compact
(75 hp) and 66 kW (90 hp) versions. With
cars will be. Any view that maybe some of
hatchback with good looks expressing
a torque increased by 20 Nm - 200 Nm of
the interior is a little plastiky or that some
vitality and versatility.
torque at 1,750 rpm for the 75 hp unit and
of the controls feel familiar in a “haven’t
220 Nm at 1,750 rpm for the 90 hp unit we seen them somewhere before” has
The new model continues to bring
the 1.5 dCi engine is responsive from
been weighed up against the basic fact
customers unrivalled equipment for money
even the lowest engine speeds. This
that these cars are cheap and only come
and in classic Dacia style is strong on
performance comes hand in hand with
with parts that are known to work and last
cabin space and load volume.
some of the lowest fuel consumption
37
DACIA OWNERS CLUB
SECTION NEWS
DACIA OWNERS’ CLUB SECTION
Practicality and versatility remain strong
points, thanks to the 60/40 split-folding
rear bench. The cabin has been enhanced
to bring occupants more storage
possibilities, notably with the addition of a
central cubby box. The storage spaces in
the front and rear doors are large enough
to house a 1.5-litre and 0.5-litre bottle
respectively.
Duster from £8,995
The reviews and comparisons of the
Duster are quite amusing. If you try to
compare it with cars of a similar price they
seemingly get stuck when it gets muddy or
you end up comparing it to things outside
the class. If you go for ones with similar
features the price is totally incomparable.
figures in the segment, at 3.8 l/100 km*,
for CO2 emissions of 99 g/km*, over a
combined cycle representing a decrease
of 5 g. Both engines naturally carry the
Dacia eco2 signature.
Passive safety
For maximum passenger protection, New
Dacia Sandero benefits from all the safety
expertise of Renault’s engineers.
Seatbelts are equipped with calibrated
load limiters for thorax protection in the
event of impact. The three models also
feature Isofix anchorage points in the two
back lateral seats for easy and 100% safe
installation of child seats.
The closest yet has been comparing a
petrol Venga with no air con with the
diesel 2WD Duster that has. With the
New Logan:
rac ythe
limstylish
af tnageand
le delegant
na hsDusters
ilyfamily
ts eh110BHP
t :car
nagoLvswVenga
eN
89 BHP.
stsurrounds.
aes evif h
New
tiw kSandero:
cabhctahthe
tcaroomy
pmoc dand
na ycompact
moor ehthatchback
:orednaS w
with
eN five seats
As always,
with
New
reSandero
ruunrivalled
tnevdaStepway:
citspaciousness
amsirathe
hc echarismatic
ht :yaEven
wpetwhen
Sadventurer
orethey
dnaScompare
weN it to a 2 year old
car like a Qashqai they only just get a
and equipment for money, the new Dacia
balance and then only if you trust the
models, like their predecessors, boast
previous owner.
more space and features for money than
any other cars in Europe. Roominess and
So not only could it trample all over the
load capacity from the segment above, the
new car market...look out used cars too.
interior and exterior dimensions of the
three new models are as generous as
We have covered the Duster to a fair
ever, worthy of the segment above. Rear
degree before which really just leaves us
elbow room in New Sandero is 1436 mm,
to show you what you get for your £9,000
largely sufficient to seat three adults
besides change.
comfortably or install three child seats.
Well maybe next time...
From the first trim level up, the new
models are fitted as standard with front
and side driver and passenger airbags
and ESP.
Wide range of accessories.
For extra personalization, Dacia proposes
a broad range of accessories for everyday
use including side mouldings, protective
mats, headrest hangers and trunk nets.
Weekend getaways and vacations have
never been this easy thanks to a roof box,
ski rack, towing hook, bike rack and
nomad cooler. Customers can also
personalize their Dacia using decal strips,
exclusive wheel rims and fog lamp
38
ME AND MY RENAULT(S)
T
he Rally Sweden is one of the
most spectacular events in the
World Rally Championship.
SWEDISH RALLY TRACK - SLOT CARS
HUB HABETS
world famous for their breathless action.
I started with an L-shaped, 5.45m long
table, with a width of 2.3m and 0.9 m. On
the wall, the blue and white back drop was
but also some tricky slow corners and a
hairpin. The slot in the 8mm MDF was
made with a pendulum saw, with 2 blades
soldered to each other. To get some
elevation, the track is supported by
vertical multiplex strips with different
lengths.
After the first layer of paint the braids were
glued in the chambers. The modified
Parma Plus controller, with a 2 meter long
wire, can be plugged in at two connectors
on each side of the track.
From 1950 it took place but at that time
still as a midsummer orientation event.
After moving in 1965 to February, it
became a snow event. The special stages
on forest roads, with their fast bends over
crests in the region Värmland, are now
glued and bended smooth around the
edges, to get it seamless.
This gives the possibility of a total different
view on the track during driving.
Next, the 25m long track was drawn on
the table. It contained those spectacular
bends over crests like the real rally has
The landscape is made from wire netting,
with wet jute and plaster on top, followed
by a layer of white wall paint and snow
glitters from the model train shop. There is
also a brook in the landscape with 2
bridges, made from fireworks arrows,
found at the beginning of the year on the
streets in the neighbourhood.
The typical Swedish houses and barn are
39
HUB HABETS
handmade from3.5mm multiplex with
balsa wooden window frames. The boards
on the buildings are sawn, about 1 mm
deep, into the surface. To get a snowy
effect, I used some white painted tile glue
and glitters on the roof and on the window
frames.
matter what kind of Renault is on the
track; From Alpine till Gordini or Turbo,
they all feel at home. It is a lot of pleasure
to slide them fully sideways, from one
Now I have shown you how it can be
done, I hope you want to create your own
track for sideways motoring with your
Renaults.
bend to the other over the crests. Driving
the special stage in the dark with the head
lamps on, gives an extra dimension. With
only the shining of the lampposts and
some light coming from the windows of the
houses the driving gets very spectacular.
Editor:
Hub Habets is one of our most regular
contributor. Each year for the December
edition he sends us another section from
his formidable slotcar track (Scaletrix to
us). I suspect some of us wish our cars
The typical Scandinavian "gardesgård"
round pole fences are made from small
twigs. In Scandinavia they are used since
the Iron Age to keep animals out. The
other fences are also made from twigs and
sewing yarn. The lampposts are
handmade as is the tip-up barrier from
wood and some soldered copper pieces.
The Swedish road signs are copied from
Wikipedia and the barrier tape is made
from a painted plastic bag. The trees are
all hand made from copper wire and sisal
rope.
The spectators are modified figures from
Scalextric, SCX but also Tarn Model
Foundry is used.
As you can see on the pictures, it does not
40
would look as good as this. This is the first
time, though, he has gone into the detail
HUB HABETS
of how to make it. Hub makes regular trips
over to the UK, to the Slotcar meeting at
Gaydon. Maybe for next year we should
see if we can meet up there.
41
HUB HABETS
42
A JERSEY GEM
TRAVEL
LES CRAVEN
A
nyone who has holidayed in
Jersey I am sure would agree that
it must be one of the best kept
secrets as a holiday destination.
There’s a wealth of history from Neolithic
Dolmens and burial mounds, from medieval
castles to the ring of fortifications and look
out posts that feature prominently on the
coastal landscape that serve as a stark
reminder of the deprivations and hardships
the Islanders suffered during WWII.
just happened to be
a museum which,
anyone with a
remote interest in
local rural and
social history will
find this a ‘must
see’ and may be
found on the Rue
De Bechet, Trinity,
JE3 5BE. It is called ‘The Pallot Steam,
Motor and General Museum’. It may be
familiar to some readers but for those of
you who are not I am indebted to Liz
Vivian and Sam Pallot who are trustees of
the museum for the following information.
The Museum is managed
by a Trust which was set
up in 1985 by the
Museum's founder, the
late Lyndon Charles
Pallot, a well loved and
respected
Jersey
character
more
commonly known as
‘Don'. The L C Pallot
Trust was established
with the object of
promoting the permanent
preservation of steam
Coupled with the dramatic coastal scenery
of hidden coves to miles of sandy beaches
and rugged crashing cliffs, there is
something for everyone and if you manage
to get the weather right then you are spoilt
for choice. Never being more than 35
minutes from anywhere the island is
peppered with interesting places to visit if
that’s
your
preference.
Having spent an enjoyable week there
recently, one of these interesting places
in 2002 it now provides an ideal setting for
the vast and varied array of exhibits. The
official opening ceremony took place on
Liberation Day 2002 when Mr Michael
Wilcock, owner of the former Jersey Motor
Museum, cut the ribbon and declared the
new Pallot Steam Museum open.
The Museum's only source of income is
from admission charges, sales of
souvenirs, donations and profits from the
two annual Steam Fayres which are held
in May and the Autumn, over the years,
more than £40,000 has been donated to
various Charities from Steam Fayre
profits. No other financial support is
available.
On Thursdays, you can hop aboard a
steam train and take a ride in a vintage
railway carriage. Always one to raise a
smile on little (and big) kids’ faces!. It’s
just like a giant Hornby train set.
What I thought would be of particular
interest to us ‘Renaultphiles’ was, that
tucked between a row of varied classic
engines,
farm
machinery, vehicles and
much
more.
The
Trustees are Don's
surviving 4 sons and 4
daughters (Liz and Sam
being two of them).
The
Museum
was
opened to the public in
1990. Following some
extensive alterations
which were completed
cars was to be found a 1959 Dauphine
covering only 27000 miles and a 1957
4CV which has done 50000 miles. Both
cars were in beautiful condition as can be
seen from the photographs. The condition
of all the vehicles in the museum is superb
and is a real testament to the time and
effort expended in keeping them in this
condition. I was told that any vehicle is
capable of being used and I doubt that can
be matched by many museums! These
A JERSEY GEM
43
LES CRAVEN
TRAVEL
particular cars belong to Sam Pallot. I was
fortunate to meet Sam near to closing time
and we reminisced and swapped notes on
Renaults we have owned over the years
and I got the feeling that he had quite an
affection for them. This was reinforced by
the fact that I subsequently learned he has
a number of others in his garage at home!
These being:
1988 4L JP4 convertible
1973 R6 TL
1986 4 GT
1966 R10 1100
All these vehicles are Jersey Registered.
As it was by now past closing time I bade
my goodbyes as I didn’t want to outstay
my welcome! If you ever go to Jersey I
would recommend a visit and who knows,
you too just might get chatting with Sam
Pallot!
