September 2011 Draft - Renault Owners Club Forum

R E N O T E S
T H E
M A G A Z I N E
O F
T H E
R E N A U L T
P O S T WA R B R I T I S H R E N A U LT C A R S
O N M AT T E R S 4 C V A N D 7 5 0
D I A M O N D A N N I V E R S A RY P L A N S
E V E N T R E P O RT S
R E N A U LT P E O P L E
O W N E R S
C L U B
I S S U E
3
S E P T E M B E R
2 0 1 1
CONTENTS
CLUB
OFFICERS
Secretary:
Sebastian O’Halloran
Email: secretary@renaultownersclub. com
2
Contents
3
Editor’s Chat
4
Diamond Anniversary
6
World Series by Renault
7-9
Crich, Stamford and Mansfield
Treasurer:
Malcolm Bailey
Mayhill House, London Road
Addington, West Malling
Kent ME19 5AN
Tel: 01732 849325
Email: treasurer@renaultownersclub. com
10-13 British Renault Cars
Membership Secretary:
Damien Bailey address as Malcolm Bailey
membership@renaultownersclub. com
19-21 Around the Clubs
Editor, Events and Webmaster:
Alasdair Worsley
01652 655 781
165 Scawby Road, Scawby Brook, Brigg, N. Lincs.
DN20 9JX
Email: editor@renaultownersclub. com
Club Shop
Michael Fawke
Tel: 01303 488731
Email: shop@renaultownersclub. com
Modified Secretary:
Jason Ford
jayvxr@msn. com
14-16 On Matters 4CV and 750
18-19 Renault People
22-23 News from Renault
24-25 Renault Sport
26
Au coin du livre
28-29 Renault 25 Years Ago
30-32 Classifieds and Shop
WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS
Ngaire Lowndes
Brian Neil
Paul Murphy
Edmund Fitch
Henry Peake
Michael Hamilton
Paul Knight
COPY DATES
Next issue of Renotes is due December 2011
All contributions for that issue must be received by
November 1st 2011
Please send to the Editor:
Alasdair Worsley
at address above
Subsequent issues will be January 2012 and March
2012
MEMBERSHIP
FEES
Carl Chambers
David Gray
Crister Karlsson
Ian O'Dowd
Mark Rassell
Michael Chambers
Front Cover: Andy Mitchell’s Renault 30 V6. Smiling having received the Collectors (Renault
UK) award for long term service to events. Also shown are Peter Bell picked up best pre-1979
Car for his Renault 12 and Valerie Worsley 2nd in the pre-1940 category. Alasdair Worsley
collected best Renault Powered for his Vel Satis and Renault UK’s Plein Air Renault 4 in the R4
category. For a none competitive club that’s quite a haul. Darren Williams received second on the
back of a first last year for his Clio Williams.
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
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otherwise, without prior permission
DISCLAIMER
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Senior Citizens and Unemployed
(includes Students) £20
Additional £5 for New Members over
normal membership.
2
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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."
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Editor’s
Chat
D
ear Mr. Editor,
I received a telephone call last evening
from Clubman, John Edwards, who was the
power behind the Manchester Sub- Section
of the ROC, back in the Sixties.
He jogged my memory with the name of
(Alfred) Derek Weaver, a contemporary
member, whom I met at one or other of that
sub-section's events at the time and who,
over the years, ran a number of cars,
amongst which were a Four and a Six.
By trade, Derek was specialist in security
systems and, from time to time, John had
made use of his expertise, by employing
him in a professional capacity on various
business projects. However, they had not
seen each other for some time, when, not so
long ago, they met again by chance in a
supermarket, which gave them the
opportunity to talk about the old times.
Derek's wife, Yvonne, was French and she
had passed on a few years ago, but perhaps
she was the influence, which caused Derek
to run Renaults! The couple lived locally to
Stepping Hill hospital and they did not have
any children, although Derek did have
siblings in the area.
John mentioned that he believed that Derek
was the last of those patients to die in the
recent tragedy at that hospital and he felt
that an acknowledgement in the Club's
magazine of Derek's passing would be
appropriate.
Yours very truly,
Hector Mackenzie-Wintle.
Editor: This year has seen many
celebrations for various cars celebrating,
the A610 Renault - known as Alpine to
most of the rest of the world but a name of
which was not permitted here - but it is also
a wake, the 4 spelt the end of a car that sold
over a million units, the 4CV and it’s UK
counterpart the 750. So we have dedicated
a respectful amount of this magazine to this
vehicle (made in commercial and none
commercial guises). We have articles on the
UK models, some modified 4CVs and 750s
and some of what may remain.
This heralds in the most important era for
Renault, the post war “economy cars”
which is exactly where Renault are now,
harking back to these mass appealing cars
and the way their heritage can be used
again. We saw the Heritage cars take to the
track again at World Series after a long
lapse.
Next year of course sees the second oldest
Renault Club in the World celebrate their
60th Anniversary (Diamond!) and it would
be so wrong to miss this event. So we took
a straw poll of members at the World
Series, Renault’s thoughts themselves,
other events and a round robin on the email
of those that are most active on events and
have hopefully put together a series to
make Renault Enthusiasts proud. That
though is the point. These will be for
enthusiasts and we will be making room for
all enthusiasts, members or not. We hope to
see many clubs their representing
themselves or the marque and have already
signed up some partner clubs that are on the
organising roles. This is available to anyone
that would like to be involved.
next a club 60th party at Bewl Water (the
centre of the clubs members so far
involved), World Series Renault at....well
we can but hope for Donington but maybe
Silverstone and lastly the big Birthday bash
at Montlery in France in September - along
with the 40th anniversary of the Renault 5
and also no doubt the launch of the ZEs to
the world and maybe the next Nicole and
Papa car.
There is now only 1 event left in 2011. If
you need to check anything, please contact
the
Events
Secretary
(Email:
[email protected]). NEC
Classic Car Show (C) 11th, 12th and 13th
November The club again has a stand at the
NEC Classic car Show. For Details
Email:[email protected] or
Phone 01652 655 781
Reinard Krohn won the competition for the
best club logo. We awarded it to him as all
those in the club felt his logo best reflected
the coverage of the club and its aims and
also fulfilled the brief. Unusually though
we may not be necessarily using it in the
exact for as we are also now working with
Renault UK’s Press and Marketing
Department on the overall image of the
club. They too are helping with logos and
image and Reinard is on the team as well to
make sure we get something to use. Whilst
we are an independently run club our very
close tie in with Renault mean we work
with them to ensure we both are covered.
They do at the end of the day support and
fund the club and have supplied us with
many things over the years. (Like the
"From Ford to Renault Books" mentioned
in the book report.)
As
it
stands the
club will
have its
standard
Calendar
but also 4
specials.
On
the
Date of out
birth
a
meal
at
The
Denmark
in London,
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3
5
D I A M O N D A N N I V E R S A RY
N
ext year sees a number of
important milestones for
Renault and The Owners Club.
The Renault 5 celebrates 40
years since it’s birth, 3 totally new models,
and of course the Renault Owners’ Clubs’
60th – DIAMOND – Anniversary. In
addition, the Queen will be celebrating our
Diamond Anniversary with her own special
events (she once owned a Dauphine) and
there is also the sad 100th Anniversary of
the sinking of the Titanic, taking a red
Renault and many lives to a premature end.
Following on from talks with Renault UK
and Renault France and building in the
launches and celebrations – although fully
aware that from the UK there are few
Renault 5s left from the first model – we
have put together an open calendar of
events which anyone can come on.
Entries will close on Sunday 4th February
2012. The restaurant is less than 400
metres from south Kensington and
Gloucester Road Tube stations and there
are a number of local hotels to stay in if
you wish. There is very limited parking so
we envisage not having a display of cars,
with most people catching the train,
however if you wish, we can advise on
local parking.
Renault UK have been invited to join us
on the day. Various menus are available to
cover all tastes. Drinks I’m afraid are
extra at the moment. There will be a free
copy of the Patrick le Quément book for
all those attending who do not already
have one. If numbers exceed 36 there may
still be a way to let all come as the
restaurant will hold 100.
emphasis this year saw an increase in the
popularity of this even to none sports
owners and we would strongly suggest
considering this event. This year we even
had a parade lap of the new circuit back in
and whilst this is in no way guaranteed, if
you don’t come then the possibility of
doing one is of course nil. The date may
be confirmed as soon as October 9th 2011
when the series dates should be
formalised.
End July/Early August.
Clearly priority will be given to those in
the club if the limit is reached but none
members of our club or indeed any club
are welcome to come too. We also have 1
special event to kick it off for members
and their guests.
Briefly the list as it stands is as follows:
March 2nd 2012 12.30PM a social meal
at “The Denmark” in Old Brompton
Road.
Whilst the actual public house no longer
is named this, the exact location is now
the Bumpkin restaurant. This event is by
pre-booking only as numbers need to be
confirmed with the venue. The room has a
limit of 36 and we already have 10
provisionally booked in. We are asking
for a deposit of £10 with your application
and this will be taken into account against
your individual bill on the day (meals are
available from a £25, £35 and £45 menu
with drinks extra. The balance of paid on
the day. )
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A social weekend and display hopefully at
Bewl reservoir in Kent, early indications
are to have the chance to arrive as early as
Friday evening and leave up to Monday
morning, although you can also come for
just 1 day or the weekend. We hope to be
joined by cars from the continent and
some of the Frères. There will be both
camping and Hotels to choose from. The
aim is to have a private meal on Friday
night as most of those coming from the
continent arrive then, a barbeque for all
on Saturday night and do it yourself on
Sunday night. Lunches will be at your
discretion and a number and variety of
road trips and visitor attractions have
been arranged for each day. Full details
will be in December’s magazine.
World Series by Renault - TBC
Renault has asked that we organise this as
the main PUBLIC Club Diamond
Anniversary event and it is an excellent
way to pay back the years of support they
have given us. We expect it to be in
August and will see it as the main public
gathering. We know few cars have
attended this in the past but a change of
Montlery September 2012
Lastly in September Renault SA are
organising a big 40th Bash for the Renault
5 and the launch of the New Clio IV, and
the 2 ZE cars. It is also about the time
Dacia is launched onto the UK market. So
we are making our annual French Trip to
go and join them in Montlery. The current
aim is a 6-7 day tour (2 down, 2 there, 2
back) with Hotels and camping at each
stop. Mostly this will be travel as you
please but routes will be suggested and
the chance to meet up for an evening meal
will be as an option. This builds on the
back of the Reims trip and we hope to
have a support vehicle to assist and maybe
carry luggage.
For details of any of the above, please
phone 01652 655781 or visit
http://www.renaultownersclub.com/diamo
nd.shtml for more contact details. You can
also phone or email anyone on the
committee. An entry form for the first
event and expression of interest has been
included with the magazine.
All the diamond anniversary events will
have memorabilia especially available for
them such as rally plaques, shirts, and
goody bags.
NEC CLASSIC
Club Exclusive Ticket Deal!
“Advance Offer” Book today- Save £’s & beat the queues!
Club Single £15.50
Quote code CLUB11
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112 13 NOVEMBER
Club Family £35.00
Quote code CLUBF11
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Book online or call the Ticket Hotline 0871 230 1088
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100s of fantastic classic bikes & live bike action!
Including
The place to share your passion for cars
Footman James Classic Motor Show tickets also allow FREE entry into the FJ Classic Motorbike Show AND Top
Gear Live (TGL exhibition area only). Club offers apply to Sat 12th/Sun13th November 2011 only. Club Single ticket
offer limited to 2 tickets per member. Club Family ticket admits 2 adults and up to 3 children (5-16yrs) and is limited
to one Family Ticket per member. Club single tickets save £5.00 off the Sat/Sun door price. Club Family tickets save
up to £37.50 off the Sat/Sun door price compared to buying individually! Offer applies to advance bookings only.
Hand in your ticket stub or voucher to your club at the show and your club gets a commission! See website for all
information. All bookings are subject to a single transaction fee. Ticket price includes the official showguide to the
value of £7.50. All information correct at time of publishing.
MOTORBIKE
SHOW
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5
W O R L D S E R I E S B Y R E N A U LT
World Series by Renault
T
here was a big push this year to
get more members out to the
World Series and a bigger
variety of cars. After a certain
amount of direct questioning, we managed
to get the forms available on the website by
June, this beat the previous record of 3
weeks before the event which of course
used to guarantee limited member
attendance due to the best hotels and
campsites being full.
Also Jeremy Townsend collected a prize
for the best Renault 4 for the Plein Air.
After a number of years of trying and with
luck and a gap on the track on our side, a
return was made to the parade lap for the
Hopefully for 2012, the forms will be
available even closer to the official
release date of April so that perhaps a full
infield can be obtained. I am also hopeful
that lessons learnt this year will also role
out to other events next year so that
members can be considered for attendance
at other UK and International events.
