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Renault Dauphine
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The Renault Dauphine is an automobile produced by French manufacturer Renault from 1956 to 1967. A luxury version, badged as the Renault Ondine was sold from 1960 to 1962. The Dauphine was assembled in many countries; South Africa, Australia, Mexico, Belgium and Ireland and under license in Italy, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Israel, USA and Japan.
A sport model, the Gordini, was also available with a standard 4-speed transmission and 4-wheel disc brakes, as well as engine modifications to increase the horsepower.
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Encyclopedia
The Renault Dauphine is an automobile produced by French manufacturer Renault from 1956 to 1967. A luxury version, badged as the Renault Ondine was sold from 1960 to 1962. The Dauphine was assembled in many countries; South Africa, Australia, Mexico, Belgium and Ireland and under license in Italy, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Israel, USA and Japan.
A sport model, the Gordini, was also available with a standard 4-speed transmission and 4-wheel disc brakes, as well as engine modifications to increase the horsepower. A factory racing model, the "1093" was homologated with about 2140 units produced in 1962/3.
The Dauphine was launched in 1956 to replace the highly successful Renault 4CV. Like the 4CV, the Dauphine used a single-shell monocoque body. It was a 4-door saloon design as was the 4CV, but it lacked the rear-hinged "suicide doors" of the 4CV. It was also heavier and longer than its predecessor, but used the same engine, albeit a version increased in size and power from 760 cc to 845 cc and 19 hp to 32 hp (14 kW to 24 kW) (the Dauphine was infamously slow: Road & Track magazine measured the Dauphine's 0-60 mph acceleration time as 32 seconds). The Dauphine was originally intended to be called the Corvette, but was changed to Dauphine (the female form of the French feudal title of Dauphin) to avoid confusion with the recently-launched Chevrolet Corvette.
Two limited editions of the Dauphine tuned for greater power were launched during its lifetime: Renault performance guru Amédée Gordini engineered a version of the Dauphine tuned to 37 hp (27.2 kW), sold as the Dauphine Gordini. In the final run of Dauphines, a limited edition of 2140 called the 1093, were similarly tuned to 55 hp (41 kW) and featured a twin barrel carburettor, rear track rods, four-speed manual transmission and tachometer, and had a top speed of . The 1093 was only available in white with two blue stripes down each side.
2,150,738 Dauphines were produced in its production run of 10 years. In the United Kingdom, it was one of the first imported cars to sell in large numbers, in a market that was formerly dominated by British manufacturers.
The Dauphine's legacy is largely dominated by its infamously poor performance and bad handling, as well as its poor reliability: in many markets (particularly the United States and the United Kingdom) the car became notorious for mechanical problems. In 2002, the auto enthusiasts' radio show Car Talk named the Dauphine the 9th Worst Car Of The Millennium, calling it "truly unencumbered by the engineering process". In 2007, Time named it one of the 50 worst cars of all time, calling it "the most ineffective bit of French engineering since the Maginot Line" and noting that it could actually be heard rusting.
International production
In Italy Alfa Romeo built under license an Alfa Romeo Dauphine between 1959 and 1964. The Italian Dauphine was manufactured on the same production line as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta in Portello, Milan.
It was also produced in Brazil, under license, by Willys-Overland do Brasil, between 1959 and 1968, in the following versions:
Dauphine: 23,887 units (1959-1965);
"Gordini" 41,052 units (1962-1968);
"Renault 1093": 721 units (1963-1965);
"Teimoso" (simplified model, without accessories): 8,967 units (1965-1967).
A total of 74,627 units was produced in Brazil.
An IKA Dauphine was produced 97,209 units in Argentina by Industrias Kaiser Argentina.
In Spain Renault's subsidiary F.A.S.A built Dauphine FASA between 1958-1967 (125,912 units).
In Japan, the Hino Contessa 900 used the Dauphine's platform under license.
Among the aftermarket options for the Dauphine was a supercharger from United States company Judson Research & Mfg. Co.; this sold in 1958 for US$165, and was designed to be installed in about two hours without any chassis or body modifications.
The Dauphine was used as the basis for the electric Henney Kilowatt.
Engine specifications
| Engine | Fuel | Displacement
cc | Power
hp (kW) | Torque
N·m (lb·ft) | Top speed | 0-60 mph
seconds | Power to weight ratio
W/kg (hp/tonne) |
|---|
| Type 670-1 | Gasoline | 845 | 27.0 (20.1)
at 4000 rpm | 66 (49) | | 37 | 38.43 (41.54) | | Gordini | Gasoline | 845 | 36 (26.8)
at 4000 rpm | 65 (48) | | 30 | 40.68 (54.55) |
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