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44
ME AND MY RENAULT
T
he moment I saw it I knew I'd take
it home with me. The seller from
eBay talked me around it, pointing
out points of interest, while I just
pointed at things to give the illusion I knew
what I was doing. I gave the seller from
eBay some money in exchange for the
keys. My Dad and I filled it up and took it
home. Of course there's much more to it
than that...
This is the story of me and my Renault 5
The line of Renaults in our family can be
traced back to my dad's young days. His
first car was a Dauphine Gordini, followed
by a R8. Later on came a couple of R12's
and later still it was the turn of the R9. But it
was the yellow two-door R5 TS he had
when I was just a little boy that sparked my
love for the car.
It was a great little character, like a huge
Tonka toy, I wanted to play with it in the
sandbox. The car was later retired to the
FLY LIKE THE WIND MY LITTLE SUPERCINQ
REINARD KROHN
back yard, out of action. However for me it
meant I could take the car out on long
drives, take the family of spiders who lived
under the passenger seat on holiday to the
beach and still be back home in time for
dinner, or whenever I was called to come
inside. It was later sold to someone who
had bigger plans for it and I guess it was
time for me to grow up anyway.
Later on in life I developed a love for
France. I've never been to France but I was
certain it was just like in the books and
movies. Beautiful cities, full of beautiful old
buildings, inhabited by beautiful people
drinking coffee at a street cafe, listening to
a man playing the accordion. Of course this
was a fantasy but it didn't matter. My love of
the French way combined with my lifelong
love of the car. A car was good but a car
with a double chevron or a diamond on the
front was better.
This was a notion I carried along with me
ever since. I wanted a Citroën 2CV more
than anything, I still do and moving to
England meant acquiring one would
actually be possible. Trying to get into a
2CV however, what with me not being a
magnificent physical specimen, would
surely only result in the little French car
slipping out from under me like a oversized
hamburger patty slipping out of a bun. It
was probably not the best choice for a first
car.
Due to my working from home for some
time and making use of my parents’ and
public transport to get where I wanted to go
meant I started driving rather later than
usual. Of course getting a license meant I
needed my own wheels to practise in.
Deciding on a Renault 5 came naturally and
within days of starting my search, I came
across a nice example advertised on eBay.
Described as being in "almost mint
condition" with only 23 thousand miles on
the clock.
I've never experienced problems buying £3
FLY LIKE THE WIND MY LITTLE SUPERCINQ
45
REINARD KROHN
ME AND MY RENAULT
down in the rev range, the engine
rarely needs to be strained. Renault
made big claims for fuel economy
and, although the 5 can be driven in
an economical fashion, one tends to
disregard this simply because of the
car's inviting character. Like a small
dog, straining at the leash at
roundabouts, waiting to pounce
when a gap is available, while
cornering is dealt with a good deal of
body lean, which only adds to the
amusement. The steering is nicely
weighted and the gear change, while
a tad long in throw, is slick once
warmed up. Cruising down country
lanes is made easier by a sweet
spot at 60mph in fifth gear, where
the engine quietens down. It wakes
up again as you push towards 70
and beyond.
DVD's from the internet, so I had no reason
to doubt the seller. At least that's what I told
myself right up to the moment the auction
ended. I won the bid for what scientists
would call "way too much" but it didn't
matter, I got a car: even better, I got a
Renault 5.
Of course I still needed to go see it. This
meant getting up at oh crikey o'clock in the
morning and take a train to Staffordshire
and drive the car back home. It only really
dawned on me the next day what I have
done and for a while I had a whiff of
déjà vu, the memories of my dad's
yellow R5 came flooding back. It
was certainly surreal to think how
much I loved it and now I had one
of my own.
that performance is surprisingly tolerable.
The little pushrod engine is not exactly
smooth and neither is it what one would call
especially quiet but with enough torque low
The 5 has been part of the family for
almost two years now. In that time, it has
received a few cosmetic add-ons, wheels,
bumper stripes, rear spoiler, sports steering
wheel, etc. It has also loosened up
considerably, due to more frequent use.
The 5 is finally set free, I enjoy driving it as
much as it enjoys being driven. The Renault
5 hasn't changed much over the years and
neither has my affection for it. I'm still that
same boy who drove his dad's car in the
back yard all those years ago. Maybe I
haven't grown up after all.
My car is actually a second
generation R5, the so called
Superfive and super it most
certainly is. From the outside the
family resemblance is very much
evident. Small but perfectly formed,
it exudes a charm that makes you
smile whenever you look at it.
After passing my driving test, I
could enjoy the 5's pleasures on a
whole new level. Driving it is an
absolute blast.
While 60bhp is not a lot of power,
the light weight of the car means
46
CLASSIC EVENTS
D
uring my researches into Renault
750 drivers and their cars during
the 'Fifties and 'Sixties on the
British motorsport scene, two
names cropped up regularly - Rex Neate
and Bill Fursdon They were sometimes
opponents and sometimes companions and
they often collected silverware either
individually or as a team. Rex ran a garage
on the outskirts of Southampton, where he
represented the Renault and Riley makes
and Bill ran a Renault garage in Newton
Abbot. On this occasion, the duo's
experiences during the above-mentioned
long distance challenge are revealed
through the pages of a road book, which
they kept and which I have 'translated' into
the following story. I am greatly indebted to
Rex' son, Philip, for allowing me a sight of
the original document, written up in a child's
lined exercise book! At that time Renault
Limited must have been impressed by the
seriousness of Rex' business on their
behalf and by his trustworthiness and so, in
order for him to undertake this challenge,
the company was prepared to lend to the
pair the company's Renault 750
demonstrator, which bore the registration
number 70 DMG (''70 Does Me Good' as
Rex nicknamed the car) and which had
been reviewed in road tests by the leading
British motoring magazines of the time. So,
dig out your road atlas (none of this satellite
navigation nonsense, please!), sit back, get
comfortable and remember (or imagine!)
the roads of Britain more than fifty-five
years ago.
On the 18th of May 1955, at ten o'clock in
the morning, under a bright sun and with a
light cross wind, Bill steered the little
Renault to start the adventure. The
speedometer read '8808 miles' and the car
was signed off (with the logbook stamped
accordingly) by Mr. Z. Nicholas from the
First & Last Garage, Sennen Cove, Land's
End. At Penzance, the team stopped for
approximately one minute's publicity and
then, continuing to Redruth, a strong cross
LEJOG AND JOGLE, MAY 1955
HECTOR MACKENZIE-WINTLE
wind blew up. The import of the changes in
the meteorological conditions has some
significance, because la Régie's 'flea' was a
light car, which had to work harder in head
winds and (as anyone who has driven such
a car will confirm) cross winds can cause it
to wriggle all over the road. During the first
hour, the car averaged 34.7mph but, at 54
miles, the team had to slow down, due to
two other vehicles having been involved in
a low speed, head-on collision. By the two
hour mark, the car had covered 72 miles
(thus averaging 36mph), although, by now,
showers had been experienced. No other
car had overtaken the 750 until the 87 miles
mark and, at 94 miles, they came across
their first compatriot, a 1952 model.
Nowadays, it is very unusual for one to
cover ten miles without having used up the
fingers on both hands to count approaching
Renaults! After three hours, the car had
covered 109 miles and, at the 124 miles
mark, whilst stationary at traffic lights, the
team spotted a second sister model of 1951
vintage. Six miles later, they were held up
for two minutes by second accident, which
involved a motorcycle and four miles further
on, they spotted a 1953 750. By the fourth
hour, traffic density had increased
noticeably, although the car had been
overtaken by only two other vehicles and
the Renault had covered 143 miles, giving
an average of nearly 36mph.
At 14.30, the pair reached Taunton and
stopped for 12 minutes at W.G. Cauney's
establishment for lunch and, after five hours
(15.00), the car had covered 165 miles,
averaging around 33mph. A quarter of an
hour later, the team reached Highbridge in a
snow storm (!) and, fifteen minutes later, a
Humber Super Snipe overtook the car, as it
struggled uphill. Bristol (at 199 miles
covered, giving roughly the same average)
was reached at 16.00 and the crew was
interviewed by BBC for its programme
'Sport in the West', which was due to be
broadcast on the following Saturday (21st
May) and which interview delayed them for
19 minutes. At 16.30, the car was refuelled
at Filton, during a heavy snow shower,
which whitened the windscreen of the
stationary car, and, by then, the wind had
veered round to be head-on. By 16.45, the
car had been overtaken by a Morris Oxford,
a Hillman Minx and a Jaguar Mark VIII and
the crew noted a large increase in the
volume of traffic, particularly of heavy
commercial vehicles. By 17.00, the Renault
had reached Gloucester, where it
encountered
stop/start,
stop/start
congestion, which dropped the average
speed well behind schedule. On the other
hand, a beautiful evening developed and, at
238 miles, a Vauxhall Velox went by. The
navigator (Rex) noted that several double
bend signs were incorrect, as they indicated
right hand turns, when the deviations
actually started to go to the left - there
speaks a rally expert! At 17.50, an Austin
A50 and a hard-charging Ford Popular
overtook the Renault and our determined
duo hung on tenaciously. At the 250 miles
mark, during the Tewkesbury to Worcester
stretch, the afore-mentioned A50 skidded
and the Ford 'Pop' had to take evasive
action onto the grassy verge-side. Rex
noted dryly 'so much for fast motoring in
unsuitable motors...!' By six o'clock at 254
miles, the Renault was averaging 32mph
and there was a heavy rainstorm blowing
off the Malvern Hills with a wind speed of
around 30mph. Ten minutes later, the crew
encountered another 1954 750 and, at the
half hour, another identical example, just
after an Austin A70 had overtaken them.
The car reached Kidderminster at 18.45
and the logbook was stamped (at 276
miles) by Broadwaters Garage, where the
car was stopped for a quarter of an hour.