Satis ZE winning best Renault Powered
(although oddly it has no Renault Engine
in it) actually this prize is normally
awarded to none Renault cars with a
Renault engine (like Lotus, Venturi etc)
but there were none available so instead it
was turned on it’s head and awarded to a
Renault with a none Renault powerplant.
Certainly the weather was kind this year.
Although overcast on Saturday, the
weather cleared up on Sunday and the
masses poured in. Add to that about 20
cars from the Renault Frères and a nice
collection from Renault and the collection
from Renault Sport clubs and the infield
sported about 200 cars.
The Owners Club also did quite well at
the Gala prize presentation with prizes to
Peter Bell (Renault 12), Andy Mitchell for
long service to events, Valerie Worsley
with the 1909 AX, Darren Williams with
his Renault Clio Williams and my Vel
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Renault 4s, Renault Frères, and a few
choice cars from the field including the
750 and a Renault 5 Turbo. Sadly 1 car
broke down on the
way down but at
least it was shown
that a responsible
organised parade lap
is possible and
hopefully long may
it continue.
I’ve included a few
pictures here and
hopefully you will
consider adding this
next year as an
event to attend.
C R I C H , S TA M F O R D A N D M A N S F I E L D
Mansfield
M
ansfield lined up to be a
disaster that turned into a
pot of gold. Originally
intended as a French
Weekend with French Market, rides and
shows, a change of plan (probably because
of timings) meant instead it became a low
key event. As 18,000 odd letters had gone
out by the dealer we also felt that if anyone
did turn up they would at least have
something to look at.
The dealer laid on coffee and food for
those that came and we had a chance to
meet some of the customers. The 5GT
was in for an MOT and another couple
had a Megane Sport in for a radio. I’m
Garage. More will be covered on that one
in December but that had the jazz band,
hog roast, competition and a clown (or as
we named him, the child catcher from
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang).
guessing it is the first time some of the
dealers had seen some of these cars and
were
perhaps
amused to find a lot
were built in the
UK.
Pairing up with a Formula Renault Car,
we again had a 750, 4CV, an Eight, a
Renault (Alpine) A310, Ian O’Dowd’s 19,
Peter Bell’s 12 and the Laguna (see Crich)
acting as ambulance to the 750. We were
joined on the day by a superb Renault 5
Turbo. Now getting rare and even rarer
because the owner had not extensively
modified it and was instead returning it
to original where possible – the only
tinkering was a slightly up rated turbo and
a plan to swap the non-standard carbon
fibre bonnet to a steel one soon.
I also had the
chance to pass on a
Dauphine Gordini
Gearbox I had to
Ryan for an attempt
to get it into his
4CV, much to
John’s amusement
with a look of been
there tried that…
.Oddly it came from
a 750 where the
owner too had tried
that and having
nearly got there
“saw sense?” and
flogged the car
quickly. But you
have to admire a
trier!
This event was
followed
the
following weekend
by an event at the
new
Lincoln
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5
C R I C H , S TA M F O R D A N D M A N S F I E L D
Crich
T
his year again saw more cars at
Crich than in previous years with
12 cars attending on the Monday
I was there. There were more
general classics on the Sunday but that day
I was at Stamford. I was joined in my 750
by John Henderson’s 750 brought by Robin
Redrup, John’s Eight, his old 4CV now in
the hands of Ryan Turnell, Richard Horvath
with his Super 5, The Alpine A310 of Peter
Jackson, A Renault 21 brought by Bob
Archer, John Hart’s 16, the 16 of the late
Roy Dexter brought out of retirement by his
son Steve, the Megane of Andrew Poules,
the lovely Clio Williams and a Laguna
Sport.
held off chucking the bearing out of the
dynamo until home time which of course
leaves the Ferlec all but un-driveable as
the clutch mechanism is fed from the
dynamo. You can feed it from the battery
but then the clutch never disengages!
This may also have been the last club run
to probably strip it and keep the parts for
the new one. With his ability to pick up
MOT’d taxed and fully running concourse
5s for only £250-300 you can see the
merit in cannibalising over repairing. A
sad fact of many a Renault is it’s sales
cost often rules out rebuilding it and with
the only way to make money to sell them
on abroad we will probably only expect to
see less and less old Renaults on runs.
The weather was a little variable with
passing showers but there were also 2
organised trips up and down the street and
generalised driving as required. My 750
out for the budget busting 5 of Richard,
he’s picked up another one and some
serious rust in the sills and around the
window by the pillar means he’s planning
As this is my local event and the only one
I really head up, I am wondering about a
change of scenery next year just for a
change and am wondering about just
doing Stamford (to give those in East
Anglia a chance) or Darley Dale Motor
Show in the middle of September. This is
combined with a Steam Event. I am a
little concerned that Crich may get stale –
although attendance so far disproves this.
Alasdair Worsley
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C R I C H , S TA M F O R D A N D M A N S F I E L D
Stamford
This event was mentioned to the club by
Simon Bailey so we added it to the
calender. We only knew we had a pitch
quite late so we set it up so that Crich was
the main event and this as an alternative.
We hoped that by investigating this one,
we may be able to offer it as an
alternative to Crich next year or to run in
parallel as this is a 1 day event.
That said, we still managed a turn out of
at least 5 “older” Renaults, including an
AG Taxi (Editors note: Similar to the one
i took to Beulieu with the ROC about 10
years ago - there is a picture in an old
magazine of it behind my Land Rover), a
Renault 5 Turbo, the editor ’s 750,
provided numbers are not exceeded. It is
organised by the Stamford Round Table.
There is also a collection of motor bikes
and other “unusual” cars to interest most
people.
This is a general classic event so there are
a whole host of cars to pick from (about
300 in all) and has the ability to take both
modern cars and the older classics
Simon’s Megane and a newer Megane.
There was also a new Laguna Coupe,
Laguna Sports Tourer and Scenic in the
modern classic area as well as a Papworth
Conversion Ambulance brought by St
John Ambulance.
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5
CLASSIC AND COLLECTORS
British Renault Cars
I
t is interesting to record that Renault
is one of the oldest British car
manufacturers! Whilst the parent
company is French in origin, only a
few years after its inception, cars started to
be made in London.
to the British plant, is the fact that our
Territories and Colonies were also driving
on the left hand side of the road, so the
demand for RHD cars was sizeable.
This brief article is
not intended to be a
detailed “History”,
as records from the
British company
sadly
were
destroyed several
decades ago. It is
intended however to
stimulate thought
and consideration of
the importance of
this quite separate
operation.
In Victorian times, a
John Henderson’s
prestigious
Eight at Crich 2011
showroom was in
London, soon to be replaced by the
famous showroom on Pall Mall. Factory
production became stabilised on Western
Avenue, in Acton, West London. It must
also be remembered that Great Britain
was the “Workshop of the World” with
tremendous engineering expertise. The
world of the emerging motorcar was no
exception in the UK, with many
manufacturers becoming established.
The Renault operation must have been
seen as a lucrative business, as it quickly
became established producing a varied
range of vehicles, many with “coach
built” bodywork, either homemade or by
independent businesses (e.g. Mulliner).
The fundamental construction of separate
body and chassis allowed infinite
variations to suit customer needs. It is fair
to say, British built Renaults soon
extended to what was seen as the luxury
end of demand. Conversely, many taxis
were produced based on Renault taxis.
Our Colonies also quickly became a
source of sales, but in these early years,
the proportion of production had no
legislative basis.
A further consideration should be added
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As the years passed into the nineteen
thirties, there became an increasing
production of what can be described as
“standard” cars in London, so the concept
of sizeable “kits of parts” to form the
basis of a finished UK built car increased.
Cars such as the “Celtaquatre” and
“Primaquatre” were shipped into Acton in
such a “CKD” form, and then finished to
meet the British requirements. It is
interesting to note that these two models
became marketed as the "Ten" and
"Twelve", and inscriptions on the vehicles
and Handbooks confirmed this initial
specific UK name. The last newly built
English Renault retaining its French
model name was the Type BCX-3 Viva
Grand Sport in 1939. Only a handful of
this model was produced in Acton, and
notable that one such car still exists
undergoing restoration (KME 777). A few
UK built "Ten" and "Twelve" models
survive to this day.
The model type that changed this practice
completely was the “Juvaquatre” in 1939.
This car was marketed under a British
style name, the Renault Eight. This model
was also the first production “unitary”
vehicle, so the kit of parts for the 1939
cars were substantially French
components, even down to dashboard
electric units. One hundred pre war
Renault “Eight” cars were produced,
many being exported to Territories (one
such car still exists
in New Zealand).
These pre war
“Eights” were a 2door model with
boot
entry
by
folding the back seat
back down.
Car production at
Acton shifted to
Spitfire
aircraft
construction during
the war, and the first
UK built cars did
not re-appear until
the latter part of
1948. Surprisingly
the first cars were
not the “Eight”, but
a new model to be named the “760”. Its
UK production however had to comply
with post war Parliament legislation. Car
makes that were defined, as “Imports” had
to meet the requirement of 80% mass UK
manufactured components, and a sizeable
quota must be exported. There was only 1
carmaker that did not have to conform to
this legislation. Volkswagen’s factory was
brought back to life in Germany under
total British control, so the importing of
the “Beetle” was exempt from these rules.
The “760”, in order to meet the rulings,
many obvious components were
manufactured totally in the UK. The
“750” continued to only be available in 1
model but with the option of a steel
sunroof and later the “Ferlec” semi
automatic transmission. Perhaps the most
interesting inclusion to ensure the 80%
UK proportion was achieved, was the
export of steel from Dorman Long in
Middlesbrough to the French shell
dressing shops.
This initial model was available in the UK
in one model type with no options. This
car was the fourth UK named car, soon to
be replaced by the “750” in the latter part
of 1950. The Renault ”Eight” production
CLASSIC AND COLLECTORS
at Acton restarted in late 1948, with all
initial cars going for export; the first
availability to buy in the UK was spring
1949. Only 1 version of the model was
produced in the form of a 4-door saloon
now with a hinged boot panel. 255 Acton
cars were exported and only 45 cars were
available for the home market. The total
worldwide production of the “Juvaquatre”
was 300,000, so the combined UK
produced cars only formed a total of 400
vehicles.
Production of the “Eight” at Acton
stopped in 1950 and the “750” ceased a
year before the “Dauphine” was
introduced in 1957. By this time the
Parliament legislation had been relaxed
for imported cars, but owners became
subject to paying import tax on their new
“pride and joy” as well as purchase tax!
The “Dauphine” initially was assembled
at Acton, but this time, they were a
complete kit of parts unlike before.
Production stopped in the early sixties.
Like the latter “750”, the “Dauphine” was
imported thereafter as a complete running
car through Southampton port. A strange
component shift occurred in 1964,
through to 1967 for the “Dauphine
Gordini” imported models. The dynamo,
starter motor, and regulator were
manufactured by Lucas in Birmingham,
and as such appeared in the R1095 Parts
and Workshop manuals.
The massive Acton site was also the
Headquarters of the UK operation, a Sales
outlet, and the Parts Distribution Centre
for the UK, but as can be imagined vast
areas were now not utilised. The decision
was taken to completely redevelop the
location and sell land not required. A new
Renault Dealership now occupies the only
remaining land at this location with the
Headquarters moving to two further
locations in turn. The Parts distribution
was relocated to Swindon and moved
again to Lutterworth.
Owners of UK built “Twelve”, “Ten”,
“Eight”, “760”, and “750”, received an
English scripted Instruction Manual, and
until 1954; a superb drawing of the Acton
location was contained within this
booklet. Thereafter an English language
version was produced in France for the
UK market.
UK at the end of his military service!
Renault Eight
Manual Acton advert
In 1968, there was only 1 pre-war and 3
post war Renault "Eight" models
remaining, according to official Renault
UK records; in 2011, this is now down to
1 vehicle, recent restoration completed by
myself. There are only 16 confirmed
existing Acton “750” cars surviving;
however one is about to be scrapped.
Renault Eight
Owners Manual
It will have been noticed that there has
been little reference to the “4CV” and
“Juvaquatre” models. This is quite
deliberate as for the UK, they were not
known as these titles. Renault UK was
trying to totally portray them as a British
car manufacturer at this time and the
name was seen as the most important part
of this mission. As an “island nation”, this
was seen as vital to encourage sales to
people who look on “foreign” as inferior!
The twist to the story about sales, is many
Forces personnel bought cars when they
were posted abroad, both in Europe and
the Territories. Such purchased cars quite
often were Acton built cars. Personnel in
say Singapore, would have a UK car, but
personnel posted in, Germany, would get
a French built RHD car! Such purchases
upon return to the UK were registered and
the purchaser was required to keep the
vehicle for a further 3 years minimum
before considering selling on. This will
explain why some untypical “750” cars
have been around in the UK,
manufactured in France but originally
used in Germany. Such cars in fact are not
“750” models but “4CV”!
