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One step up the evolutionary scale from Citroen's 2CV, the Renault 4 was much better to drive but certainly aimed at the same clientele: here was basic transport for the French peasantry. In many ways, it was the blueprint for the front-drive modern supermini, yet so austerely functional was it that it makes its modern descendants look rather pretentious. If you discount the Austin A40 (which had a horizontally split, two-piece rear door) the 1961 R4 was the first mass-produced hatchback saloon as we know it. Less familiar today would be its sliding windows, single-dial instrumentation and minimalist deckchair seating.
The R4's designers favoured torque over power so, while it took the original 845 cc version 40 battling seconds to achieve 60 mph, it somehow managed to seem willing once the owner had learned to play with the strange push-pull-twist dash-mounted gearchange. Those who insisted on driving their R4s to the limit discovered outrageous bodyroll, huge grip and a ride that was beyond its class: many more expensive cars couldn't match the R4 for comfort.
Classless and long-lived (it continued in production until 1991, by which time eight million had been built) the Renault 4 is a classic example of post-war mass transport, although in Britain, at least, it remained the preserve of left-wing librarians and school teachers.
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