At 19.00, the car started off again, with Rex
at the wheel and, at 286 miles, for the
eighth time, it was overtaken - by another
Humber Super Snipe. The traffic had
dwindled to be very light and Bill recorded
that it was a pleasure to be on the road. By
20.00, the car had clocked up 313 miles,
giving an average of over 31mph; at 325
miles, it was passed three times in quick
succession by other cars, including a
Jaguar Mark VII, and, ten miles later, a
Sunbeam (Alpine?) went by. Along the
Whitchurch - Chester A41, groups of lorries
were driving very close together, of which
practice Bill disapproved, because it made
one-vehicle-at-a-time overtaking virtually
impossible. The 340 miles mark was
passed at 20.45 and the wind had dropped
to approximately 10mph; four miles later, a
Ford Anglia overtook the Renault. At 21.00,
somewhere past Chester, 351 miles had
been covered, the running average still
hovering around the 31mph mark. When
the car reached Birkenhead, the crew
swapped places at 359 miles and put on the
LEJOG AND JOGLE, MAY 1955
47
CLASSIC EVENTS
lights (21.15); five mints later, Rex recorded
their arrival at Queensferry (361 miles). In
Liverpool, a Ford 10 crawled at 20mph into
the main road in the path of the Renault,
which was a bit of a shock for the crew,
and, shortly afterwards, whilst travelling at
the 30mph limit, a Ford Prefect sailed
unconcernedly by. Rex also noted a
Standard Vanguard van with only one of its
side lights aglow. In Preston, none of the
road signs were illuminated and, at 22.20,
between Preston and Lancaster on the A6,
they experienced very heavy showers,
which, combined with heavy traffic,
rendered their progress disappointing. As
he continued at the wheel, Bill drank some
coffee and demolished an egg sandwich,
which greatly cheered him. By 23.00, the
car had just left Lancaster (mileage 418 =
32mph average) and, by 23.15, the traffic
had become much lighter and 'the transport
boys' clogged up the lay-bys. Kendal was
praised for its excellent street lighting. 'If in
trouble, ring up Dr. Craig' was Rex' next
cryptic note, which must have meant
something important to the crew!
At midnight, having covered 453 miles, the
Renault reached Shap under a starlit sky,
with no fog and 35 miles under its wheels
during the last hour. At a quarter past
midnight, with Rex now at the wheel, the
car crossed Esmont Bridge, the second
ever Bailey bridge and Carlisle was reached
half-an-hour later. At 01.00, the 487 miles
mark came up and, seven minutes later, the
crew stopped at Moss Filling Station,
Todhills, near Carlisle, took on 3.75 gallons
of petrol and had the logbook stamped to
confirm authenticity. By 02.00, 526 miles
had passed under the car's wheels and the
average speed was 37.6mph. The roads
were quite free of traffic at this stage and
the last signs of life were two young girls
walking, arm-in-arm, along the road. Under
a clear sky and a fair northerly wind, no
vehicles were encountered for the next
eighteen miles. At 03.00, with Rex still at
the wheel, 565 miles came up and he had
covered 78 miles in the last two hours,
whilst Bill slept and awoke with the dawn
lightening the sky. By 04.00, 601 miles had
gone by and the car passed Stirling, with
the average speed back up to 36mph. Forty
miles and one hour later, the crew came
across sheep in the road and the wind had
freshened and moved round to face the car.
At 05.30, the team reached Glencoe (662
miles) and they stopped for four minutes to
change drivers. There was ice on the water
and, as a beautiful morning unfolded, they
saw snow above the 500 feet mark on the
mountains and observed hooded crows,
wheatears, grouse and seven deer, one of
them in the road.
By 06.00 and after 680 miles, the car
reached Kinloch Leven. Rex took his turn to
sleep and, two hours later, with DMG still
motoring on and 760 miles (significant?)
covered, Loch Ness was reached. Bill had
covered eighty miles during the last two
hours and Rex commented that 'Bill has
obviously been picking daisies!' At 08.20
and after 773 miles, the car stopped for four
minutes at the Delmore Roadhouse &
Filling Station near Inverness (with the
logbook stamped) and took on four gallons
of petrol, before moving on. At 08.40, the
car reached Beauly and, during a two
minutes' stop, a pint of Essolube was
poured into the engine. Rex noted that the
drivers had had to change down less than a
dozen times during the entire run, even
when the car had been baulked by another
vehicle. By 10.00, 829 miles had been
covered and, twenty minutes later (at 841
miles) they reached Golspie, where they
had a 'wonderful stop' but Rex did not
elaborate any further as to why..... The pair
left at 11.00 and, at 12.50 they reached the
John O'Groats Hotel after 913 miles, where
the road book was stamped and signed by
S. Auld.
The crew took a fifteen minutes' break for
coffee and departed at 13.05 with the wind
behind them. By 17.15, having covered 52
miles since they had turned the car round
and during which they spotted another
sister car, they were back at the Delmore
Roadhouse & Filling Station near Inverness.
The car was halted for seven minutes to
change drivers, with the overall average
speed being around 37mph. As they set out
from Delmore, the wind remained slightly in
their favour but the writing in the road book
and the paucity of information recorded
both betray Bill's increasing tiredness,
which belies the (rather spidery) entry 'Both
have had some sleep'. They encountered
light traffic and, by 21.15, they had reached
Stirling (203 miles), where they changed
drivers again. By half-an-hour past
midnight, with the mileage at 308 (from its
northerly stop) but with no further road book
comment, the car once again drew into the
Moss Filling Station at Todhills, Nr. Carlisle
(the road book stamps confirms this) and,
during the six minutes stop, Rex took over
the wheel. Bill must have been very tired,
because he made no entry in the road book
during his following stint in the navigator's
chair.
By 04.20, the team had reached
Queensway, with the mileage at 431, where
they made another driver changeover
during a three minutes' stop but Rex had
stomach pains. Henceforward, the road
book entries become very brief but whether
this was due to Rex' discomfort or the
crew's general fatigue, is not clear. An hour
later, 466 miles had been covered and the
weather had turned very wet. With 519
miles showing on the speedometer, the
crew were delayed for ten minutes' as they
waited for Willis's Garage in Moreton
Valence (Glos) to open but the road book
bears the necessary authentication stamp,
countersigned by Mr. W.G. Willis himself.
By 08.40, with the mileage at 566, the pair
took a six minutes' stop and at 14.40, with
no further road book comments during the
next 200 miles, there was a change of
driver, which took two minutes. At 15.40 on
the twentieth of May in 1955 and with a total
of 10602 miles on the speedometer, 70
DMG drove into the First & Last Garage,
Sennen for the road book to be stamped by
Mr. Nicholas and he duly obliged. There is
no indication of how quickly our intrepid
heroes fell asleep.....
A total of 1794 miles in 53 hours and 40
minutes! An average of over 33mph! Nearly
57 years ago! All on 747ccs! Not bad for a
little 'un!
Plucky Little Renault. “Seventy Does Me
Good”.
Well done Rex and Bill!
48
HERITAGE
The Renault-Nissan Alliance continues to
be a major focus for Renault, because the
first step in the Japanese company's
recovery plan has been achieved and the
second step is about to commence. This
comprises a long-term programme to avoid
a direct merger of the two companies on the
one hand and, on another, to ensure an
ever more efficient co-operation between
the two partners, through defining a joint
strategy to maximise the co-operation. The
implementation of these projects will be
achieved through a new 50/50
Renault/Nissan holding company, RenaultNissan BV, which is incorporated in Holland
and the location allows it to be considered
neutral, neither French nor Japanese.
The new organisation is run by an eight
member board of directors, which replaces
the GAC ( Global Alliance Committee), the
initial organisation set up to oversee the
progress of the alliance. The first directors
are L. Schweitzer, C. Ghosn, P.A. de
Smedt, G. Douin, Ph. Hinfray, N.
Matsumura, N. Okubo and T.Takahashi four from each of the two partners. In order
to implement this new co-operation, a
series of teams are founded; thirteen Cross
Company Teams will define every cooperative project; nine Functional Task
Teams will be in charge of organising
synergies between Renault and Nissan in
non industrial fields and two existing
subsidiaries will continue as before - the
Renault-Nissan Purchasing Organisation
(RNPO) and Renault-Nissan Information
Organisation (RNIO), which will be replaced
by Renault-Nissan Information Services
(RNIS).
As far as the shareholding and financial
matters are concerned, in March Renault
ups its stake in Nissan from 36.8% to
44.4% through subscribing to Nissan's new
share issue, which costs E1.89 billion,
wherein the State's stake is reduced from
44.2% to 38%. Later in the same month and
further to an agreement already signed
RENAULT 10 YEARS AGO
between the partners in October last year,
Nissan takes a 13.5% stake in Renault's
capital (value E1.904m), which stake costs
E50.39 per share and Nissan thereby gains
voting rights as a shareholder in Renault.
Renault's capital structure is now 52.2% in
public hands (giving 64.1% of the voting
rights), 25.9% in the state's hands (giving
31.8% of the voting rights), 3.3% in the
hands of Renault's staff (giving 4.1% of the
voting rights), 15% In the hands of Nissan
and 3.6% in the hands of the Renault
company itself.
The group's revenue is almost unchanged
(E36,336m this year v. E36,351m for 2001)
and the operating margin is E1,483m, which
represents a return of 4.1% on revenue.
Investment-wise, Renault spends E2,477m
or 6.8% of revenue and the net profit for this
year is E1.956m. At the close of business
on 31 December, the market value of a
single Renault share is E44.78, each having
peaked at E57.45 and having fallen as low
as E34,60 at various times during the year.
Consequent upon this, on the stated date,
Renault's value on the stock market is
estimated to be E12.8 billion.
Total group production is 2,343,954
vehicles, of which 2,048,249 are cars and
278,887 are commercials and these are
split up as follows : 1,903,666 cars and
265,945 commercial vehicles, giving a total
of 2,169,612 units are from Renault; 44,435
cars and 12,943 commercial vehicles,
giving a total of 57,377 units, are from
Dacia and 116,965 cars are from RSM
(Renault Samsung Motors), which still does
not manufacture any commercial vehicle. Of
Renault's total, 1,344,847 vehicles (in all)
are manufactured in France; overseas
production totals 99,107 vehicles. Renault
offers the Twingo (production now tops two
million units, since its launch in April 1993),
the Clio and its saloon counterpart, the
Symbol and the car version of Kangoo (the
passenger and utility versions of this vehicle
top one million, since its October 1997
launch), in the B (or A - B) market segment;
the Mégane (hatch, saloon and estate the
manufacture of this latter at the Oyak
Renault plant at Bursa [Turkey] has now
passed the 150,000 mark) and Scénic in
the M1 (or C) market segment; the Laguna
II (hatch and estate, which pass the half
million mark since launch) in the M2 (or D)
market segment; the Vel Satis in the H (or
E) market segment and the Avantime, the
Espace IV and the Grand Espace IV in the
S market segment. As far as utility vehicles
are concerned, Renault offers the Kangoo
(van), the Trafic, the Master and the
Mascott, as well as the Renault and the
Mack trucks, which latter two are now Volvo
AB group vehicles, in which company
Renault is the largest single shareholder.