Singapore and Hong Kong “750” models
upon arrival in these countries, were
required to have the fuel filler pipe inlet
moved and located on the right hand rear
lower roof side; a modification apparently
repeated on some “Hino 4CV” models in
Japan. Otherwise the “750” model were
standard cars. A family member drove
their “750” from Singapore back to the
Renault Eight Rear
Other right hand drive
vehicles still exist but
manufactured and sold in
as Sweden, where at
“Juvaquatre”
were French
such countries
the time of
Swedish Acton Dashboard
manufacture, this country drove on the
left hand side of the road. It is noteworthy
that Acton was the builder of the “750”
for the Swedish market also in the early
years of production. This meant that the
UK dashboard was the “norm” with the
two dials but with no temperature gauge.
A diagram of the gear positions occupied
this section of the dial. They were not
imported into Sweden and sold by
ordinary Renault dealers, but by a
tradesman who was eager to sell whatever
cars they could get their hands on! These
cars did not survive very long in this
country, but occasionally the dashboards
and/or instruments are available at
Swedish Autojumbles.
To give a little more detail to the Acton
cars I have grouped features as follows.
EXTERIOR FEATURES
The Renault “Eight” was different to its
European counterparts in a few ways. On
the front bumper there are two small
plates either side of the starting handle
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11
5
CLASSIC AND COLLECTORS
Renault Eight
Inscription
hole; one plate says “RENAULT” and the
other says “EIGHT”. “Trico” semaphore
trafficators were on the lower “A” pillar
before the war and on the upper “B” post
after the war. Otherwise the external
appearance was identical.
The Renault “760” & “750” initially
appeared very similar in the 6-bar grille
form, even down to the French profile
bumpers and overriders. However the
notable difference was the semaphore
trafficators in the rear quarter panel, and
totally different front door shells to allow,
“wind down windows”. Amongst the
many variants on UK cars were light units
of either Lucas or Smiths. It must be
remembered that over the short period of
years in production at Acton, various
ancillaries were not specially made for the
“750”; the units would have been for
other British car makes and due to
production UK volumes, suppliers would
have been engaged to provide. At various
following suit. Smiths units were most
common including the type shown on
your car at the front. Various back number
plate panels were fitted utilising either
oblong or square number plates. The usual
layout was an oblong plate with a lower
mounted Lucas number plate unit with the
light reflecting upwards. Normal French
produced brake and stop light units were
again the norm. Regarding rear
trafficators, I have seen them incorporated
in an extended number plate backing plate
or positioned on either the rear panel near
the beading or rear wing. It must be
remembered that once a car leaves the
showroom, all sorts of changes occurred
so it is always difficult to determine what
for a particular car was original. I have
seen cars with rear trafficators but no
front ones; it must be assumed hand
signals were used to warn facing
motorists. Early 6-bar grille 750's had a
French style lighthouse number plate
light, soon altered to the Smiths unit. AC
Delco, Delco-Remy, SEV, and Ducellier,
all had British manufacturing small
plants, and in the case of Ducellier, Lucas
was the franchise. Some components were
British made content were predominantly
made by “Quinton Hazell” included 4
doors, 4 wings, bonnet, boot lid, bumper
blades, and even hubcaps. The hubcaps
were made by modifying the press used to
make the Austin Metropolitan car.
“Quinton Hazell” in Birmingham made
many of the body components. Michelin
made tyres in Stoke on Trent being the
750 Petrol
Cap
traditional “X” radial type. Pilkingtons in
St Helens were also suppliers of glass.
6-bar “750” cars had the words, WATER
and PETROL on the filler caps as
compared with EAU and ESSENCE. Air
intake chrome grilles fitted to the rear
wings were also changed in mid UK
Air Intakes
from UK
production for a very crude chessboard
750 Acton
Build Plate
1950
Renault 750
times, there were semaphore trafficators
on the rear quarter roof panels, including
Bumper Bar and Rear
Number Plate Lights
Trico or Lucas units. By the mid fifties in
the UK, trafficators at all 4 corners started
to be included, so the 750 succumbed to
12
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never manufactured in the UK, such as
headlamp units.
Early cars had an “Acton build plate” in
the engine bay. Unlike the French market
place, the early UK “750” was available
new in single coat synthetic metallic
colours (gunmetal grey, royal blue, gold
and turquoise). Later, in 1954, 3-bar grille
cars had a similar plastic diamond badge
to the French counterparts, but only had
the word “Renault” moulded into the
plastic. Bumpers changed to a slim blade
type without overriders. These UK cars
had Quinton Hazell bumper blades with
no overriders. The profile was very
slender, curved with no profiling. I
suspect most cars had such bumpers when
newly manufactured, but suggest owners,
or dealers chose to fit the more attractive
French bumpers and overriders. The
Renault Eight
Dashboard Layout
pattern without the Renault diamond.
INTERIOR FEATURES
The interior of the Renault “Eight”
featured after the war, a front bench seat
with a painted tubular back rail. All the
seating was leather unlike upholstery or
leather cloth on the French counterparts.
A chord to the offside roof area operated
the rear window blind. The major
difference was the dashboard that featured
the twin circular dials and no incorporated
glove box. However, a wooden lower
glove box was fitted below the dashboard.
The early 6-bar Renault “760” & “750”
CLASSIC AND COLLECTORS
Later a further option was available to be
fitted to the “750”, but by the UK dealer,
not during manufacture.
1955 750
Dashboard
The option was a coolant-based heater,
with an additional heater matrix, and
further ducting to the chassis rail and
under seat rear duct.
1950 Dashboard
Layout
MECHANICAL
FEATURES
750 Remy Delco
Distributor
&
ELECTRICAL
Renault Eight Dashboard
Charlie’s 1954 750 Engine
1950 750 Dashboard Twin Clocks
The Renault “Eight” had several British
components. A Delco Remy distributor
and Coil were fitted along with UK made
Acton "Eight's"
Manufacture
& "750s"
year
August 2011
had the British twin dials (just like the
Eight) in the dash panels, and a nearside
glove locker. Front seat originally had
chrome back rail and leather cloth
upholstery. Front doors had a full door
card featuring a pocket. Seating was
British made. Early cars had manual
override for the windscreen wipers.
Desmo Rear
View Mirror
“Desmo” of Birmingham supplied many
body fittings, and even home produced
door cards, and headlining was used. The
notable French made assembly was the
“Avercod” combined light switching, and
later incorporating indicator direction.
Model
Colour
Red Brique
Off Road
LMA586
1948
EIGHT
MRO 460
1950
750
Green met.
LYY 654
1951
750
Green & Black
X
X
LOR 677
1953
750
Blue
RKL 605
BSK 265
1953
1953
750
750
Silver met.
Champagne met.
1954
1954
750
750
White
Beige
1954
1954
750
750
Gold
Green
X
CFL 334
1954
750
Gold met.
X
X
1955
1955
750
750
Red/Gold
Blue
1955
1955
750
750
Blue met
Blue
TYC 532
778 HMF
1955
1955
750
750
Gold met.
Blue
KFJ 900
GFR 871
1949
1953
750
750
Blue
Blue
MOW 378
YKJ 452
1954
1955
750
750
Grey
Beige
SKF 335
HJA 315
1955
1955
750
750
Blue met.
YPB 385
1955
750
Blue
750
750
GCT 292
1951
SMO 554
KRX 341
1954
1954
YHU 711
XPG 645
1954
1955
VKL 556
1955
750
750
750
750
Blue
Blue
Yellow
Bronze
Gold
Bronze met
John Henderson
On Road
Comments
X
Only surviving Acton Eight
Oldest surviving 750
Currently restored as a replica Commercial CA-VA SEUL
X
X
ODT 922
NBY 697
29686
DEV 248
Information has been included that has
been supplied by Robin Redrup (Life long
4CV/750 devotee) and the late Ivor
Hutchinson (Renault Distributor Sales
Manager in the 1950’s & 1960’s). Also
there are but a few Acton cars that still
exist; these cars truly reflect the reality of
the story of British Renault cars.
X
RPO 311
927 XUF
XPG 336
6 DME
instruments. The carburettor was a UK
made Solex 22IAC unit. Brake wheel
cylinders were UK made Lockheed units.
For the “750”, most electrical units and
dials were British made by “Delco
Remy”, “Smiths”, “Ducellier”, “SEV”,
“Jaeger” and “Veglia” and occasionally
even “Lucas” units were utilised. To
conclude the information recorded within
this article is a compilation of information
accrued from people in positions of
authority, personal fact finding or actual
“at the time” knowledge.
X
X
X
This car is about to be scrapped as it is in very poor condition
X
X
This car was new to John Bolster; Motoring correspondent
X
"Ferlec" option
X
Lost track of these cars over the years and so do not know if they
are still in existance
Scrapped in 2003
Written-off in garage accident in the 1990s
Scrapped in the early 1980s
Scrapped in 1999
Scrapped in 2006
Scrapped in 2000
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O N M AT T E R S 4 C V A N D 7 5 0
On Matters 4CV and 750
S
ome time ago, when erstwhile
RENOTES editor Ted Franklin,
was desperate for magazine
contributions, I scribbled some
lines about my early experiences with
Renault 750s (see ‘Driving down memory
lane with Seven Fifties’ pps 18 – 21,
RENOTES, Issue 2/June 2006). An Acton
assembled 1954 750, with an ‘Autobleu’
sports manifold, a bigger carburettor and a
Servais straight-through transverse sports
silencer was the first ‘modern’ car I ever
owned (in 1957), my motoring having
commenced with Austin Sevens of various
pre-war vintages and of doubtful
provenance. In closing my previous
contribution, I wrote that, if and when I had
managed to locate details about a major 750
‘bitza’, which I had screwed together, I
would put pen to paper once again, hence
the following few lines.....
Whilst trying to unearth details of this
crossbred car, I happened across a
photograph of a late, left hooker 4CV,
which I did not mention in my earlier
contribution. It passed through my hands
quite quickly and must have made little
impression, for I recall neither from
whom I bought it nor to whom I sold it.
But it was a bog-standard, solid little
French ‘flea’ in mid-blue with the later
(cream) plate wheels of c.1958/9 vintage
and clearly the number plate (1963) was
allocated to it by the DVLA to reflect the
year of importation. Close to a dozen of
Picard’s little miracles (including two of
the allegedly six convertibles ever
imported into the UK!) passed through my
hands within a few short years, because I
was youthfully idealistic at that time
about saving the maximum of these quasi
serviceable little hotshots. They were so
cheap that they were often destined for
the scrappy for minor mechanical reasons,
until I picked them up for a few pounds,
brought them back to roadworthy life and
sold them on at a very small profit to
other impecunious enthusiasts, in order to
keep such cars in circulation – and
preferably in the ROC! Oh! The irrational
things we car nuts do in our misspent
youth!
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Anyway, back to the major ‘bitza’. The
photographs reminded me that it was a
puzzle, based on Clubman John Kirsch’s
late 4CV (205 AKA), which was
described and illustrated in my abovementioned article and which had already
been considerably ‘improved’ by him.
Latterly, it had disgraced itself when some
cogs in its (original) three-speed gearbox
disintegrated and so, by arrangement with
over the years, and from a pool of
‘leftovers’ hanging around in my garage
at that time (late Sixties/mid Seventies).
As John was in no desperate hurry to have
the car back – I seem to recall that he was
running the ex-John Kennedy R8 Gordini
1100 at the time and I was between jobs
and without a company car, which might
have gone therewith - I managed to get
the car running and roadworthy fairly
John, I repaired and further ‘improved’
the car over a period of months from a
pile of ‘extras’, which he had collected
promptly. Shod with large tyres on 8
Gordini 1300 4.5J rims (which were
knocking about in my garage), it became
O N M AT T E R S 4 C V A N D 7 5 0
my temporary hack and I made the
changeovers bit by bit.
in breakers’ yards at that time.
The bodyshell was a 1959 750 De Luxe
(with sunroof), enclosed by De Luxe
doors (i.e. those with winding front
windows, not the fixed-with-swivelling
front- half items, as with some French
versions) of varying vintages.
Fortunately, I was not without
employment for very long and so I was
able to take the car off the road and was
then better able to work on the
‘modification’ of the beast, as it did not
have to be available at any time to go
haring around for job interviews. Before
eventually returning the car to John, and
with his permission, I fitted a towbar to
my new (and enlightened) employer’s car,
and trailered the finished article over to
one of the Rallyes Renault (I think it was
at Hatfield House, just outside
Stevenage). The composition of this
mongrel was clarified by means of a
single foolscap page (you can tell how
many years ago that was!), placed inside
the windscreen, which I am paraphrasing
hereunder (because it is a helpful prompt
to the old grey matter!). Owing to the
extensive parts’ swapping, maximum
concentration will be the name of the
game for any interested reader over the
next few minutes (just turn over the page,
if this sort of mechanical mayhem is not
of particular interest to you!) and I cannot
recall which components were originally
John’s and which came from my parts’
bin. Not that it really matters....