Dacia's range composes the 1310 Berlina
(saloon), estate and pick-ups (including a
double cab), which are basically up-rated
Renault 12 vehicles, plus the Nova and
Super Nova range and RSM starts to
manufacture the medium-sized, Nissanbased SM3 saloon, whilst continuing with
the (original) upmarket SM5 saloon.
Renault Group's workforce is now 132,351
and, with its increasing internationalisation
and consequent change in size,
modifications in management structures
have to be addressed. 4,500 additional staff
are recruited world-wide, of which 1,300 are
at Renault and, of the total, 75% are
automobile industry specialists. In keeping
with a modern organisation, employment
applications may be submitted via a
dedicated site on the internet and, in an
effort to address the looming problem of an
increasingly aged work force, Renault
agrees 1,373 early retirement applications.
During the year, the Foundation Renault
trains over 120 students and an average
bonus of E149.75 is paid to each employee,
based on Renault's trading results.
Suggestions to improve working methods in
one way or another average 5.3 per
employee and these ideas save Renault a
total of E57.3m..
Renault attacks the market with new
models and improved specifications for
existing models. The former include the
replacement of the Espace III (a limited
edition of which was offered as a 'The Race'
49
HERITAGE
allows RSM to sell into new market
segments.
edition) and its Grand Espace sister with a
fourth (and considerably changed) iteration,
which includes steel bodywork (as opposed
to the composite-over-steel-skeleton
configuration of all the earlier versions) and
an enormous glazed area (7.42 sq. metres
of windows and 2.16 sq. metres of sliding
roof). The two models can be purchased
with either a 3-litre dCi V6 or 2.2-litre dCi
straight four diesel or either a four-cylinder
2-litre or a 2-litre turbocharged petrol
engine. Transmission is either a six-speed
manual or a five-speed semi-automatic unit
and there is a new generation ignition card.
The 'Grand' version seats seven people but
it is only 20cms longer overall than its
smaller sister and all models have bi-xenon
headlights. Mégane II is of innovative
design and is launched in three-door
(coupé) and five-door configurations, with
the notable characteristics of xenon
headlamps with automatic beam level
trimming and a somewhat controversial 'U'
lever handbrake between the front seats.
Like its productionised Vel Satis sister,
Mégane II, which takes certain styling cues
from the original Vel Satis concept car of
1998, wins five stars for safety in the Euro
NCAP crash tests. A 'Jean Ragnotti' limited
edition of the Renaultsport Clio 172 and an
Extreme version of the standard Clio 2 are
launched. Twingo 1 is revamped with a new
'Collection' range and a 'Proactive' gearshift
is offered on Laguna II. Avantime can also
be supplied with this gear change
mechanism and new engines for this model
include either a four cylinder, turbocharged,
165bhp two litre petrol unit or four cylinder,
150bhp dCi diesel propulsion. Trafic is
offered with bodywork in two lengths and
two heights and 2.5-litre dCi power. Second
generation 'Carminat' navigation systems
are now available. Dacia updates its Super
Nova with a Campus version and offers its
12-based pick-up and double cab
commercials with a 1.9-litre diesel engine
option. In Korea, the launch of the SM3
Neither does Renault skimp on research
and development, on which it spends
E1,765m (or 5.1% of revenue), whilst
adding 300 staff to this area of the
business. Further, R & D applies for 450
patents during the year. The design side of
the business is also active and the genes
common to Avantime and Vel Satis (notably
the concept car version of 1998) can also
be found in the two new Espace IVs. The
team has defined the architecture for
Mégane II's 'C' platform and pushed the
concept of 'touch design' into production for
the first time. Patrick Le Quement's design
team has also created Ellypse, a concept
car, which previews tomorrow's city car with
such thought-provoking characteristics as
asymmetrical doors, glass roof, touch
design interior and dual propulsion (dCi
motor and electricity). Clearly, the company
is putting a major effort behind the second
iteration of Mégane, for, utilising the
Alliance's new 'C 'platform for the first time,
it plans to offer six new models to be
released within ten months, the seven
different versions of the model, with seven
different bodies being manufactured at
three different factories (Douai [France],
Palencia [Spain] and Bursa [Turkey]), for
which Nissan will manufacture all the
opening panels. The total vehicle sales
target for this range is set at 5.5m vehicles
over its lifespan.
Renault's world wide manufacturing sites
have mixed fortunes. Owing to the financial
troubles in South America, Renault has to
slow production in Argentina and, hoping
that circumstances will return revert to
normality in the foreseeable future, the
factory's staff are retained on the same
wages. Renault's Brazilian facility is forced
to cut production from 325 to 275 units per
day, 140 employees take voluntary
redundancy and assembly of Nissan's
Frontier light truck partly compensates for
the slow down. On the other hand, Nissan's
Mexican plant starts to manufacture Clio
and Clio Symbol (the saloon derivative, also
sold in other markets as either Thalia or
Classic) under the Nissan Platina name. In
fact, the saloon version is very successful
outside the EEC (notably in PECO, North
Africa and Mercosur) and, as Renault
returns to Algeria, this three-boxer helps the
company to achieve a 28% penetration in
its first year back in that market. RSM's
Busan plant increases its production rate
from 40 units per hour (2001) to 60, and,
whilst Flins is celebrating its 50th
anniversary in France,
Dacia has its stamping
tooling updated at Pitesti to
prepare for the big push to
cope with the planned
launch of the inexpensive
Logan
saloon.
The
Sandouville production
lines are significantly
modified, so that the same
work
stations
can
accommodate
the
assembly of (approximately
80%) of the new, steel
bodied Espace IV (which is
the third component in the
M2/S
programme)
alongside either the
Laguna II or the Vel Satis,
which maximises those
lines'
manufacturing
potential. With the phasing out of Espace
III, Matra's Romorantin plant is turned over
exclusively to Avantime manufacture.
Taking advantage of Nissan's existing cooperation with Iran Khodro and SAIPA,
Renault starts parallel negotiations with
these state-owned organisations for the
manufacture of the forthcoming Logan on
the Iranian production lines.
Back in Europe, the 'new distribution'
50
HERITAGE
project, launched in 1998, is still a positive
force, with over 50% of cars made
to order, although the target of
'order, manufacture and delivery
within 15 calendar days' has had to
be modified to 'within 15 working
days'. On 01 March, the 'losange'
warranty is launched in ten EEC
countries. Renault's market share in
Western Europe (including France)
is 11.3% (cars) and 10.7%
(commercials), so it retains its
combined market European lead,
with Volkswagen as runner up
(10%). Within the EU, Renault has
117 subsidiaries and branches (63
in France alone) plus 1,768 dealerships
(334 in France) plus 9,,046 agents (5,350 in
France), these giving an overall total of
Renault outlets throughout the area of
10,931 (of which 5,747 are in France).
Renault Credit International Bank, which is
responsible for international financing,
changes its name to RCI-Banque and DIAC
(founded on 30 October 1924) remains a
trademark of this subsidiary. Corporate
image-wise, Vel Satis is the official car at
the Paris Film Festival and, in addition, a
fleet on 85 of these vehicles celebrates
Renault's 20th anniversary partnership with
the Cannes Film Festival. On the other
hand, the partnership with Euro Disney
lapses.
On the motor sport scene, the renowned
Schlesser Buggy is renamed the Kangoo
Buggy and it is fitted with a 200hp 1.9 dCi
power unit. Renault continues to support
the lower echelons of competition vehicles,
such as Formula Renault, Clio RS Cups
and Clio V6 Trophy racing, as well as
running its own (ex-Benetton) Formula 1
team, which progresses slowly towards the
top. The new Renault R202 is 100%
Renault and the RS22 V10 engine is more
competitive.
It is built at the Viry-Chatillon engine plant,
which is under Jean-Jacques His'
management, whilst the UK chassis plant at
Enstone is managed by Mike Gascoygne.
Team boss, Patrick Faure, states that 2005
will be the year when Renault will challenge
for the top honours in Formula 1 and the
Mild Seven Renault F1 Team (with drivers
Jenson Button and Jarno Trulli, plus test
driver Fernando Alonso) finish fourth in the
Manufacturers' World Championship (it was
seventh last year).
"Five centuries of French culinary art" takes
place at the BNF (Paris). In the
scientific field, the virulent SARS
influenza epidemic breaks out and
the Galileo European space
programme is launched.
Matra cannot survive on Avantime alone,
yet the company abandons its Project M72
(a sports car) for lack of external support
and it has to consider the possibility of
selling its automotive business. Fiat are
also in dire straits and it is seeking a
mutually beneficial tie-up with another major
motor manufacturer. Rule 1400/2002 issued
from Brussels grants greater independence
to vehicle dealerships by prohibiting
exclusive and selective sales. Noise
emission targets continue to fall - from 82
dB (1970), through 80 dB (1977), 77 (1984),
74 (1995) to 71 in 2004 and a 3 dB
reduction corresponds to Vel Satis' noise
decrease in two years (to 71dB). The
Mondiale de l'Automobile (Paris Motor
Show) greets 1.447m visitors and 1,353
cities in 37 European countries undertake a
'carless day' for the fifth consecutive year.
Two years' warranty on parts and labour
becomes the standard for cars in Europe
and the COTY is Peugeot's 307, with the
Renault Laguna II as runner up.
Culturally, the cinema honours Costa
Gavras' "Amen" and Roman Polanski's
"The Pianist", whilst the
best book is Pascal
Quignard's "Les ombres
errantes" in a year, which
celebrates
the
bicentenary of Victor
Hugo's birth as well as
the launch of the first free
newspapers. The Manet
& Velazquez exhibition
"La manière espagnole
au XIXe" is seen at the
Quai d'Orsay (Paris) and
at the Metropolitan
Museum (New York) and
Notable contemporary events in
France see the Right-wing National
Front party reach the second stage of
the presidential election but Jacques
Chirac is the final winner. On the
European scene, the big event is the
launch of the single currency within
the ECC, the Euro. The ban on
British meat exports to Europe is
lifted, the Stability Pact is softened and
Gerhard Schröder (SPD) is re-elected as
the German Chancellor. On the
international scene, the Americans begin
military operations in Afghanistan, political
tensions escalate in the Ivory Coast, open
warfare erupts between Arafat and Sharon
in the Middle East, Lula da Silva is elected
president of Brazil, there is heated
international debate on the necessity of
intervention in Iraq and Jimmy Carter
receives the Nobel Peace Prize.