The vehicle was described as a ‘Renault
4CV ASP’ (not the usual translation [all
spare parts], but ‘automobile sport
prototype’!), being not so much a
concours competitor, more an amalgam of
parts – and on which (virtually)
everything worked! This vehicle was
exhibited not to prove what might be
achieved by bull and by sheer bull alone,
but as an encouragement to younger
Renault enthusiasts to keep such cars
going on a limited budget, with some
ingenuity and with a wide selection of
virtually standard Renault parts, many of
which had been obtained for a few pence
The interior was from a 750 De Luxe (i.e.
with the sunroof) with a 1959 De Luxe
(standard) dashboard and instruments.
The two-tone steering wheel came from a
1959 Dauphine Gordini, the interior rearview mirror from a 1960 Gordini De Luxe
(this was the UK market equivalent of the
French ‘posh’ Ondine Gordini) and the
gear lever from a 1960 Floride with a
1963 Gordini gear knob. The (modified)
aluminium door aperture sill trims and the
silver plastic door opening surrounds
came from an 8-1100 and the driver’s
door was made lockable by reversing a
passenger door handle/lock unit from a
1959 Dauphine.
The engine was based on a 1957
‘Ventoux’ cylinder block with a standard
camshaft, surmounted by a 1959 GordiniDauphine cylinder head (i.e. the original
[R1090A] Amedée Gordini-designed
version with the 13 degree inclined valves
and twin water take-off), which came off
John’s original such car, when the dreaded
tinworm eventually forced him very sadly
to dismantled it. John had been amongst
the very first Renault enthusiasts in the
UK to purchase this early pepped-up
version of the Dauphine (it was a powder
blue one with the finned, anodised
aluminium ‘turbo’ wheel trims, complete
with dummy ‘knock ons’, the two-piece
anodised aluminium rear grille
embellisher and early type ‘Gordini’
badging) and he was inordinately – and
justifiably – proud of this Gti of its day.
On the mongrel, the original (electric
automatic choke) carburettor had been
replace by a Solex 32PIBT unit from a
1961 Dauphine-Gordini, with the (spring
activated) automatic choke disabled, and
the (mechanical) fuel pump came from a
1960 Gordini De Luxe, although John,
ever the bricoleur, had also mounted a
spare S.U. electric fuel pump, JIC (just in
case). Notwithstanding the disablement of
the choke mechanism, launching was
easy-peasy – two dabs on the loud pedal
to wake up that model of carburettor’s
accelerator jet and the engine fired up
without protest, although one had to press
on the loud pedal with a little care for the
first few miles, in order not to stall a cold
motor.
The push-on rubber petrol filler cap came
from a 1949 760 (ah! the genes, the
genes...), the (French) radiator cap from a
1958 4CV, the Sofica heater unit,
complete with (6v) booster fan, was
supplied by a 1960 4CV and the long,
chromed bonnet hinges originally adorned
the engine compartment cover of a 1958
Dauphine-Gordini. When Renault UK Ltd
assembled 750s in the UK at Acton to
conform to governmental ‘original
content’ requirements in order to avoid
penal import duties, it utilised British
sourced parts (bumpers, wheels, tyres,
seats, glass, electrical accessories and
dials/gauges) wherever and whenever it
was commercially advantageous to do so.
Accordingly, the presence of a dynamo
and cut-out box from L*c*s and an
ignition coil from AC-D*l*o (alias ‘the
General’) was not too great a deviation
from originality. The 1957 Dauphine
starter casing enclosed the 6v. innards
from a 1949 760 unit and the modified
1960 standard Dauphine silencer was held
onto the exhaust manifold with a clamp
from an 8 and the tailpipe sported a nonstandard trim.
The
(standard)
four-speed
gearbox/differential unit, which replaced
the disgraced transmission, came from a
1959 Dauphine-Gordini and its
incorporation in the puzzle was possible,
because the car ’s original rear cross
member had been ditched in favour of the
standard ‘Aerostable’ unit with ‘settled’
springs, from a 1959/1960 Dauphine. The
front king pin/stub axle assemblies came
off a 1963 Gordini (R1095), in
consequence of which the brakes at the
sharp end were discs (from a 1964 81100) with an 8 caliper on one side and a
10 caliper on the other (!), the master
cylinder being from a 1963 Gordini (a
version with disc brakes, of course). The
rear drum brakes were retained (because
they were part of the above-mentioned
cross member transplant), as was the
original 750 handbrake mechanism, which
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O N M AT T E R S 4 C V A N D 7 5 0
was possible through the replacement
engine’s sump having given best to an
original 750 unit, of which the requisite
triangulation piece formed an intrinsic
part.
retaining their original 6v motors,
controlled by rheostats, both the heater
and the windscreen wipers could be
operated at infinitely variable speeds
(within reason).
The car ’s original standard rack-and
pinion steering box was retained, but,
because of the uprating of the front
suspension (see above), the track rods
were of the Dauphine type. The 1968 8
Gordini 1300 15” x 4.5J slotted steel
wheels were shod with 145 Michelin ‘X’
tyres and it will be seen, from the
photographs of the vehicle, as finally
handed back to John, that these were
returned to ‘my stock’ and John’s original
(non-slotted, plate) wheels, complete with
‘Ace’ Rimbellishers and standard nave
plates, were refitted.
The Cibie headlamps (of unknown
vintage) were original 750 units (with
their infamous ‘glow-worm’ baton bulb
sidelight slots in the main reflectors
below the main bulbs) and 1968 4
Fourgon amber winkers adorned the front
panel. The original rear lamps were
replaced by units from a 1966 Four and
the necessary pulsed light from these units
and the front amber ones, in conjunction
with that part of original rear quarter-light
‘Dumbo’ lights operating as winkers
(which retained the separate parking light
function) were all activated by a 1963
Gordini
flasher unit.
The number
plate
light
came from a
1960
Dauphine, the
modified
battery clamp
from a 1967
(Dauphine)
Gordini and
the horns from
a
1970
10/1300.
With such a major parts’ reshuffle, it is
not surprising that the electrics needed
considerable thought and modification,
which was all John’s department, because
car electrics are a foreign language to me.
The whole system was up-rated to 12
volts (clearly, it was originally a sixvolter) and this necessitated changing the
dynamo (although I do not recall from
which ‘other ’ Renault this component
was ‘lifted’, but it then utilised a belt
from a ‘Noddy’), the cut-out box, the
carburettor (originally a 6v electric
automatic unit), all the bulbs, the horns
and the flasher unit, and the fitting of
rheostats for the heater fan and
windscreen wipers (which used 1960
Gordini De Luxe arms and blades). By
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The
description
mentioned the
bodywork’s
impeccable, mirror like finish, which
allusion was meant to be ‘a funny’;
indeed, this titivation had been achieved
with four quids’ worth of midnight-blue
‘Valspar’ (a brand of paint, which was
much in vogue at the time amongst les
bricoleurs for brush-finishing one’s own
‘creation’, primarily because even an idiot
could achieve a reasonable finish with it)
and a dollar ’s worth (US$1 = five
shillings = 25p) of horse’s fly swatter
(natural bristle paint brush). The vehicle
was completely under sealed (including
the wheel arches) with ‘Adup Bronze’,
apart from the floor pan, which was
coated with ‘Supertrol’. The description
also mentioned that ‘a modicum of
‘Isopon’ (the plastic body filler of the
period) might be detected....’, which was
probably the understatement of the year.
The only non-Renault parts in the whole
shebang were the external wing mirrors,
the electric windscreen washer blisters,
the tow bar, the reversing light, the
dashboard switches, the auxiliary fog and
spot lamps, the retractable radio aerial and
the period (valved) radio/speaker units,
the dynamo and cut-out box, the ignition
coil, the carburettor pancake air filter, the
magnetic dipstick, the battery and the
tyres.
The written synopsis concluded - ‘The car
is owned by John Kirsch (longest-joined
ROC member) and was amalgamated over
a period of time by Hector MackenzieWintle (second-longest-joined ROC
member). Henceforward, it will be used
for commuting, for shopping and as a
rescue tender for towing ditched gliders’.
I should explain here that, upon his
retirement to Salisbury, John was able to
indulge his passion for gliding at a local
airfield.
One thing is certain - one needed to retain
a sense of humour when juggling that
little lot around...
Well, Mr. Editor, you asked for
contributions, so, for better or for worse,
this has been mine and I think it is fitting
that it should be dedicated to the late John
Kirsch (he stands beside the car in the
final photograph), who passed away in the
early days of this century, having been a
member of the ROC for nearly fifty years.
In the mid Fifties, he was a very active
ROC Honorary Competitions’ Secretary
and his enthusiasm and devotion to duty
enabled our club to receive affiliation to
the Motor Sport Division of the RAC (as
it was in those days), so that we could
obtain a permit to run competitive events
(primarily rallies) on open roads, in those
distant days of yesteryear, when such
things were the stuff of amateur motor
clubs’ competition life. Thank you, John,
for all your enthusiasm over the years and
here’s to you!
Vive la puce de Billancourt! (Long live
Billancourt’s flea!)
Hector Mackenzie-Wintle
FOOTMAN JAMES
dard:
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RENOTES MAGAZINE
17
5
R E N A U LT P E O P L E
Renault People
L
ast May, one of the most
important figures in the history
of Alpine, Étienne Desjardins,
went to join his boss, Jean
Rédélé. He was hired into the Grands
Garages de Normandie in Dieppe in 1949,
when he was 22, having worked previously,
since he left school, in the maritime
industry, a major economic force in the
area. To start with, he worked in the spares
department, of which he quickly rose to be
the head, and this brought him into close
contact with Jean, who was rallying a tuned
4CV at that time.
Appreciating his qualities of loyalty, of
sensitiveness, of firmness and of devotion
to duty, Rédélé invited him in 1956 to
transfer over to the fledgling Alpine
business, which was starting up the
production of Jean Gessalin's 4CV-based
'special' as the Alpine A-106. With the
increase in business due to the Alpine A108 and the following rapid expansion
resulting from the popularity of the Alpine
A-110, Desjardins was appointed
executive director in 1962. The assembly
of the new cars in Dieppe's tiny Rue
Pasteur premises and the location of the
marque's commercial office in Paris' Rue
Forest ensured that Desjardins was in
regular contact with the firm's founder.
These two men grew ever closer and, in
1968, when Rédélé wanted to build a new
factory, Desjardins was charged
additionally with setting it up; upon
completion, he was appointed managing
director of the company, which then
18
RENOTES MAGAZINE
RENOTES MAGAZINE
employed over 700 people, including
those on the Thiron-Gardais site.
However, when Renault took a significant
financial interest in Alpine, it replaced
Desjardins with Jacques Thorinet,
whereupon Rédélé offered his old friend a
position in another of his companies,
RDL, and also sponsored him for the local
chamber of commerce, where he served
until his retirement in 1996. The acme of
discretion, he never spoke about the pain,
which his exit from Alpine, had caused
him.
In many ways, Desjardins was very like
Rédélé, for he was courteous and
reserved, and he had a profound respect
for those with whom he worked and
whom he directed. Like Rédélé, he always
dressed immaculately. His deteriorating
health did not permit him to attend the
funeral of his friend and his boss, which
caused him great distress. In short, he was
a real gentleman and we are unlikely to
see many of his ilk again.
In the following month, José Rosinski, the
journalist, tester and racing driver
eventually succumbed to a long illness.
He started rallying in 1958 at the wheel of
various makes, but moved on to circuit
racing in 1961, driving a Cooper Formula
Junior, in which he finished as runner-up
to Jo Schlesser in that season's French
Championship. The following year, Jabby
Crombac, who had just founded 'Sport
Auto', the French equivalent of
'Autosport', persuaded Rosinski to
become its chief road tester alongside his
motorsport activities. Through his
journalism, he met Jean Rédélé, who
persuaded him to join the Alpine team,
where he quickly became competitions
director. Accompanied by Michèle
Dubosc, he promptly won the Rally of the
Lions at the wheel of an Alpine A-110,
thereby giving the model its first major
competition victory, and, by the end of the
season, he had won the French Circuit
Championship in an Alpine M63
prototype.
The collaboration was short and sweet
and, by 1965, he had returned to
journalism, although he bade farewell to
circuit racing in 1967, by partnering Henri
Grandsire in the 1300cc class-winning
Alpine A-210 at that year's 24 Hours Le
Mans Race. Thereafter, he was the 'AutoMoto' presenter for the TV station, TF-1,
and a commentator on Formula 1 Grands
Prix. He became editor-in-chief of 'Sport
Auto' and, finally, of 'Auto Journal'. He
retired in 1994 and devoted himself to the
promotion of the Bugatti EB110 and to
testing and writing for 'Auto Rétro'.
It was a shock to learn of the early
retirement on his 59th birthday of Tim
Jackson, the director of Press & Public
Relations at Renault UK Limited, at the
beginning of August. His career
commenced with 'The Worksop Guardian'
in 1972 and, from the start of the Eighties,
he spent five years with the AA's 'Drive'
magazine, before moving to the position
of Manager of Public Relations
(previously held by Alan Dakers) and of
Motorsport at Renault's Acton
headquarters in 1986. He became Press &
PR Manager in 1990 and, in 2001, Press
& PR Director, when he also joined the
board of directors of Renault UK. He is
succeeded in these positions by his righthand man, Jeremy Townsend.
Tim was constantly surprised that he was
paid for what he loved to do and he
thrived on the logistics, which
accompanied the release of new Renault
models. Also, he was often to be seen
R E N A U LT P E O P L E A N D A R O U N D T H E C L U B S
around the UK circuits, wherever Renault
supported promotional motor racing
formulae - with Fives or Superfives or
Clios or Lagunas or Méganes or single
seaters or whatever - as well as at
Formula 1 Grand Prix', in which Renault
vehicles featured, and he was passionate
about this side of his job.. His burly
figure, his blond hair, his blue eyes, his
ready smile and his kindly words were
known to and appreciated by a large
number of competitors in the Renault
supported promotional formulae.
But Tim is a diabetic and, recently, the
demands of his hectic occupation have
greatly exacerbated the seriousness of his
condition to the point where the quality of
his life has been physically impoverished.
He came to feel that he was unable to
maintain the high standards, which he had
always set himself, and so, with the very
greatest reluctance, he took the decision
to hand in his keys to the executive rest
room. The Renault Owners' Club is
extremely grateful to Tim for being an
unstinting supporter of its activities for
more than two decades and our committee
and our members in general wish Tim a
fulfilling and long retirement, during
which his health will have an ample
opportunity to improve. Therefore, it is
greatly to be hoped that we shall have the
pleasure of seeing his familiar figure
amongst the crowds of Renault
enthusiasts at WSRs and at Renaultsupported motorsport events for many
years to come. Hector Mackenzie-Wintle
Editors Note, the first picture of Tim
presented was taken during a Renault
press event with the Renault Le Mans
Replica Racing Car. Tim is the gentleman
pushing on the rear of the car closest to
the camera. Tim was probably one of the
people behind my involvement in the
Renault Club as I knew him years
previously and had been to a number of
events with him including “chauffeuring”
around on London to Brighton rides as I
trailed the Renaults on the event.
Around the Clubs
O
nce again, the ROC sends
many thanks to those clubs,
which make available online
or send to the ROC copies of
their magazines, in order to keep our
mutual enthusiasm well and truly alight.
The front cover of the RCCC's 'La
Renault' (No. 39/July 2011) carries a
superb photograph of a red (with cream
top) Renault Frégate, one of more than
thirty examples to be seen at Mantes La
Jolie this year, at which there was a
celebration of the 60th anniversary of this
much overlooked model in la Régie's
history. Robin Redrup's traditional 4CV
and 750 spot opens with news of the
writing-off of his first 4CV restoration,
consequent upon a serious accident to its
current owner and his passenger (both
have survived). He also mentions (and
shows photographs of) Dauphines,
Caravelles and Sixteens, plus he offers a
photoshoot of a selection of Renaults at
the Reims Show, which he attended.
James Polden from New Zealand writes
about and illustrates his one day 'flying
nutter' visit from (Kiwi) Christchurch to
the well-attended Renault get-together in
Australia's Brisbane (see last issue of
RENOTES) and Derek Flavell offers his
traditional commentary on matters
Renault Four, flavoured with a run-down
on progress with his upspecced Renault
12 Estate and an encouragement to
participate in the Thenay Renault 4's 50th
Anniversary celebrations in July. Rob
Moss reports on (and illustrates) an
abortive attempt to purchase an
immaculate, low mileage, white Renault 4
'Clan' discovered during a break in
Normandy (why are we not surprised at
such a refusal?) and there is a brief profile
on Renault's Eight and Ten. Ian Waters
harks back to his 'Renault Dauphine
Memories', followed by a precis of Steven
Weinburg's 'Journey around the world' (in
a 4CV); then comes a further instalment
of Dave Wheeler's comments on his
various rwd Renaults and all this is
rounded off with an 'Important Fuel News'
item from the FBHVC. The last two pages
offer a selection of photos taken by editor,
Fred Parker, at February's Parisian
Rétromobile exhibition, which celebrated
'50 years of the Renault 4', and an Events
Calendar. Thanks to the RCCC for
another well-illustrated, good read.
The June 2011 edition of 'La
Renaultsance' from the Renault Car Club
of the South Island, New Zealand, reports
at length on the club's Easter break,
reviews the new Renault Scenic 1.6 dCi
130 Dynamique Tom Tom, overviews
Renault's forthcoming product offensive
in India and marvels at Renault's project
(in association with Gestamp Solar) to
cover all its French factories' roofs with
solar cells to provide a huge chunk of its
own facilities' power requirements, this
being by far the largest such project in the
world. A good, varied read with a clear
font - most enjoyable.
RENOTES MAGAZINE
19
5
AROUND THE CLUBS
No. 196 of 'Renograaaf' from our friends,
the Club d'anciennes Renault des Pays
Bas (CAR), has a cracker of a cover - a
green with a full, white, folding fabric
hood Renault Dauphine (yes, really!),
with chromed rear bootlid luggage rack
and chromed long hinges, front bonnet
cental moulding and whitewall tyres (on
'star' wheels), a fine tribute to Parisian
coachbuilder, Henri Chapron, who made a
number (10?) of such conversions in the
Sixties. The magazine internals are up to
the club's usual brilliant standard and
include an extensive, illustrated report on
the club's 'ALV Weekend', the restoration
by (lucky!) Wim Tack of the car on the
front cover, Hans Visser's report on
another large meet, Haico Zijlstra's
illustrated article on some Renaults (4,5
and 12) seen in Jordan, a visit to Renault's
Georges Besse factory at Douai, the
rescue of a 4CV for restoration by Jeroen
Berntsen (the magazine's editor), details
for the forthcoming 'Summer Sunday at
Achterheok', Peter Kwisthout's technical
slot (on aluminium, this time), club shop
news (including a picture of the two
newly produced fibreglass [goodbye,
rust!] front quarter/wings for the 4CV and
its new, illustrated June 2011 parts
catalogue), events' list, a report on the
Dutch celebrations of the Four's 50th
anniversary and the always-interesting
'For Sale' and 'Wanted' page (oh, for some
spare cash to splash out!). Sadly, one page
is devoted to the unexpected passing of
4CV-owning Rob Wassenaar, a longtime
club enthusiast. This magazine is an
unfailingly good read with peerless
presentation and it is clearly a labour of
great love.
Thanks to the availability of a new,
wireless colour printer, we have now
downloaded for updating the Club's
archives, hard copies of Nos. 97 (Fall
2010), 98 (Winter 2011) and 99 (Spring
2011) of ROCoNA's "Renault News", the
latter having only just become available
towards the end of July. With RENOTES
20
RENOTES MAGAZINE
RENOTES MAGAZINE
(June-July 2011/Issue 2) also lagging
behind a little, there appears to be an
epidemic of hiccoughs in Renaultland
(only joshing, guys!). No. 97's cover is
graced by an immaculate red Renault 10,
sporting one of our ROC's 1st series (circa
1956) red club badges in the centre of the
front bumper (!) and a tricouleur flag in
the hands of a smiling lady, whom we
presume to be the proud owner of the car,
but whose name is not mentioned in the
'Best of France and Italy 2010 Show'
report. Other material includes a report on
the 'Bay to Birdwood Run' by Australian
member, Col Redwood, (whose starwheel,
cream 4CV made it to the 10-strong
concours final - well done!), a review of a
1937 Simca Gordini (?) in the Lane Motor
Museum, Alpines at the Glen (Elkhart
Lake) by Brad Stevens (who represents
the American Alpine A-310 Club in
ROCoNA), a visit to a 'serious' Renault
enthusiast's hoard of slowly deteriorating
5 Le Cars, Fuegos and 17s on a remote
farm, guarded by an army of cats, a tour
of the famous Route 66 with a microcar
club, an attendance at a Detroit car
auction (where, amongst other vehicles,
the very first and still mint AMC Alliance
[alias Americanised Renault 9] made an
impressive $5400 and probably went to
the Lane Motor Museum), another
instalment of Steven Weinberg's Round
the World Tour with his 4CV (the Little
One), a report by Roy Smith on the Le
Mans Classic for 2010 (wherein a
significant number of Alpine 200-series
participated) , followed, finally, by a look
back at the World Meet 2010, organised to
celebrate Ken & Sylvia Weger's Micro
Car Museum, and which saw the
participation of James Bond's light
metallic blue 'chopped top' Renault 11,
featuring in the film of Ian Fleming's "A
view to kill". A cornucopia of
Renaultiana, indeed.
No. 98 tells of a re-visit to the Lane
Motor Museum, where some ROCoNA
members were taken behind the scenes,
and there is also a report on a rally, which
took place around that museum and for
which event one could hire an unusual car
(such as a Honda Beat, a Renault Mégane
RS, a Tatra 602, a Renault 4 or one of
many other uncommon machines). There
was also an illustrated review of the new
Renault Mégane CC 'Floride' and of the
Renault DeZir dream car. The Renault 4's
50th birthday warranted an in-depth
review and the story of the sad and
unexpected death of a rusty Renault
Encore was related. A further instalment
of Stephen Weinberg's 4CV journey
preceded the story of a 4CV restoration
(the vehicle was nicknamed 'Smile Car' by
its proud owner and restorer [clubman
Louis Clemen], because it caused so many
passers-by to smile, as it wended its
gentle way), which was followed by a
short illustrated commentary on the
restoration of a Renault (R-1134) Gordini
1100 and the tale of the restoration and
considerable pepping-up of a 'Ventoux'
engine (but into what vehicle was this
marvel to be inserted?).
Next came the sobering tale by Jesse
Patton (the club's Inter-Clubs' Liaison
Officer and long-time acquaintance to us
here, in the ROC) of a thought-to-be barn
find Renault Alliance, which turned out to
be a total wild goose-chase, followed by a
mention of Roy Smith winning a Guild of
Motoring Writers' award for his Alpine
and Renault books, and, finally, an article
on the RACP (Renault Alliance Club
Passion), which is the French club
devoted to the AMC/Renault Alliance and
which is now hooking up more closely
with the ROCoNA.
No. 99 starts with two separate articles by
editor, Marvin McFalls, on the Willys
Interagos, the Alpine A-108/110 series
made in Brazil, which are followed by a
celebratory article on the Renault
Alliance's 30th anniversary. A second
article on two Alliances focuses, firstly,
on a brief history of the Renault Alliance
in the United States and, secondly, on the
later, very successful Renault-Nissan
Alliance, which continues to show the
world how such hook-ups should be
carried forward. A three-page illustrated
article on a visit to Flins, by Filip Van Der
Beken (very interesting) follows and a
five-page illustrated report on Carlisle
2011 (a massive car show) by Marvin
comes next. Sharon Desplaines (who took
AROUND THE CLUBS
her recently repaired 4CV along) then
reports - with photographs - on the 31st
Annual Southwest Unique Little Car
Show and Francisco Miranda adds two
articles - a three-page illustrated report on
the various Mexican Renault and Alpine
clubs' invitation to participate in the
Jaguar Club's 25th Concours d'Elegance
at Huixquilucan and the 2nd Annual
Renault Frères Meeting. This edition
closes with an illustrated Dauphine
restoration article by Aussie, Norman
Godfrey, and a selection of Fuego
photographs, sent to Marvin by returned
to- France (from Reddings, CA) member ,
Albert Nawrot. All in all, a
thoroughgoing, illustrated update of what
Renault and Alpine enthusiasts - despite
the often huge distances involved between
rendezvous' - are doing in North and
Central America to keep the flag flying.
Very satisfying and ROCoNA's No.100
milestone edition is awaited with
impatience!
Congratulations to Club Alpine Renault
(GB)! The 50th edition of its 'Le Journal'
dropped through the archival letterbox
recently. This year sees the 20th birthday
of the Alpine A-610 Turbo and the editor,
Tim Jeffrey, owns an example carrying
the registration plate M1 6TEN, so it is
not surprising that much of the content is
devoted to this model. There is also a
report on the first Donington Historic
Festival, an article by Roy Smith on the
ex-Ian Anderson Alpine A-110 1600S,
now in the hands of Don Webster, living
in an Auckland (New Zealand) suburb,
which carries the registration plate
'ALPEEN' and is rallied by its proud
owner, a reprint of an article on the Alpine
marque, which first appeared in 'Car &
Car Conversions' (May 1972), a report on
this year's 'La Vie en bleu' event at
Prescott and the resurrection of an article
by clubman John Sweet from 'Le Journal'
(April 1997/Issue 18), which focuses on
the successful participation at Le Mans by
the Legay Alpine A-610 in 1994, amongst
much else in this edition. It's great to
receive a further issue of such a
professional, clear typeface, well
illustrated magazine majoring on Renault
based hardware - long may it continue to
thrive!
the new Renault Energy dCi 130turbodiesel engine and there follows a
report on the new speed record for the
Nürburgring circuit established by the
new Renault Mégane RS Trophy (a record
previously held by the earlier model
Renault Mégane R26.R). To keep Renault
enthusiasts aware of the latest Renault
models available on the German market,
there is an overview of the Twingo (2)
'Miss Sixty' limited edition, of the 'Yahoo'
editions of Clio and Modus, of the
Mègane Coupé Monaco GT and RS
Trophy, of the TomTom editions of the
Mégane and Scénic, of the Laguna Coupè,
of the updated Koleos (a nice new front,
but will it ever be sold on the UK market,
from which the first phase was
withdrawn, because of slow sales?) and of
the latest version of Master. This edition
closes with a two-page spread on Renault
competition cars at the Nürburgring and a
similar spread listing all the D'ARC
participating Renault clubs in Germany.