There is a difference of opinion between the
USA and Europe as to how to deal with
international terrorism and a horrific terrorist
incident in Bali claims the lives of many
innocent Australians enjoying their holidays
there. Intent on publicising their cause, a
group of fanatical Chechen rebels take
many Russians hostage in a Moscow
cinema before blowing up themselves and
some of their victims.
This was Renault in 2002. (This information
is collated from literature to be found in the
Renault Owners' Club's archives)
THE ENIGMATIC GENIUS - CHAPTER 3
51
WITH GREATEST THANKS TO THE RENAULT-FRERES
HERITAGE
I
n October 1906 the French government
made Louis Renault a ‘Chevalier de la
Légion d’Honneur’ in recognition of his
automobile
manufacturing
achievements.
A few years later Fernand’s health started
to deteriorate and got rapidly worse as time
progressed. By 1907 it became apparent to
Louis that his brother was going to die and
so remembering the Suzanne Davenay
affair he decided to take prompt action to
prevent Fernand’s shares passing into the
wrong hands. At the time Fernand was
married with three children but Louis visited
him, on his sickbed and spun him a similar
story about the firm not being worth much,
increasing cost of upkeep and not much in
the till. He was prepared, he said, to buy
Fernand’s shares at a fair but low price
which would allow him to move to the
Riviera for the sake of his health. Fernand
turned this down causing Louis to increase
his offer whilst reminding his brother that
he, Louis was now in sole charge of the
firm, as a result of Fernand’s illness and it
was surely right, therefore, that he should
own it.
Fernand was too ill to put up much of a fight
and anyway, as he explained later to his
wife, he had a secret opinion that Louis had
earned the right to the company because it
was he who was really responsible for the
rise of Billancourt. He capitulated therefore
and Louis became sole owner of Renault
Frères.
A few months later, in 1908 Fernand
Renault died and Louis promptly changed
the name of the company to ‘La Société
Louis Renault’. Henceforth, he
alone undertook the governing of
his empire.
Louis Renault could be extremely
stubborn as well as crafty and
could display a certain amount of
caution. He was unwilling to
change something he considered
satisfactory merely for the sake
of fashion and being in sole
charge of his empire his word
was law. The evolution of Renault
chassis
and
cooling
arrangements nicely illustrates
this - amidst a general swing
towards pressed steel chassis
Renault remained loyal to tubular frame
until 1903 when the cars built for the ParisMadrid race, the Type O had pressed steel
chassis. However, pressed steel chassis
were not adopted for production cars until
the 1905 range was exhibited at the Paris
Motor Show in December 1904.
Significantly the Renaults for 1905 had a
single radiator mounted transversely behind
the engine as opposed to having two
radiators mounted one on either side of the
bonnet. Some years later when the
exposed rear mounted radiator severely
handicapped efforts to give the Renault
range up-to-date body styles Renault
argued that this layout functioned perfectly
well and was as much an identifying feature
as the radiator of a Rolls-Royce. When after
prolonged argument, Renault relented he
insisted that the ‘Coal-scuttle’ bonnet was
retained - with louvres or a grill in the
forward face to permit air to reach the frontmounted radiator!
It should perhaps be remarked that as well
as having a knack of knowing what the
public wanted, he was noted also as being
a rather mean man. One may conjecture
that his apparent conservatism and
resistance to what he claimed were
unjustified changes may well have been just
a cover for this mean streak and reluctance
to pay royalties for other people’s patents. It
seems likely that he frequently resisted the
technical fashionable updating of his
designs in order to avoid paying other
designers and manufacturers patent
royalties. By contrast, on his annual visits to
the Paris Motor Shows he could be
observed by all the world to painstakingly
paw over every other manufacturers
products scribbling notes in his pocket-book
as he went along.
Initially his own sales staff thought he was
seeking to benefit from other people’s new
ideas but the reality was much more
mundane. Immediately on his return to
Billancourt he set his company lawyers on
to every manufacturer he believed to have
infringed one of his own patents. He
claimed and won through the courts huge
sums of money in back royalties and yet
hardly paid a penny to any other car
designer. For his own part, in the 1920’s, he
set up a patent office at Billancourt and his
staff policed 900 of his patents. I read
somewhere in one biography of Louis
Renault that in the inter-war years
he once visited an English aircraft
company to see its latest advanced
engine design. On his return to
Billancourt he got his staff to copy
the design drawings the company
had given him of this engine and
went on to produce it without ever
paying any royalties. Once he was
finally persuaded by his staff that he
had to incorporate some new
significant technical innovation into
his range of cars to keep them upto-date he would invariably alter the
original designer’s specification just
sufficiently to avoid the need to pay
the original designer any royalties.
52
LINKS
I
AROUND THE CLUBS
n order for this edition of RENOTES to
be available from our Club stand at this
year's November NEC Classic Car
Show, the editor's deadline for the
fourth issue of this year's magazine has
been brought forward accordingly and this
means that the usual period, during which
we receive magazines for review from other
Renault clubs, is necessarily foreshortened.
But, never fear! We are on the case and we
will not allow any of these interesting
newsletters on Renaultiana escape our
eagle eye!
Renaults to support a solus club and so the
local Renault enthusiasts are drawn to a
motor club, which also caters for Peugeots
and Citroëns. Unsurprisingly, the magazine
is not top-heavy with Renault matters,
although there is a nice photograph of a
750 alongside an Alpine A-110 berlinette, a
Floride and a Dauphine at the 2008(!)
French Car Day in Perth (Western
Australia), a short appreciation of the
Renaultsport Mégane 250 and the fourth
instalment of the history of a 750's
resurrection by acting editor Jeff MacGuire.
The classifieds include (a) a
going 1960 Dauphine (in grey)
and (b) two 750s (1 x 1955 + 1
x 1961), which have been drystored for many years but need
re-commissioning
and
repainting. We are pleased to
note that the ROC website is
mentioned inter alia as being of
possible interest for CAF
members
to
visit. The
favourable terms for tourists to
lease a Renault when they are
holidaying in France is also
highlighted and an official
Renault advertisement (with the
local dealers' names) for
Fluence and Mégane adorns
the back cover. If
further copies of this
magazine come to
hand in due course,
we will include them in
this section. Thanks
for your co-operation,
Tasmanian Trev!
In our enthusiasm for the link-up, which we
have now achieved with the Renault Car
Club of Australia Inc., whereby we have
access to that club's regular magazine, 'The
Hub', we completely overlooked a copy of
another magazine, which falls indirectly
within the ambit of our review and which
was sent to us a little while ago by Clubman
Trevor Wise (Yes, it's him again! How he
ever finds a moment to spare from his
enthusiasm for Renaults to give his longsuffering wife, Deirdre, a peck on the cheek,
we will never know! Only joking, Trev!)
Voilà! The French Connection (Vol.24,
No.4, April 2012), which is the magazine of
the Club Automobile Français, which runs
out of Campbelltown in South Australia. In
that neck of the woods, there are too few
A copy of Renault Frères' Direct
Drive (Summer 2012) has come
into our hands and it is fronted by
a red, American super-restored
1912 Type CE, similar to the one,
which went down with the 'Titanic'
(Alasdair's article on that disaster
also appears in this edition) and
the back cover shows an 'as
found' 1912 Type CB, belonging to
(Australian) club member, Darryl
Grey, who is restoring the same
(nicknamed 'Gérard') and who
writes about the project amongst
this edition's pages. There is a
report on the club's 28th AGM
(including the relevant accounts)
and the second (illustrated)
chapter of 'In praise of Louis Renault'
adorns a further six pages. The second part
of 'Coachwork through the ages' precedes
the (ever interesting) Marché des voitures
('Classifieds' to mere mortals!) and this
edition closes with a welcome to new
members, a list of the club's officers and a
'Dates for your diary' spot. Another living
testimony to the continuing enthusiasm for
Louis' great works and much appreciated
by your reviewer. Vive Renault!
The August 2101 edition of La
Renaultsance from our friends, the Renault
Car Club of South Island/New Zealand
opens with the President's report and an
outline of the Coming Events, followed by
an advert for James Polden's Clio Sport
172. Has this little beast's starting problems
(see John Hart's recent RENOTES' article
on his visit to the Polden family) finally got
to James or is he hatching some dastardly
plot to add another classic Renault to his
stable??!!! Keep your eyes skinned,
Catherine but don't be too hard on the poor
lad - he's just got Renaultitis! There is a
reproduction of a recent 'Sunday Times'
article about the place of the car in the
modern psyche and Mark Webber's 'take'
on the situation. Another sudoku precedes
the Autoexpress' revelation of the Clio IV
and this edition closes with that same
magazine's
comments
upon
the
productionising of the Renault Alpine A11050, in the light of CEO Carlos Tavares'
recent remarks. Thank you for your
continuing co-operation, Aotearoan friends!
Ausgabe 2/2012 of Rhombus from our
German friends in Brühl (what a heavy little
tome this 128-page offering is!) arrived in
due time and initially focuses on Renault
enthusiasm throughout the country - the
WSR event, the huge Nürburgring meeting
and others, leading on to the various
requirements incumbent upon tourists in
foreign countries. Next comes the first part
of the history of the 50 years' celebrations
of the Alpine berlinette, followed by a history
of the Renault Espace by Michael Fischer.
Seventy pages of 'Clubszene' allows
twenty-eight of the clubs belonging to
D'ARC to submit reports (often illustrated)
of their activities and these reports include
classic vehicles (AX, Goelette, Estafette,
etc.,), overlooked models (20s and 30 in the
'Renault 20/30 Freunde' and 11s in the
'Renault Freunde Oberhausen', for
example), benchmark models (such as 5
Turbos and 5GT Turbos from the 'Renault 5
Club Lingen' celebrating 40 years of the
Renault 5 at the Techno Classica exhibition)
as well as the very latest Renault (Twizy).