Thank you once again, club friends, for
your continuing co-operation. Á bientôt!
D'ARC's 'Rhombus' (Ausgabe 2/2011)
also clattered through your reviewer's
letterbox and this magazine is always a
newsful read, this edition being fronted
with a picture of Renault's Frendzy
concept car, which is reviewed across six
Hector Mackenzie-Wintle.
internal pages. Michael Fischer pens a
five page history of
the
anonymous
Renault 9 (saloon)
and 33 (yes, 33) of
the German Renault
clubs, belonging to
D'ARC, send in
LOOKING FOR DISCOUNT RENAULT PARTS ?
reports of their
Then you’ve just found your answer !!!
activities over the
next 82 pages (
new, there's Renault
We provide quality replacement parts from major European component companies,
and
Alpine
including many of the original parts suppliers to Renault
enthusiasm
for
you!). There is a
x Purflux - Air, Oil, Fuel and Cabin filters
considerable focus
x Valeo
- Clutches, Lighting, Braking, Cooling & Wiping
x Dayco - Timing & auxillary belts
therein on the
x TRW
- Brake discs, Pads, Shoes & Cylinders.
Renault Four's 50th
x Marelli - Lighting, Pumps & Electrical.
anniversary and
x Delphi - Diesel filters & Diesel related products
x NGK
- Spark plugs, Glow plugs & Lambda sensors
there are various
club 'takes' on this
year's German WSR Specialists in Pierburg EGR valves
x WINDOW REGULATORS
GREAT PRICES
x REAR DISC ASSEMBLIES
event
at
the
x SERVICE KITS
Nürburgring, but
x 1.6 16v COILS
x TIMING BELT KITS
the social side of
those organisations'
A FAMILY RUN BUSINESS FOR 26 YEARS
life also receives
good coverage(and
EXTRA DISCOUNT FOR CLUB MEMBERS
photos!). 'For Sale'
and
'Wanted'
Current Club Code for EXTRA 5% Discount
precede a review of
roc76481aa (in lowercase)
www.widaonline.co.uk
RENOTES MAGAZINE
21
5
M O D E R N - R E N A U LT P R E S S R E L E A S E S
A
ffordability reigns at Renault
as Pzaz lines up next to
IMusic.
• Two new limited editions, Pzaz and
IMusic, available now across several
models in Renault range
• Customer savings of £1,000 to £1,600
available on selected Pzaz models at
participating dealers. £6,795 on Twingo,
from £7,795 on Clio and £9,995 on
Mégane
• I-Music available on Clio, Mégane and
Scénic ranges, starting at £11,405 on-the
road.
Renault has always been known for
adding a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ to its
cars through design flair and
technological know-how. It has come up
trumps again with the introduction of its
two latest limited editions, entry-level
Pzaz, and the ever-popular I-Music, with
prices starting at £6,795.
The Pzaz range is the most affordable way
into a new Renault, with prices for the
Twingo 1.2 16V 75 starting at only
£6,795, thanks to a current £1,000
customer saving at participating dealers.
The Twingo Pzaz comes with 4x20W
RDS CD MP3 audio system and electric
windows, sports style front bumper,
height adjustable steering wheel and
remote central door locking. There’s also
the option of paying for three years’
servicing upfront for just £199.
Moving up in size, the Clio Pzaz is
available in either three- or five-door
guise with the same 1.2 16V 75 engine,
priced at an equally palatable £7,995 or
£8,595, again, given the current customer
saving of £1,000 at participating dealers.
The Clio Pzaz comes with everything
needed to enjoy stylish, practical and
affordable motoring, including 4x20W
CD MP3 player with fingertip control,
AUX input and front electric windows. It
also comes with striking 15-inch wheel
trims, front side airbags, white interior
touches and remote central locking.
22
RENOTES MAGAZINE
RENOTES MAGAZINE
The last of the four models in the Pzaz
line-up is the Mégane Hatch. Powered by
the 1.6 100 engine, it features 15-inch
wheel trims, 4x15W radio CD MP3 player
with AUX input, air conditioning, ESC
(Electronic Stability Control), electrically
adjustable heated door mirrors, front
driver and passenger airbags, all for less
than £10,000. £9,995 to be precise, once
more due to a healthy customer saving,
this time £1,600.
For customers seeking even more
equipment and style, Renault has also
brought back its desirable, and similarly
attractively priced, I-Music limited
edition range. A hit with price-conscious
buyers several months ago, the tempting
mid-range offering features air
conditioning, alloy wheels, front fog
lights, Bluetooth™ and MP3 connectivity
across several models, where it is not
already standard fitment: three- and five
door versions of Clio, Mégane Coupé and
Hatch, and Scénic and Grand Scénic.
In keeping with its current Va Va Voom ad
campaign featuring Rihanna, the Clio
IMusic 1.2 16V 75 is priced at just £159
per month on Renault Selections, with
£159 deposit. Prices start at £11,405 for
the three-door 1.2 16V 75, rising to
£13,800 for the five-door 1.5 dCi 88.
The Mégane Hatch I-Music 1.6 100,
costing £16,010 on-the-road, comes
brimming with 17-inch alloys, radio with
multi-functional tunepoint/USB input and
Bluetooth™ connectivity, plus the must
have hands-free keycard. It is also
available for an enticing £229 per month
with £229 deposit, based on 44 months.
Its curvaceous Coupé sister, is priced
from £16,815, or £249 per month with the
same deposit.
Last, but by no means least, the I-Music
range extends to the family-friendly
Scénic range. Starting at £17,115, it
comes specified to the same high
equipment levels, with 17” alloy wheels,
extra tinted windows and tailgate, with
prices rising to £21,200 for Grand Scénic
fitted with the award-winning new 1.6 dCi
130 Stop-Start engine. Finance offers for
the Scénic I-Music range start with the 1.6
VVT 110 available at £289 per month,
with only £289 deposit.
As Renault continues to be recognised for
its reliability and quality strides, the brand
has not lost sight of the appeal of its
M O D E R N - R E N A U LT P R E S S R E L E A S E S
affordable cars, especially in the current
economic climate, making the French
marque the first choice for many
considering their “61” plate car.
on a single charge, and costs from only
£6,690 including VAT. Its monthly battery
hire cost is £40 including VAT for a three
year and 4,500 miles per year agreement.
RENAULT LEADS THE WAY AT
ECOVELOCITY
EcoVelocity is a four-day event being
held at Battersea Power Station in London
to enable the general public to get behind
the wheel of a variety of ecological cars
all in one place. While they are there,
visitors will get to look around static
display vehicles such as Renault’s own
Fluence Z.E. saloon and Kangoo Van
Z.E., the world’s first electric van
produced by a mass-market manufacturer,
as well as drive them around the show’s
dedicated 0.8 mile long test circuit.
Whilst undertaking official launch duties
today at EcoVelocity, London Mayor
Boris Johnson swapped his usual pedal
power for an equally emission-free mode
of transport today, as he test drove
Renault’s 100% electric Fluence Z.E.
saloon to lead the opening parade.
The Mayor led a pack of electric and low
carbon vehicles around the green
motoring festival’s dedicated test circuit
in the UK’s most affordable electric car,
Renault’s stylish, five-seat Fluence Z.E as
it made its UK public show debut. The
Mayor Boris Johnson was at the event
promoting his Source London network of
charge points and membership scheme.
Source London is the capital's charging
network boasting 200 points and with
plans for 1300 by 2013. The Mayor also
announced that EcoVelocity customers
would receive a discount £10 Source
London membership rate over the course
of the event, saving £90.
Mayor Boris Johnson, said: 'I was
delighted to try out one of Renault's
electric vehicles and glide it silently
around the EcoVelocity test track. Trying
out cutting edge vehicle technology is
what Europe's largest green car show is
all about. To help people opt for a greener
motor, my Source London electric charge
point scheme is being showcased here
too.'
The Fluence Z.E. is a four-door saloon
that goes on sale in the UK during the
first half of 2012, priced from only
£17,850 on-the-road, after the deduction
of the £5,000 Plug-In Car Grant.
Renault’s innovative strategy of allowing
its Z.E. owners to hire the lithium-ion
battery to keep the upfront cost of its
products as affordable to all as possible is
already being well received. The idea
removes any anxiety over battery
longevity and replacement cost, and in the
case of Fluence Z.E. means a monthly
hire cost of £69.60 per month including
VAT, based on 9,000 miles per year and a
three-year agreement.
It’s the first electric medium-sized
production saloon and has already caught
the imagination of drivers who want the
practicality and looks of a traditional car,
while running a vehicle that’s economical
and environmentally-friendly.
At the same time, Renault has received
many pre-orders for the Kangoo Van Z.E.
as it has the same carrying capacity
(ranging from 3 to 3.5m3), the same
payload (650kg) and the same high
standard of comfort as the ICE version.
Thierry Sybord said: “As the
manufacturer of the first complete range
of EVs, we’re naturally delighted that
Boris Johnson and Source London took
such an interest in our products and chose
Fluence Z.E. to open the show. Both are
passionate supporters of greener transport
for a cleaner and healthier London, so it
was wonderful to see the Mayor enjoying
his drive of Fluence Z.E. so much. Who
knows, maybe we can tempt him to swap
his bike for a Twizy in the not too distant
future. We’ve already had a huge amount
of interest from customers in our range of
electric vehicles and look forward to even
more after this positive endorsement,
including the next few days at
EcoVelocity itself.”
During his tour of the show, Boris also
spoke to Renault UK’s Managing
Director, Thierry Sybord, on the
company’s plans to support his electric
vehicle vision with its four-strong family
of electric vehicles for the capital and the
rest of the country for the next 12 months,
as well as get his first look at the French
marque’s unique Twizy.
The ideal solution for inner city and
suburban eco-driving, not to mention
parking, Twizy features two seats, one
behind the other, a range of up to 62 miles
RENOTES MAGAZINE
23
5
M O TO R S P O RT
R
ed Bull Racing-Renault secures
1-2 result in thrilling Belgium
Grand Prix.
Red Bull Racing, powered by the Renault
RS27 engine, secured victory in today’s
Belgium Grand Prix following a thrilling
race. Sebastian Vettel took the win from
pole position, marking his 7th victory of
the season and his 17th career win.
Vettel’s team-mate Mark Webber took
second position to give the RS27 its
second 1-2 result of the year.
Lotus Renault GP put another RS27 into
the points, with Vitaly Petrov taking ninth
position overall. Bruno Senna started his
first race for the team from an impressive
seventh, but finished in 13th following a
first lap incident that dropped him back
down the field.
Team Lotus achieved a further double
finish, with Jarno Trulli 14th and Heikki
Kovalainen 15th.
The victory is the first Renault engine win
at Spa since 1995 and its 137th win in F1.
It also maintains Renault Sport F1’s
unbroken record of having at least one
engine partner on the podium so far this
season.
Key race weekend points:
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing achieved the perfect
result, with Sebastian Vettel winning from
pole position ahead of Mark Webber.
After a good start, Vettel lost the lead later
on the first lap to Nico Rosberg, but the
reigning world champion was able to
retake the lead using DRS on lap three.
He then extended his lead until an early
pit stop just three laps later. Alonso and
Hamilton looked strong, moving into the
top spots over Rosberg after Vettel pitted,
but the early stop allowed Vettel to stay
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ahead when the McLaren and Ferrari
came in for new tyres. Vettel soon retook
the lead from Rosberg with an incredible
pass through the fast Blanchimont corner.
When the safety car was deployed after
Hamilton’s crash Vettel made a further
stop, which put him behind Alonso, but
the German was able to move back in
front when the racing resumed. Mark
Webber fell back to eighth after a slow
start, but an early pit stop and good
strategy put him back into the top three.
The Australian’s pace on this final stint
allowed him to squeeze past Alonso in a
bold move through Eau Rouge. Alonso
did retake the position but Webber moved
back in front on lap 37 and extended a gap
over the Spaniard, who was then passed
by Button with two laps to go. Red Bull
leads the constructors’ championship by
131 points, and now sits 1-2 in the
drivers’ championship. Vettel has 259
points to Webber’s 167, with Alonso now
third with 157 points.
the Ferrari of Felipe Massa past. The team
remains fifth in the constructors’
championship.