Next up is the classified advertisements, an
evaluation of Renault's half year's worldwide sales (over 1.3 million units), the
German market model programme (Twingo
RS Red Bull, Clio IV, Mégane RS Red Bull,
latest Espace with new front and up-rated
engines) and reports on the Oschersleben
(third) leg of the Renault Formula 2.0
Northern European Cup and on the RS27's
performance in the Formula 1 arena. As
usual, this magazine closes with a listing of
the members of D'ARC and we thank editor,
Andreas Conrad for his continuing cooperation.
Thanks to increased contributions from
members, RCCC’s magazine editor, Fred
Parker, has been able to offer a bumper,
32-page edition of La Renault (Issue
44/October 2012) for the first time since the
club's magazine transmuted into the smaller
A5 format (with Issue 27/July 2008), and,
additionally, he trials a slightly updated front
cover (which, for what it is worth, earns your
reviewer's 'thumbs up'), on the reverse of
which the usual list of club officials and
AROUND THE CLUBS
53
LINKS
registrars and area co-ordinators appears.
A stunning, full page photograph of a (lhd)
4CV (belonging to Warren Marsh) at a
classic car event precedes Fred's 'slot', in
which he comments on the finances of the
magazine, the 'Simply French' event at
Beaulieu and his visit to Retromobile at the
beginning of the year. Also, he gives a
sneak preview of the intended front cover
for Issue 45, which will be the first of his
2013 offerings. Robin Redrup's 750/4CV
column covers that model but also refers to
his attendance at the Duxford Classic Car
Show and the Knebworth event, where he
was surprised by an immaculate Twelve
(owned by a violin professor) and a couple
of Elevens. Four pages of Dave Wheeler's
technical talk tell us about his 1949 R1060,
his 1955 R1062 and his Springbok R1135
Gordini, this latter used at the Étretat hill
climb; thereafter follows Derek Flavell's
recent experiences with Becky's R4 GTL's
cylinder head gasket (his homespun 'cure'
appears to have been so successful that he
has used it on two other 'Noddies'), with his
ongoing restoration of a Six and his
collection of a new (hopefully quiet) fivespeed gearbox for his up-specced Twelve
Estate.
of the forthcoming AGM. Rob Doran relates
his horrendously wet and expensive
Powderham (non) event (hinted at in the
last RENOTES 'Simply French' report) and
thereafter follows David Austin's review of
some of the Renault models available on
today's market. Photographs of an
immaculate Dacia 1300 alongside a white
Twelve and a smart, late (lhd) 4CV
exhibited at the Jersey Jubilee Car Parade
fill the 'Members' Corner'; articles on
ethanol in petrol and on the forthcoming
change in the MOT regulations for older
cars - both via the FBHVC organisation and a profusely illustrated, two-page report
on the 'Simply French' event at Beaulieu (by
Fred Parker) bring this edition to a close.
Thanks to the RCCC for its continuing
exchange of magazines with our own
organisation.
Through the kind co-operation of Bob
Sprague, editor of RCCA's The Hub, we
have been able to download the latest
edition (No.455/September-October 2012)
of that magazine, which is fronted by a
photograph of a traditional, brass 'Renault
Frères' inscribed axle cap. Collier's
Automobile Services Pty Ltd., has its
habitual full page advertisement on the
Mark Stafford offers a four-page profile on
the Renault 4 and this is followed
by a two-page 'for sale' spread on
an immaculate, very late, maroon
Eight S, belonging to James
Lipman, a writer on 'Retro Cars'
magazine; the car's specification The Magazine of the Renault Car Club of Australia Inc.
September–October 2012
is impressive and some of the up - Number 455
ratings have obviously been
achieved in the course of his
magazine work but it is probably
the nicest example of this rare
model to come onto the market in
recent years at a realistic, if steep
price. It will be interesting to learn
to which Renault enthusiast this
vehicle migrates.... The next two
pages are devoted to an amusing
article on a Superfive's successful
participation in the (June) 2012
London-to-Brighton Classic Run
(NOT the so-called 'Old Crocks'
Race'!), after which it became
somehow entangled with the
Naked Bike Ride event (sic!)
taking place on the same day and
(illustrated) reminders of the club's
Renault Car Club of Australia Inc. Established 1951
November NEC participation and
The Hub
www.rcca.org.au
54
LINKS
reverse, facing this edition's title
page/index, which backs onto the traditional
club officers' list. Next up is the list of
forthcoming events (October through
January), the brief comments of club
president, Jason Emmelkamp, a new
members' welcome list and an
advertisement for Renault car leasing in
Europe. Over the page comes Bob's six
pen'orth, in which he mentions that the
Renault Car Club of Victoria have 'a biggie'
coming up next year, so keep your eyes
open for a review of this in one of the 2013
RENOTES! There are other reports from
Ernst Luthi (Social Secretary) and from
Andrew Fifield (Sporting Sub-Committee),
before Dom Robert (Promotions & Publicity)
offers a couple of pages of tasty
photographs of members' cars at
Shannons' Eastern Creek Classic event;
then comes an evaluation of the Mégane
RS 265 and of the RS 265 Trophy (by
courtesy of 'Autonews'), 'An extraordinary
Experience' by Alastair Browne (Club
Secretary), which is all about his experience
as a passenger in a very rapid Lotus at
Wakefield Park, Sonja Luthi's article on the
family's A-110 winning its class in the
Supaloc Targa Adelaide and the editor's
article explaining the significance of the
letters and numbers appearing on cars'
tyres. There is a raft of advertisements and
event details before we come to the club's
financial details as made available at the
AGM; next follows a CRS (conditional
registration scheme) commentary, which
deals with historic vehicles' access to public
roads and compulsory third party insurance,
and, since the RCCA is one of the
recognised clubs, this is one way of being in
a position to 'show' such a vehicle without
the necessity of (the equivalent of) our
Road Fund Licence (where applicable) and
continuous insurance (where necessary).
There follows a very interesting two-page
article about R12 Gordinis in Australia - and
right hookers (from the outset) at that! This
edition runs out with a list of Renault
dealers in New South Wales, a list of
Renault clubs in Australia and of countrywide Renault model registers, a Council of
Motor Clubs events' list (RCCA belongs to
CMC and so RCCA members are therefore
eligible to participate in such events), a
review of the 2012 Formula 1 scene +
calendar, an RCCA membership application
form, a holiday park advertisement and an
official Renault advertisement on the back
AROUND THE CLUBS
cover. Quelle richesse!
Many thanks to our new-found Aussie
friends for this growing co-operation and
long may this amicable association
continue!
It will be a very sad day for us (if and) when
we do not have a single edition of
Renograaf from our Dutch friends, the Club
d'anciennes Renault des Pays Bas, to
review in these columns and, happily, that
day has yet to arrive, for, the other day, we
received No. 203/September 2012, which
is fronted by yet another (full A4 page)
cracking photograph of a fantastically
restored, period fairground organ on the
back of a Renault 1000-kgs flatbed truck,
which
participated
in
the
Renautoloogfestival (see Malcolm Bailey's
report on pages 16 and 17 of RENOTES
Issue 3/September 2012).
The contents include Wim Munsterhuis'
report on the huge (over 600 cars)
International Oldtimer Meeting near Wervik
in West Flanders, in which, amongst others,
two French Renault Floride/Caravelle clubs
and a handful of 4CVs from Belgium
participated; the details of the forthcoming
(Saturday 27 October) Snertrit meeting are
set out by Guus Jonker; Hands van Ieperen
relates his 8500kms expedition to the North
Cape (Russia) in his 1985 Renault 4 (with
250,000kms on the clock already!), in
company with two VW Campers and a
(Series 1) Renault Master van; Stef
Ruijtenbeek offers another instalment on
the life of Louis Renault; Bas van der Ven
suggests that the Renault 25 is almost the
ideal car for vacationing; Jan Parel writes a
second instalment on the restoration of his
Renaults; Alexandra Roctus submits a
photograph of the 1923 KZ camionette
belonging to our Clubman, Stephen Dine
and asks for information, because the car
was originally registered in Holland before
being imported into the UK; Willem &
Jeannet van der Veen report (with excellent
pictures) on their Floride's participation in
the Tour de cara Boucles, organised by the
Floride & Caravelle Club of France (FCCF)
to celebrate 50 years of the Floride; Dave
Vrijaldenhoven spills the beans on the latest
Renault 'finds' all over the countryside
(Frégate, 11, 4L Trophy, Dauphine and
some commercials); Peter Kwisthout
discusses the technicalities of the door
locks fitted to the Juva/Dauphinoise;
Alexandra Roctus reports (with super
photographs) on the very successful
Renautoloogfestival; Peter K has another
slot announcing new bits available in the
club shop; the latest report comes from
FEHAC and the issue closes with a
surprisingly small 'Classified' slot (only two
cars for sale!), events and clubs officers,
with a classic car insurance company
advertisement on the back.
Our usual warm thanks to our Dutch
colleagues for another issue of their super
club magazine showing their continued
enthusiasm for the marque, which we all
love.
F
rankly, this year's event was not
one of Lohéac's finest, because it
featured a lot of rain and a lot of
rain keeps the punters away and
gives one uncomfortably cold tootsies. Yes,
it may have been very hot and sunny last
year but illness forbade my annual
peregrination to arguably France's finest
motor museum, so I don't want to know
about it..... After an unremarkable
Portsmouth - St. Malo night ferry crossing,
the Whiteside équipe (Brian, Des Collins
and myself) arrived at Pete and Angela
Sparrow's around mid morning, in Brian's
flatbed Renault truck, on which reposed a
Gordini blue Renault 8TS. This whitestriped car had been born in Spain (at
FASA), had visited South Africa (it bore a
'South Africa Renault Club' sticker on the
rear screen and wore 'Gauteng' number
plates), where it had probably been
'tweaked' for competition purposes, had
been exported to the UK, where it had
reposed untouched in dry storage for some
time, before it came into Brian's hands, was
recommissioned and UK registered and it
was felt that such an unusual vehicle might
be of more than passing interest to a
Continental enthusiast.
In the damp afternoon, Brian's truck
accompanied Pete's Renault Master van
plus enclosed trailer down to the venue,
together with the Sparrow's seven-seater
Renault Espace 2 and the team, which
included Jim over from Christchurch Tools,
set to work quickly, unloading the blue
bolide, parking the heavies on site and
erecting a series of tents with display
tables within, ready for the autojumble
articles on the morrow. A quick 'tour' of
other traders' tables was undertaken and
a few 'finds' amicably transferred upon the
exchange of the required 'readies', before
we all piled into the Espace and returned
to château Sparrow for an excellent cold
collage and an early(ish) night, in
preparation for a seven o'clock departure
in the morning.