Lotus Renault GP
Heikki Kovalainen put Team Lotus
through to Q2 for the second time this
year, qualifying in 16th position after a
strong performance in the drying session.
As a result of the incidents further up the
grid, he and Jarno Trulli made contact at
the first corner and Heikki required a new
nose cone. Using a three stop strategy the
Finn was able to move back up into 15th
at the end of the race. Jarno Trulli had a
quick start from just behind Heikki on the
grid, but the floor of his car was slightly
damaged in the incident shortly after the
green light. A canny drive and quick pit
stops also enabled him to finish a strong
14th.
Bruno Senna made his race debut for
Lotus Renault GP this weekend alongside
Vitaly Petrov. The Brazilian put in an
impressive performance in qualifying, not
only making the grade for Q3 but securing
seventh position; the best qualifying
position for the team since the Spanish
Grand Prix. Unfortunately an incident
with the Toro Rosso of Jaime Alguersuari
at the first corner caused damage to the
front wing and required a pit stop, with a
drive through penalty subsequently given
for the offence. He dropped almost to the
rear of the field and then concentrated on
finishing the race to gain as much mileage
as possible. He crossed the line in 13th.
Vitaly Petrov made it a double Q3
performance for the team, with a starting
position of 10th. He stayed clear of the
first lap incidents and employed a two
stop strategy to finish in ninth overall.
The Russian was looking good for eighth
but a brake issue on the final lap allowed
Team Lotus
Rémi Taffin, head of Renault Sport F1
track operations, gives his views on the
race weekend:
Spa is a circuit that puts very high
demands on the engines, with the throttle
wide open for more than 70% of the
7.004km lap. A good top speed is
M O TO R S P O RT
therefore crucial here, but correct
calibration of seventh gear to get a rapid
acceleration down the long straights is
equally important. Responsiveness out of
the hairpin and chicane also add to the
difficulty of preparing this race. Given the
challenges this track presents it’s a really
good feeling to have this 1-2 result as it
shows the engine can deliver performance
without compromising on the driveability.
Renault Clio Williams – Maybe?
The following article has been doing the
rounds but has not been confirmed
although the tie in with Williams Renault
has been. Many enthusiasts would be glad
to see another one but balance their
enthusiasm to see a true Renault Clio
Williams with a dread that it will just be a
rebadged production model. It may even
turn out to be a fake especially when
matched against some of the sources
announcing it and their past unreliability.
The original Williams Clio was built to
homologate a rally car and had
significantly more power and better
suspension than anything before. The
logical choice would be to run this as the
last performance upgrade of the Clio III
and with 800BHP possible from the 2.0
Litre F1 Engine - the original Clio
Williams being 2.0LLitre there is plenty
of scope for an engine beyond the 200
BHP currently being reached by tuning of
the existing Sports Range - Although
would they want to see a Clio beating the
Megane Sports?
Williams
Renault
Legendry
Partnership Revived for 2012
Clearly this was a good result for Red
Bull Racing, but it was also a promising
weekend for Lotus Renault GP and for
Team Lotus. Bruno had a very strong
debut, with an incredible qualifying
performance. Sadly he could not
capitalise on this in the race, but it does
show that the engine-chassis package still
has a good speed and performance. Vitaly
also gave the team a solid two points in
ninth to extend the gap over Sauber.
Likewise Team Lotus has been strong
over the weekend, particularly in
qualifying, and racing in the midfield.
We’ve got Monza coming up next,
another track that’s very hard on the
engines, with power and acceleration
being key. We’ve shown that the Renault
RS27 can perform, but we need to keep
this rhythm going, not lose focus and
concentrate on delivering the most
competitive units we can to our partners.
Renault Statistics in F1:
137 wins, 188 poles
* including Supertec, Mecachrome and
Playlife statistics²
Renault Sport F1 and Williams F1 are
delighted to announce a long-term
chassis-engine partnership.
Renault Sport F1, the F1TM division of
Renault, will supply AT&T Williams with
its championship-winning V8 power units
for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. In addition
to the supply of its Formula One engines,
the newly-formed co-operation includes
several other exciting business and
marketing opportunities, with a view to
continuing after the introduction of the
new, energy efficient, turbocharged V6
engines in 2014.
The partnership is an exciting opportunity
for both Renault Sport F1 and AT&T
Williams. The original Anglo-French
partnership enjoyed a hugely successful
association between 1989 and 1997,
yielding four Drivers’ and five
Constructors’ titles and 63 race wins. It
also produced some of the most evocative
images of the 1990s, including Nigel
Mansell’s British Grand Prix win in 1992;
Alain Prost’s fourth world title and the
classic duels between Damon Hill,
Jacques Villeneuve and Michael
Schumacher.
Renault Sport F1 president, Bernard Rey,
commented, “Renault remains in Formula
One to achieve success in a cost efficient
way and the partnership with Williams
has great potential to add to the results we
have notched up over recent years with
our other partner teams. Williams has
recently taken several important steps,
both commercially and technically, to
update its operations and we feel that this
partnership is another important step in its
rigorous plan. It reiterates how
determined the team is to achieve results,
which matches perfectly with our own
objectives.
“From 2012 onwards the fact that we will
have four partners puts us ahead of other
engine manufacturers in terms of market
share, but off track it will also enable us
to further use Formula One as a marketing
platform for our parent company, Renault,
to try to bring a bit of this association to
our fans and our customers worldwide.
“Of course there’s also a great pride in
reviving the Williams-Renault name.
Together, we produced racing cars that are
recognised for their technical innovation
and it is still Renault’s most successful
period in F1 to date. It’s a hugely exciting
opportunity for both Renault and
Williams.”
Frank Williams, Team Principal of AT&T
Williams, added, “We are delighted and
excited by our new partnership with
Renault. This reunites the F1 team with a
leading
car
manufacturer
and
complements our new relationship with
Jaguar. At the same time, we are grateful
to Cosworth: they have been a fair and
reliable partner both on and off the track
for the past two years and we look
forward to working with them across our
business in the future.
“Our previous relationship with Renault
was one of the most successful in
Williams’ history but we will not allow
ourselves to dwell too much on the past.
We must look to the future and continue
to re-build our on-track reputation, which
I am hopeful that today’s announcement
will help us to do.”
RENOTES MAGAZINE
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25
0 50
B O O K R E P O RT
Au coin du livre
( T h e B o o k N o ok, wher e you can r ead about the best
b o o k s o n R e n a ult)
A
s has been mentioned before,
in this column, we do not
generally review a book,
which deals with a marque
other than Renault (or Alpine or Renault
derivatives), but there's always an
exception to this rule and Serge Bellu's
From Ford to Renault, 40 years of design in
the footsteps of Patrick le Quément is one
(but not the first!) of those very few, which
bucks the trend. In fact, the book in
question is an excellent translation into
English (by David Radclyffe) of the recent,
original French volume (De Simca à
Renault, 40 ans de design sur les pas de
Patrick le Quément @ E58) and carries the
ISBN 2.7268.9573.3. In appearance, this
offering has the appearance of a 'coffee
table book', but, actually, the publisher,
ETAI, presents the reader with a fascinating
and erudite, in-depth education, enclosed in
a square format, 240-page hardback,
enhanced by a large number of interesting
colour photographs and illustrations, all
presented on art quality paper.
The contents include le Quément's
childhood and education in England and
illustrate some of the people and cars,
which fired his inventive imagination.
Amongst the former is Raymond Loewy
(for example) and amongst the vehicles,
there are Voisins, the 'Blue Train' Bentley
Speed Six, Saoutchik's 'Golden Arrow'',
the ultra-rare Bucciali, at least two of
Touring's interpretations on Alfa Romeo
chasses, Pierce Arrow's 'Silver Arrow',
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Marcel Poutout's efforts on Delage
chasses, Bohmann & Schwartz' Phantom
Corsair, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL and
Citroën's DS19, mostly exhibiting
contemporary aerodynamic coachwork.
There is a tranche of text and illustrations
or photographs of Simcas, Fords and
Volkswagens, at which automakers
Patrick le Quément spent parts of his
career, before he moved to Renault, but
the greater part of this book deals with the
latter period.
At Renault, he transformed the general
public's perception of the marque from
one primarily of anonymous and reliable,
small to medium-sized workhorses to one
of daring and innovation. He achieved
this by initiating a string of dream cars,
which he encouraged his talented team to
turn into real show vehicles. This
transition is dealt with extensively in this
book. His flair was not confined to
ethereal 'impossibles', for he was in the
thick of productionising cars, such as the
first Twingo (which project had been
dismissed originally as unachievable) and
the Scénic, to mention but two of the
many outstanding le Quément-influenced
vehicles, which kept the Renault cash
registers ringing profitably for many
years.
It is significant that this visionary's
presence at Renault co-incided with the
commercial far-sightedness of Lévy, of
Schweitzer and of Ghosn to transform
Renault from a large, but essentially
French, passenger car, light vehicle and
lorry producer into a vehicle manufacturer
of international stature, with enviable
alliances across the globe and capable of
competing with the finest in Europe, Asia
and America.
This is one of those unusual books, which
allows a reader to access ideas and
themes, which have shaped the
automobile industry. For example, it is
difficult, if not impossible, to point to any
other manufacturer, which has been able
to develop as integrated and financially
successful a 'monobox' range as Twingo 1,
Scénic and Espace, all of which were of
innovative shape. Moreover, the reader
can assimilate the information either
piecemeal or in one big mouthful, because
each project has its own individuality, yet
contributes to the formation of a coherent
whole, which, thanks to Patrick le
Quément, made Renault the darling of the
motoring press, the envy of other vehicle
manufacturers, a leader in vehicle safety
and the target for a whole generation of
talented designers to aspire to. And that is
praise indeed.
This edition of 'Au coin du livre' may
review but a single title to do with
Renault, but this book may well become,
over time, one of the milestones of its
genre, so get hold of a copy before it is
too late!
Hector Mackenzie-Wintle
This book is available in French at a price
of 53 Euros on France Amazon, in
addition the club has been given a number
of copies translated into English. Because
of the cost of postage and because we
have not got enough for everyone, we
have instead been handing them out to
club members displaying their vehicles at
shows. The who attend the Diamond
Anniversary Meal will get a
complimentary one. If you want a copy of
the book, please send a cheque for £20
payable to the Renault Owners Club to
Malcolm Bailey (Members Only). None
members can purchase a book at £30.
There will also be a link on the website.
All funds to the clubs funds.
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RENOTES MAGAZINE
27
5
H E R I TA G E 7 5 Y E A R S A G O
RENAULT 25 YEARS AGO
R
enault is in the middle of the
greatest struggle, which it has
had to face hitherto, as, despite
stringent measures, it is still
losing money at an alarming rate. With the
resignation under governmental pressure of
PDG Bernard Hanon in January last year,
Georges Besse has taken over the helm and
one of Laurent Fabius' former cabinet
ministers, Louis Schweitzer joins the
organisation's management team. In order
to save the company from bankruptcy,
Besse has to take unpleasant but essential
remedial action and is rewarded by being
shot on November 17 outside his
Montparnasse home by members of Action
Directe, an extremist French political
movement objecting to his austerity
measures, and which espouses international
terrorism, as does the Red Brigade, Italy's
equivalent, and Germany's Baader Meinhof
gang.
Renault increases its pre-tax revenue from
FRF111,382m (for the previous year) to
FRF122,317m and reduces its investments
from FRF7,774m to FRF5,140m, which is
enough to halve its losses from
FRF10,925m to FRF5,542m, so, however
unpalatable it may taste, Besse's medicine
is working, which is a poor consolation to
his grieving family and to the public,
which is generally outraged at his
assassination. His retrenchment includes
selling Renault's stake in Volvo (cars), its
stake in Svenska Renault, its share of
Europcar and its participation in Société
de Fonderie et de Mécanique de l'Est.
Also, he closes down the Mexican plant at
Sahagun, which had been earmarked to
manufacture engines for a major part of
AMC's proposed future expansion, and he
sells off 130.000 square metres of the
company's Billancourt landbank.
The organisation's production, excluding
the contribution of its United States
subsidiary, AMC, is 1,819,255 units, of
which 1,720,145 are cars, 261,637 are
small commercial vehicles and 64.923 are
RVI and Mack trucks. Exclusive of RVI,
698,061 units are assembled outside
France and, of this number, 274,258 are
Spanish, 144,738 are Belgian and 49,843
are Argentine. The range comprises the
Renault 4, the Rodéo 5, the Superfive, the
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9 and 11, the 18 saloon and estate, the 21,
the 25, the Alpine GTA V6, the Jeep CJ
and the Cherokee from AMC, the Express
light van (Extra in the UK), the Trafic and
Master and the RVI and Mack truck
models. Happily, the AQR rating (the
index of production satisfaction) has risen
from 127 to 133 (target 140) since last
year. Renault increases its share of the
French market to 31.5% and changes its
distribution methods, so that, instead of
pumping cars into the sales network
regardless of requirements, a dealer has to
place a specific order two months in
advance, with confirmation one month in
advance, whereafter the vehicle is
delivered to the dealer, hopefully for
immediate sale to an eager customer.
The Renault Express (Extra) is launched
as the commercial version of the
Superfive, of which already one million
(all versions) have been manufactured.
The original Five goes out of production
and the five-door version of the Superfive
comes on stream. The mid-range Renault
21 makes it debut at the March Geneva
Motor Show; both Marcello Gandini (who
worked on the original Renault Five) and
Giorgetto Guigiaro have been consulted
about this car in the first instance and the
latter won the final project. The engineers
and technicians belonging to the major
union spread throughout the Renault
organisation, the CGT, present a BDG
(bas de gamme = entry level) prototype,
the Neutral, which, it is claimed, could be
sold for FRF35,000, this project being
intended to encourage a management
initiative for a new entry-level model in
Renault's range. Unfortunately, the
company simply cannot presently afford
the financial investment required for such
an undertaking, so the challenge is not
taken up and its legitimate heir, the
unforgettable Twingo 1, will not burst
upon the scene until the early years of the
next decade.
In the field of co-operation, Renault
comes to an agreement with Hocechst in
Germany on industrial paint manufacture
and, in February, renews its contract with
Elf. In July, Renault allows Chrysler to
use part of AMC's Kenosha plant for a
period of 27 months. Regrettably,
negotiations with Russia by RenaultAutomation to modernise the aged
Moskvitch plants remain unfulfilled.
Excluding RVI, Renault exports nearly
one million vehicles (to be exact 997,076)
and such sales account for 46% of
Renault's total revenue.
AMC is offering a two
years' interest-free credit to
its customers in an effort to
lift the sales of Alliance
and Encore cars, which
have fallen by 40%,
compared with last year, to
86,000.
Renault's workforce stands
at
196,731
(almost
unchanged from last year), but the
company presses ahead to reduce this
figure (which will be almost 8,000 less
next year). Ten CGT officials are
dismissed, following incidents between
workers and managers at the Billancourt
plant. Individualised salaries are
introduced for 3C-category managers and
engineers and RVI announces 2,624
redundancies. FRF332m is set aside for
personnel training throughout the year, as
Renault pursues a policy of re-educating
its workforce.
Despite the tightening of the corporate
belt, Renault remains in the Formula 1
motorsports scene by supplying its V6
engines to three teams, Ligier (Arnoux
and Lafitte), Lotus (Dumfries and Senna)
and Tyrell (Brundle and Streiff). Lotus
grabs eight pole positions and achieves
two wins for Senna (in Spain and the
United States [Detroit]). In December,
Renault believes that it has also hooked
up as an engine supplier to McLaren, but
existing fuel contracts between the
H E R I TA G E - 7 5 Y E A R S A G O
republic,
François
Mitterand. The French
franc is devalued and a
programme of privatisation
of the state's assets
commences. There are
major changes on French
television, which started
with the birth of Canal Plus
(in 1984) and the
newcomer is now joined by
Channel 5 and Channel
M6.
English team and with lubricant giant,
Shell, scuppers the deal. Moutinho wins
the Portugal Rally in a Renault 5 Turbo
and Ragnotti and Oreille drive to several
Group A wins in their Renault 11 Turbos.
On the French
motoring scene,
the Talbot marque
disappears and its
owner, Peugeot,
wins the World
Rally
Championship.
Raymond Ravanel
(of
Citroën)
becomes head of
the nation's car
industry
association (the CSCA).
the commencement of the Channel
Tunnel's construction. Olof Palme, the
Swedish prime minister, is assassinated.
In Europe, Spain and Portugal join the
EEC, bringing membership up to the
round dozen and the legislation
formalising the single market is signed.
On the international front, war breaks out
between the camps of various political
factions in Lebanon. Russia's Mikhail
Gorbachov puts forward a plan to reduce
the armaments' race. Kurt Waldheim, a
former United Nations Organisation
secretary general, is accused of Nazi
activities during the Second World War
and the writer, Elie Wiesel, is awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize. The infamous
nuclear plant explosion at Chernobyl
(USSR) exposes at least 600,000 victims
to serious radioactivity.
This was Renault in 1986.
At long last, there is agreement between
the British and French governments on
Hector Mackenzie-Wintle
(This information is put together from
material available in the Renault Owners'
Club's archives)
On the cultural side, there are three
outstanding films this year - Jean-Jacques
Anneau's "The name of the rose", Claude
Berri's "Jean de Florette" and Éric
Rohmer's "Le Rayon vert". Simone de
Beauvoir, the famous feminist, dies and
Fernand Braudel's "L'Identité de la
France" is published. The Orsay Museum
and the Cité des Sciences de la Villette
open their doors.
On the science front, the Russians launch
the Mir space station and space probes are
able to track the path of Halley's comet.
There are teething problems with France's
controversial fast-breeder nuclear power
plant, the 'Super-Phénix'.
In everyday French life, the Paris student
demonstrations end in tragedy and the
capital is struck by a wave of terrorist
bombs. Right-wing Jacques Chirac
becomes the new French prime minister,
acting under a left-wing president of the
RENOTES MAGAZINE
29
5
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Rates for colour advertising available on
request.
Cheques should be made payable to the
RenOwners Club Limited and sent with the
advert to: Renotes, Mayhill House, London
Road, Addington, West Malling, Kent ME19
5AN.
The ROC cannot warrant cars or parts
advertised in these columns.
perfectly(sunroof,adjustable
seats
etc.)Voice synthesiser works-made me
jump last week when tail light bulb went!
I'm selling the car as I need something a
bit more economical for everyday
use.Also don't have garage to keep it
in.Will miss it!
Asking
Price
£2000
o.n.o.
Dave Smith
Phone:01904 637835,
Mobile: 07954350124
Email: [email protected]
Renault Clio Dimma
Please remember the most up to date
adverts are to be found on the forum
and
Website
www.renaultownersclub.com often
the advertised goods are sold before
they ever make Renotes (often on the
members site).
Fitted to the car are the original Dimma
wheels but the winning bidder wil also be
given the opportunity to purchase
SEPARATELY a full set of Image Split
Rims,bought at a cost of nearly £2000
with the tyres and the tyres are very good
they are 215-35-18's, one wheel is in need
of a repair, I’m sure Renowheel could do
it no problem. I will NOT let these go
with the car they are by SEPARATE
NEGOTIATION.
Don’t forget this car is a VERY LIMITED
EDITION production model Renault clio
1.8 16v DIMMA number 21 of only 38
ever produced and comes with a large file
of history and receipts and an MOT until
June 2012 The car is located in
Bridgend,just outside Cardiff.
07859367167
or 01656767597
Martin
Nixon
Email:[email protected]
The famous KERMIT is for sale.
For Sale
For sale is my Renault clio 1.8 16v that
was factory produced by DIMMA.
Renault 25 TXI
One previous owner who kept it garaged
and didn’t use the passenger seats.Interior
is immaculate.
56,342 miles at present moment.I've done
roughly 1500 miles since I purchased itall trouble free and a great pleasure.On
long run it averaged 37mpg.
Old chap who owned it decided he was
getting too old for driving hence reason
for sale. Garage MOT'd it June before sale
and fitted a new radiator-old one leaking.I
had a new timing belt fitted as condition
of purchase-old one 20 yrs old.Has been
regularily serviced(book stamped).Tyres
in v.good condition
Taxed until end of January '12.
Unusually there was no code for the radio
in any of the handbooks.
All
electric
gadgets
work
30
RENOTES MAGAZINE
RENOTES MAGAZINE
This is not a normal Renault clio 1.8 16v
that has been fitted with an after market
Wide Body Dimma kit.
Kermit , as you know has a very
interesting history not equalled in
Australia or perhaps worldwide.
This car was originally supplied to
Dimma by Renault when new along with
37 other Renault clio 1.8 16v's,thus
making it a VERY LIMITED EDITION
clio. Only 38 of these were produced by
Dimma and this one is number 21 of those
38.
Kermit has:
As you can imagine,there are probably not
many of these still around today and also
not with the extensive history,mots and
receipts that i have for this one.
The only modifications that i can see
are,its been fitted with morette style quad
headlights and smaller indicators and
front fog lights in the front valance,there
may be more mods but you would have to
come and look for yourself.
Disc brakes with booster.
An Alpine spec motor of 905cc, Twin
choke Weber, SS extractors, by-pass oil
filter.
4 Speed Gordini gearbox.
Race seats and full harness.
Full instrumentation.
Electronic ignition and 12 volt system.
Fuel cell foam filled.
Sufficient spares to un-convert to normal
specs.
Kermit is in excellent shape.
Valuation is A$11,000 but owner is open
to reasonable offers - NOTE: In Australia!
CLASSIFIEDS
Colin
Rose
Email
[email protected]
-
Renault 4 Savane manufactured 1992,
LHD, 956 cc, 115756 km
have such things? Or, if not do you know
where they might be purchased?
Coralie Williams.
Email: [email protected]
Renault Espace V6 3.0 Litre MANUAL
Wanted airbox/filter housing (round) for
the above vehicle.
Email: [email protected]
Renault
15
or
17
John
Fitzgerald.
[email protected]
Had car since 2004 but not used since
2008. Bodywork has various dents &
paint peeling off but is basically sound &
deserves to be used. Always an excellent
starter & drives well.
Offers.
Email for more information. Vehicle in
Cumbria. [email protected]
Wanted
Renault 16
We are seeking new standard engine
bearings for the Renault 16 engine as
fitted in the early Lotus Europa - do you
Wanted
Email:
Wanted for January 1984 Renault 11
GTL
Bonnet stay cable.
Digital dashboard clock.
Petrol cap ( New prefered ).
Boot spoiler ( New prefered ) - Model
does not have a rear wiper fitted.
Chrome sill strip ( drivers side ) - mine is
present but badly damaged ( 1 required
only ).
Chrome roof gutter rails ( Pair required ) (
New prefered ).
Front seat headrest ( 1 required only ). I
have misplaced my brochure but the car
Colour is Bordeaux Ref 721 - The interior
is a caramel tweed.
Door trim - Internal plastic capping to
tops of doors - All 4 required - Have
become brittle with age and 3 are
completely broken ( Can send photos if
required ) and
January 1985 Renault 11 TXE
Electronic
Chrome roof gutter rails ( Pair required ) (
New prefered ) - For some reason my car
has these in black but I have been told this
is incorrect.
Grille and light bezels ( must be new and
have chrome printed in usual areas ) These are available from Renault but
come without chrome ( Car is Phase 1 ).
'Renault 11 TXE' badge / 'Electronic'
badge / 'TXE' grill badge ( must be new ).
Boot spoiler ( New prefered ) - Model has
a rear wiper fitted.
Rear wiper arm ( mine was vandalised
and although functioning does not sit
correctly on rear screen ).
Roof Aerial ( note - Electronic specific was used on some 9's also ).
Black body stripes ( note - Electronic
specific ) Both sides required.
Simon
Bowsie
Email:[email protected]
I’m as passionate about Renaults as you are, which is
why I think you’ll love our insurance deals.
Adrian Flux Insurance Services has
been built around the enthusiast
markets and understands that
people who are passionate about
their cars take good care of them.
Because we share your enthusiasm
we offer fantastic, tailor-made
insurance deals based on your
own personal driving history and
requirements. Call us today to
obtain a no obligation quote for
your Renault.
FREEPHONE
0800 089 0035
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adrianflux.co.uk
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Rachelle. Adrian Flux Retained Business Team Manager.
Modified
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Classic
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Passionate about insurance
Performance
Specialist
RENOTES MAGAZINE
31
5
CLUB SHOP
THE RENAULT OWNERS’ CLUB OFFICIAL
MERCHANDISE 2011
Stainless Steel keyring with engraved
ROC logo in a black presentation box.
£3.75 including p&p
ROC ballpoint pen.
only £1.00 each including p&p
How about the full set for only
£4.50 including p&p
ROC window sticker
available to stick on inside of window
or outside for bumpers etc. State which
type required when ordering.
£1.75 each including p&p
ROC baseball cap - available in Black,
White, Yellow or Renault Blue.
£8.00 each including p&p
We have compiled a DVD Set (2 DVDs)
for the PC which contain material from
various sources including concept cars,
the centenary, videos and other events.
£10.00 including p&p
Renault Owners Club Mugs.
Please phone for latest price
Renault Owners Club 2012 Calendar
Please phone for price and availability
Also available GB Stickers and Tabards. Please phone for details
Also available will be magnetic rally plaques and commemorative T-Shirts for all the
events in 2012. More details with the event information and on-line.
Purchase online at www. renaultownersclub. com, email order to
shop@renaultownersclub. com or post order to
ROC Shop, 26 Capel Street, Capel-le-Ferne,
Folkestone, Kent, CT18 7LZ
Cheques made payable to RenOwnersClub Ltd
Telephone Enquiries to 01303 488731