Although it was not actually raining, the
black Clio 197 of owner and Angela's son,
Mike and the loaded Espace set out
through the cold darkness, bound for and
reaching the Lohéac destination without
any problems. We brushed the leaves off
the 8TS and parked the Clio (which was
also for sale) at the front of the stand on
AUTOBROCANTE LOHEAC
55
LOHEAC
the other side. Angela put the kettle on
and we got on with the job of arranging
the stock as directed by Pete, ready for
the punters. Another tour of the by now
more complete stands proved fruitful and
we felt more positive about things by the
time that Joe Public was filing in. Our
stand was on the main drag, next to the
high
profile
Alpine
specialists,
Goudezeune and not far from the Renault
stand (manned by Renault Rennes).
Brian's blue car was attracting much
attention, including the usual sprinkling of
knowalls (but they didn't) and of smart
asses, who pointed out all the car's
(known) faults, despite the fact that the
summary of the car, displayed in the
windscreen, stated clearly that the vehicle
was for restoration. Although the weather
remained overcast, it was not until late in
the afternoon that the first Scotch mist
was felt and, by that time, I had furtled
through most of the boxes of old
magazines and books out in the field and
had made the desired purchases.
Regrettably, I had managed to leave my
digital camera back at home, so I could
not 'snap' some of the very interesting
machinery - especially the Alpine A110s
on the track! - to be found at the event but
Mike came to the rescue with the promise
of a camera loan for tomorrow - brill! As
the visitors drifted away at the end of the
day, we packed up the damp boxes of
models and other merchandise into the
closed trailer and went off to one of our
favourite watering holes to refuel.
It had rained heavily during the night and
the repeat journey Lohéac-wards was
another cold and damp trajectory,
accomplished in the warmth and comfort
of the Espace. But the insides of the tents'
roofs were running with condensation,
which promised regrettably damp goods to
the customers, who filed in later when the
event gates opened. The rain would not
be denied and I was glad of my
wellingtons and umbrella, as I trudged
across the straw-strewn mud to visit the
stallholders for the umpteenth time in the
hope of finding a hidden treasure. 4CVowning friends, Roly and Jill turned up and
helped to man the Sparrow stand. Later,
armed with Mike's promised digital Nikon,
I ventured out into the classic cars park,
despite the miserable conditions. A
collection of Renault Fours and their
derivatives were drawn up on the raised
centre section of the autocross circuit,
amongst which stood a beflowered,
yellow, English registered Four and a
jovial Clubman Brian Hunt! Close by stood
a brace of JP4s, a couple of 5 Rodéo
'Hoggar' specials and a swathe of 'Raid'
prepared Fours. Amongst many other
classic cars, this car park offered
examples of almost every model of
Renault and Alpine ever built - 5,
Superfive GT Turbo and otherwise, 6, 8,
8S, 8 Gordini, 12, 16, 20 and all the rest,
A110 berlinette, A310, GTA Le Mans and
the rest of them. A sight for sore eyes
indeed!
I came back to earth in due course, as the
public dispersed on the early side to avoid
the relentless rain and the stand and its
contents had to be packed away for
another year. Soon the blue car was back
on Brian's rescue truck and the Renault
body panels, which he had bought 'in the
field', were strapped abroad. The Master
and its trailer were loaded with the unsold
merchandise and the four vehicles set out
for Quelnuc, before we met up with Roly
and Jill for a meal at our regular pizzeria,
accompanied by relieved banter and
joking. All too soon, we were trundling
homewards for an early night, with another
Lohéac under our belts. The rain was still
falling in the morning but we ventured out
to do some shopping and to download
onto CD the pictures, which I had taken.
These tasks having been accomplished,
we returned to the Sparrow's house, in
order to avoid the continuing cold weather.
Another delicious meal, thanks to Angela,
was most welcome and preceded a
relaxing afternoon watching TV, surfing
the net and nodding contentedly in an
armchair - real slobs! The next meal was
upon us almost before we had forgotten
the luncheon and we did our worst to
Angela's saumon en croute. Yes, we did
eat and drink rather more than we really
had to.....
The morrow saw the three of us aboard
Brian's R8TS-bearing flatbed truck
trundling contentedly northwards in good
time towards the afternoon Ouistreham Portsmouth ferry. As usual, we were car
spotting along the way to pass the time
but we did not see anything incredibly
interesting.
56
THE BOOK NOOK
E
xceptionally, this review will focus
on publications, which are neither
books (which have a unique ISBN
- International Standard Book
Number) nor continuations (primarily
magazines, which have a unique ISSN International Standard Serial Number applicable to the series' title and individually
identifiable by frequency [daily, weekly,
monthly, quarterly, annual or other]).
Further, such publications are not in a
'normal' paperback format but are just like
'normal' magazines but they are clearly
one-offs, so perhaps we should refer to
them as 'souvenirs'? In an ideal world, each
should probably have its own ISBN,
because it is a unique works but we do not
live in an ideal world and, most important of
all, every one deals exclusively with an
aspect of our favourite marque(s), so they
are worthy of our attention!
The first one is R8 Gordini : Sportive
Française No. 1 (Le livre d'or de la R8
Gordini), an 'Autoflash' magazine,
published recently (no publications date!)
by Presse Parisienne de Publications
(ppp) from a post box number in France's
capital. Editor, Jean-François Louviers has
done a good - but not error-free - job of
assembling a wealth of information about
this legendary car, much of which has
appeared here and there in the French
motoring press over the years. Across
approximately the first third of this
publication's perfect bound 84 pages, the
introduction (at the 1964 Paris Motor
Show for the 1965 millésime) and the
model yearly changes and up-datings of
the R8 Gordini over its six year production
life are laid out; then come ten pages of
the contemporary press' evaluation of the
larger engined version. A short (four page)
AU COIN DU LIVRE
analysis of the first version follows,
including a section, which reveals the way
in which such cars are (mostly
unscrupulously) 'up-specced' to the later
model, thus 'improving' the price and
saleability(!) and which points out some of
the ways to detect such 'crimes'; the next
fourteen pages are devoted to the 1300
version, including its Jour J confrontation
with its R12 Gordini successor. The final
forty pages cover the entirety of the
Coupe Gordini. Good but not necessarily
new, photographic illustrations (both b & w
as well as colour) pepper the work and
there is a special cerise sur le gâteau.
What is believed to be the only time that
Renault (France) used photographs of a
British crew, driving a British-registered
(rhd) Gordini to advertise the prowess of
that model, was when Gordon King (codriven by Graham Marlow) won the
'Autosport' trophy for being the first British
privateer home in 77th position in the
1967 Monte Carlo Rally, driving PGY
777E. That very advertisement adorns the
inside rear cover of this work and Gordon,
who was an ROC member at the time,
wrote of his experiences in that edition of
this famous international rally for
RENOTES! By the way, 'Piggy' is currently
undergoing a complete restoration by an
English enthusiast!
A generous amount of space is devoted to
Amédée Gordini's involvement with the
project and there are commentaries upon
this iconic model from some of the leading
Coupe Gordini participants. A personal
irritation is the way in which editorial text
retrospectively and inaccurately refers to
the power unit on more than one occasion
as the Cléon fonte, when it was, at that
time, the Sierra unit, which later became
known under the former name, after Ford
had 'persuaded' Renault to forego its claim
thereto, so that the round oval could stick
it on the tailgate its forthcoming medium
sized family saloon. However, such trifles
should not deter R8 Gordini enthusiasts
from trying to run a copy to earth but,
unless you happen to be in France and
you can find it on the shelves of the local
newsagent (cover price E6,90), then the
internet is probably the best way to
assuage your lust!
Next comes Supercars - Alpine A110
Berlinette : 50 ans d'une berlinette
inoubliable. Also hailing from the same
stable (ppp) and also having 84 pages but
it is spine stapled this time. Although it
bears no publication date, it must be fairly
recent, because it opens with an
illustrated, two page spread on the 'dream
car' Alpine A100-50. Then follows a
(mostly) two page spread history for each
of the twenty-five years of the 'real'
model's production(!), which contains all
the significant data on every model. It also
offers a seven page 'Intervention rapide'
chapter on the Alpines used by the
Brigades Rapides d'Intervention arm of
the Gendarmerie to catch up with naughty
boys and it includes the BRI's A310/4,
A310/V6, GTA and Matra Djet cars. A
further chapter ('Moteurs') spotlights the
inimitable Renault engine tuner, Marc
Mignotet (in the form of an interview).
There is quite a lot of French text but
much of it is to do with the technical
specifications of various models, which, in
a sense, speaks for itself (and is often
basically repetitive) and there is a plethora
of (b & w and colour) illustrations to delight
the heart of any Alpinist. It is currently
(early October) available on news stands
in France at E5,95 and is probably listed
somewhere on the internet. On the other
hand, HM-W bought a few extra copies
back JIC (just in case), so try contacting
him in the first instance....!
Both of the next publications are from an
(on-going) series of brochures/magazines
published by L'Association des Anciens
d'Alpine and neither is new. However,
hitherto they have not been reviewed in
these columns and they are historically
important in the life and times of the Alpine
undertaking. The first, published on 30
August 2008 and entitled Alpine :
Souvenir jean Rédélé, is a brief homage
to the life of Alpine's founder and boss,
Jean Rédélé (1922 - 2007). It is only a
sixteen page, spine stapled slip of a thing,
put together by the late Heni Gauchet and,
priced at E8. It bears the reference 'AAA
Collection - Alpine Historique Série C 08'
and composes around 40 photographs,
the historical vast majority being in b & w
and each accompanied by a short, simple
caption (in French, of course). It offers a
nostalgic snapshot of the undertaking, its
roots (father, Emile [1884 - 1966] was a
racing mechanic for Renault and his part
in the preparations for the company's cars
to participate in the 1908 Grand Prix at
Dieppe introduced him to the area, where,
after being demobbed after WW1, he set
up a taxi business and, in 1920, a
garage), its development and its
successes. It has no pretensions other
than as a poignant memorial and it costs
E8. Probably it can be obtained via the
internet but it will almost certainly be
available at any significant Alpine event in
France where AAA have a stand....
AU COIN DU LIVRE
57
THE BOOK NOOK
brochure/souvenir of the company's
production during the stated period and it
was published at a cost of E8 by AAA in
2011 in order to celebrate the 40th
anniversary of the Alpine A310. Just over
half the work covers the initial fourcylinder model(s), with a fine page of
colour illustrations of its competition
participation. An exact production
inventory (model-by-model) is included on
the rear cover and there is some sales
brochure reproduction amongst a fine
spread of almost exclusively colour
illustrations offered throughout the work.
Again, there is no 'padding' here - it does
what it says on the packet and, if you
need authoritative information about
A310s, then this is probably the place to
find it. The same 'where do I get hold of a
copy?' comments apply to this souvenir as
Like its above-mentioned sister, AlpineRenault, Av. de Brèauté, Dieppe Fabrication 1971 - 1985
Is an unidentified, 16-page, spine-stapled
to its above-mentioned sister.
Autoretro No.388 for October 2012
[ISSN 0247 - 1469] @ E5,20 Warrants a
second glance when you stumble across it
amongst other second-hand magazines at
an auto jumble, because it contains a fourpage article on the Renault-based JP4 fun
car, which, manufactured to the tune of
nearly two and a half thousand over the
years, has a serious following in the land
of its birth. Unusually, the (Frenchregistered) car is owned by an Italian,
whose Sardinian father was a firm 4 user
'back home', where the JP4 was sold as
'FROG' through the Italian Renault
dealers! There's a lot of French text but
the photos of the black open car are fine
and it's just a thought for the confirmed
Katrellist.....
Dyed-in-the-wool Alpine enthusiasts
should make a note of the September October 2012 edition (No. 236) of Rétro
passion, l'Automobile plaisir [ISSN
1293-6189], which, amongst many other
excellent classic car articles, contains a
cracking eight page review ('Vous avez dit
survireuses?' [You said oversteerers?]) in
its 'Pleins phares' series, on two gorgeous
Alpines, an orange V85 and a metallic
blue 1600S, accompanied by some
mouth-watering photographs. If you can't
find a copy now, then perhaps it may be
worth bearing in mind when you happen
across it, as you sift through old
magazines at some future marché aux
puces on your hols in France, whilst the
other half sips a cooling pastis in the bar
under a protective umbrella and enjoys the
gentle Mediterranean breeze and the
brilliant sunshine through her D & G
designer sunglasses....? More like a half
of bitter in a zipped-up parka in Bolton, did
you say? Charming....
Editors Note.
Hector and I have a little game going each
book review. He does the reviews but to
save posting loads of books I find shots of
them. I have to admit with this set of
books and magazines, I just could not find
two anywhere and two more were only low
resolutions. This would suggest these
ones are well worth collecting as they are
rare already.
58
CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSIFIEDS
MEMBERS AND GUESTS
For Sale
Renault 10 Spares for Sale
Manifold complete with carburettor
Rear light lenses
Front indicators complete
Orange side repeaters
2 Oval headlamps in good condition
4 Headlamp surrounds
6 Hub caps
Oil pump
Rectifier
Radiator fill blanking caps
Complete set ignition cables (new)
1 Bonnet release cable
I Throttle cable
Diaphragm for “push” washers
2 dash switches
1 door lock barrel
Renault 8
1 metal off-side front wing – un-used
2 Front seats, brown, good condition
2 Wheels with Michelin ZX tyres estimated
to be good for 7000 + miles
Water pump in good condition
Brand new hand brake cable
Speedometer
Indicator stalk
Original jack and handle
For sale as a lot or as separate items
Please call Alan Bailey on 01263 512433
after 6 pm for more details.
Fuego GTS
I have a very special Red Fuego GTS for
sale. It is in lovely condition and has had
NO Restoration (unless you include
sealing the windscreen washer bottle). It
won the ROC award in the 2005
Rockingham Show as the best 1980's
example but to be honest I had my eye on
'The Most Original' at this show award. It
is 100% Original. It also featured on the
Sensible Offers only. More pictures on
forum.
Michael Reekie
Renault 4CV and Caravelle
The 4CV and Caravelle are now up for
sale to the highest offer. They have been
valued by a reputable auction house.
Caravelle Contact - Sarah Bunting.
Renault 12 - 1977 - TL Saloon Red
Original paint which is in very good
condition, the interior is in amazing
original condition (black vinyl) with a mint
white undamaged headlining and factory
fresh carpets. it comes with a nice thick
history file with previous mot certs and
service bills, bill of sale etc. good
chromework and an excellent underbody.
full mot and tax until the end of jan 2013.
im looking for £2895 ovno. I can be
contacted on 07779 229504 for further
discussions.
1978 Renault 15GTL for sale.
62000 genuine miles.
Mechanically Sorted and in every day use.
Interior very good except for a little
stitching required to both front seats Some
bubbling around the car in the usual
places,and would benefit from a respray
but is basically sound.
In very presentable condition but needs
the right person to restore to former glory.
Renault 25 TXE AUTO.
Reverse gear is non-operational which is
usually a sign of bearing collapse. For this
reason it cannot be and has not been
driven. It is about an 8 hour job to remove
the gearbox and the work on top which for
the owner makes it unviable. Sheffield
based.
2 x Renault 25s 1 Auto, 1 Manual
converted from Auto.
The Auto is definitely a spares car but the
Manual looks fairly tidy but is high
mileage. Barnsley Based
Renault 11 Boston 200,000 Miles
MOT to end November, Tax to End of
October, driveable but requires welding
(unknown) for MOT. Essex Based.
Car located in Dundalk, Co.Louth, Ireland
Asking €1500 or near offers.
Tel John, 00353 86 8183535
Renault 11 and other parts
C1J Engine 1397cc complete with
manifold, distributor, water pump and all
sensors believed to have covered 67,000
miles.
JB1 5 speed gearbox also believed to
have
covered
67,000
miles.
Engages smoothly into all gears, does not
whine or jump out of gear complete with
Drive Shafts
The following parts will all fit an R9/11
Anti Roll Bar (Ø23mm), hub carriers, top
mounts, etc. There are many other parts
available. For more information please
email me [email protected]
Give Aways
4CV Contact - Brad james.
Phone numbers from the editor.
very quickly but we try to achieve the aims
of the seller. Because we have had a few
where clearly the aim is to break it and
make money or for someone to make a
profit, all potential bidders are vetted. We
look for a previous association with these
cars, a history of preservation and often
talk to the potential buyer before passing
on details. It often helps if you are known
to the committee too and that we know
you have these cars as often we will call
you. Some also require moving quickly
and may not be roadworthy which also
influences the choice.
Because of the very nature of “give
aways” we urge caution. These often go
Renault 19 TXE Black, Cambridgeshire.
No current MOT or Tax. Will need newly
fitted starter paying for £55. None runner
but loads of photos and list of potential
work.
Contact Details Via the Editor inside
front cover.
Buying
Thinking of buying? Make sure you
contact the ROC, we can offer advice on
what to look for, what work may have been
done or not done and the history of some
of the cars. We always strive to get the
best deal for a member and we can often
save on some expensive mistakes.
It is not unknown for people to buy a £400
or less motor and have it on ebay the
following day for £1500-£2000 with just a
polish and some filler. Look here first and
you could buy it for £400 or less. We have
an on line price guide and the most recent
adverts are all on line.
FOOTMAN JAMES
59
ADVERTISERS
CLUB SUPPORTERS
Wherever you’re
going make
Footman James
your 1st destination
Footman James is one of the leading specialist insurance brokers
for classic vehicle owners, collectors and professionals.
Dedicated to finding our best policy for you and your classic.
Policies include:
~
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Specialist Rates for club members
24 hour Breakdown Recovery in the UK & Europe
Personal Accident Cover
Motor Legal Expenses
Agreed Value, Limited Mileage options
If you insure your classic car with us, we can also cover
your modern vehicles too.*
We share your passion.
Insurance for
owners, collectors
& professionals
Get a quote:
0844 826 4545
footmanjames.co.uk
Footman James is a trading name of Aon UK Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority in respect of insurance
mediation activities only. Telephone calls may be monitored or recorded for your protection. FP7288.05.12 *subject to eligibility criteria
60
CLUB SHOP
CLUB SHOP
DECEMBER 2012 - [email protected]
CONTACTS
purchase online at:
www. renaultownersclub.com
email to:
[email protected]
or post order to:
ROC Shop, 97 Capel Street, Capelle-Ferne, Folkestone, Kent. CT18
7HB
Cheques made payable to
RenOwnersClub Ltd
Telephone Enquiries to: 01303
255244 or 07879 071283. Phone for
discounts on bulk orders.
ALSO
Renault Owners’ Club Tax Disc Holder in
Titanium finish or Black £16.49 each incl.
UK P&P
Old Style Renault Owners’ Club
window sticker available to stick
on inside of window or outside for
bumpers etc. State which type
required when ordering. £1.75 Incl.
Post and Packing
Renault Owners’ Club Ballpoint
pen Old style blue £1.00
New Style £3.50 Both Incl. Post and
Packing.
Diamond Anniversary Event TShirts, special design. These will
be on special order to hand out at
events or to post to people after the
event is complete. ONLY available
to those who come and members
based overseas. We will also have
magnetic rally plaques. Phone or
see website for details.
Renault Owners’ Club I Phone 3 or 4
cover £7.00 incl UK Post Black, Blue,
Pink, Purple, Red or Silver - Please state
Renault Owners’ Club Mug.
£7.50 incl. UK Post
By special order your photo can be
applied to rear - phone for prices
New Club Window Sticker - Also doubles
as a tax disc holder (tamperproof so don’t
use if you plan to cash your disc in!)
£2.00 incl. UK Post
Also available GB Stickers,
Tabards, pens and new window
stickers. Please phone for details.
Clearance Stainless Steel keyring with
engraved Renault Owners’ Club logo in a
black presentation box £3.75 including UK
P&P
Renault Owners’ Club Baseball Cap in
White, Khaki or Grey - £12.50 each incl.
UK P&P
Renault Owners’ Club Shirts, available as
polo shirts £14.50 or sports shirt £21
(shown) or formal short sleeved shirt
£22.00. If you want the optional rear
embroidery please add £3 per item. S,M,L
& XL in Men’s and Ladies also in French
Blue, To UK Addresses
Stainless Steel keyring with engraved
New Renault Owners’ Club logo £9.50
including UK P&P
Renault Owners’ Club Pen £3.50 Incl. UK
P&P Large Badge or Small Badge Styles

draft december renotes - Renault Owners Club Forum

Transcription

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