Renault 4 Plein Air 1968
Enjoying the summer
Very rare
In a series of over eight million Renault 4's, a version is very rare, if only a handful of them have been built. With such a successful number, the rarities can be discovered only with a magnifying glass. We have an example here, the summery Renault 4 ‘Plein Air’.
The Renault 4 is a real ‘go anywhere vehicle’. And the model owes that ability to its method of construction, where the body sits on a separate chassis. This means that no changes have to be made to the chassis when adapting a body. Many amateurs have made or are still making transformations based on the Renault 4, but Renault, too, did not leave the model untouched either. The Renault 4 ‘ Plein Air’, built to Renault’s order at Sinpar, is one of the rarest variants available from the factory.
Sinpar
The Renault 4 'opened' in 1968, when the ‘Plein Air’ was exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show in March of that year and the first cars were sold from May onwards. Renault subcontracted all construction and development work to Sinpar, the Colombes-based company, which worked mainly with la Régie in the field of four-wheel-drive and chassis rebuilding for vans and trucks.
Chic open-air version
What Renault required of this model is not really clear. Citroën introduced the Méhari around that time, but that plastic creation on the chassis of the 2CV was of a completely different order to the almost chic, open-air version of the Renault 4. Moreover, the ‘Plein Air’ was considerably more expensive than the Citroën. Thus, it was unsurprising that, during the model’s three year sales life (1968, 1969 and 1970) only a total of five hundred cars were produced. The exact production number cannot be determined, because Renault did not keep a register of the 4's, which it delivered to Sinpar separately. Furthermore, Sinpar has no idea of how many were built. A small number of the production vehicles were fitted with the four-wheel-drive system, which Sinpar had developed earlier for the Renault 4 and which technique had been applied to the normal Renault 4 saloon to and the fourgonette.
Two fixing points
The introduction of the Renault 4 ‘Plein Air’ followed shortly after the launch of the second generation Renault Four, which had the full-width grille enclosing the headlights and which was fitted with a four-speed gearbox. The nice thing about this special car was that the distinctive shape of the Renault 4 was retained, both by maintaining the complete front, including windscreen, as well as the familiar rear. Of course, the windscreen frame was reinforced and fitted with two fixing points at the front for the hood and, on the inside,two brackets for the straps. The sheet metal between the front and rear wheels was specific and double-walled, thus giving the body extra stiffness.
Three black stripes
If one looks closely, one can see that the rear mudguards, just in front of the rear wheels, have a slightly larger curvature. This is to connect the existing sheet metal to the new side. Above the aluminium trim on the sills were three black stripes (stickers), of which the middle (widest) one was interrupted, just behid the front wheels, by the name ‘Plein Air’. The tailgate was that of a normal Renault 4, but, of course, only the lower part thereof. It hinges at the top and is held open by a mechanism similar to the normal Renault Four. Also, the back shelf, which was still optional on several models at that time, is retained and also serves as base for the mounting of the hood storage cover. When this hood is removed, the cut-outs for the rear side windows are still partly visible at the top of the rear wings. Another small detail is that the ‘Plein Air’, in addition to the normal Renault 4 hubcaps, also has embellishers of a perforated decoration, which was taken over from the ‘La Parisienne’ model.
Belts
Setting up the hood is no easy task. And those, who only start the procedure, when the first rainidrops fall, are, definitely, too late. Beneath the cover, there are two metal brackets, which are attached to each other with canvas straps and hinges on the front tip of the rear wings. The straps are tensioned at the top of the windscreen with belts. At the other end, they are already attached to the top of the rear wings. The roof and the plastic rear window are placed on the brackets and straps and are also attached to the mudguard edges and the tailgate. The hood, built up with the necessary sweat and tears, gives only limited protection against the elements. The car can also be closed at the sides by attaching a number of separate panels of canvas with plastic windows.
The faces of the bodywork’s entrance openings are finished with ribbed aluminium panels, which are fastened with pop rivets. And, in order to keep the passengers 'on board', a chain, enclosed in a faux leather cover, can be strung. The factory equipment includes a mirror in a plastic housing on the left front fender and the well-known, low-positioned, rear-view mirror sits on the dashboard. Entry is extremely easy for front passengers. After some practice, it can even be achieved with one graceful jump. Rear passengers have a bit more trouble, because the opening to the back seat is less generous and it appears wise to put one foot on the floor first.
Bench seat
As far as the interior is concerned, the beige dashboard was chosen, which, from the 1967 model year onwards, decorates the whole Renault 4 range, in combination with furniture in black faux leather. Either a front bench seat or two seperate seats were offered. By using the standard interior, the possibility of folding down the back seat is retained and that, of course, increases the car’s functionality.
Summery colour
It is understandable that Renault would deliver such a small series vehicle in just one version. And we can take that very literally. Officially, the Renault 4 ‘Plein Air’ is only painted in white (colour code 355), whilst we know of a yellow shade (Ixo) and orange hue (Norev) from the different miniature models. However, in these cases, we are dealing with cars, which have been painted in a different shade after production, but which may have been delivered, as such, by the dealer, in accordance with the buyer's wishes. And, see for yourself, the summery colour yellow suits the car perfectly, of course! Also, technically, there is only one possibility. With the regular Renault 4, Type R1123 being the basis, we are talking about the 845ccs engine, which delivers 32 hp in this case. That means that, under the bonnet, nothing is different, save for the round Sinpar nameplate, which is attached with a rivet in the middle and is a specific item.
Through the waves
A production number of about five hundred cars is small, but the number of remaining cars is much smaller. This is partly due to how a ‘Plein Air’ might be used. As indicated in the brochure and on press pictures at the time, the car was very popular with people, who liked to drive through the waves on the beach. If this happened frequently and the salty seawater was not quickly sprayed out of the chassis beams with clean water, a ‘Plein Air's’ lifespan was understandably limited. And there is still life after the ‘Plein Air’. Although, at that time, this special Renault Four could be compared only with Citroën’s Méhari, Renault took a similar road with its Renault 4 Rodéo, which appeared the moment the ‘Plein Air’ disappeared from the catalogues.
In the photography for ‘Losange Magazine’, we have tried to bring up to date the press pictures of yesteryear. This ‘Plein Air’ has been completely restored by its owner, Bram van Oeffelt. In addition to photographs of a car with French licence plate, there are also pictures taken in the Netherlands on a North Sea beach of a car with the registration number 12-15-JD. Bram's ‘Plein Air’ has a number of accessories, which have been added, but which were mostly originally available through Renault at the time. These are the two chrome brackets above the front bumper, the strips along the wheel arches, the bracket above the rear bumper and the rear lights with a 'chrome' surround.
Yellow color
Bram says of his pet child: "Although, technically, a normal Renault 4 has a theoretical top speed of about 110 kph, you cannot drive more than 80 kph. A great speed on inland roads, where the car is at its best. When the hood is erected, the wind fills it out enormously. I bought my car, then still in a yellow colour, in France and drove it home on the road. Because the hood was past its best and the weather was pretty bad, it was sealed with tape from the outside, so I had to be freed from the outside too, if I wanted to refuel, for example.”
“Especially when the weather conditions allow it, I use the ‘Plein Air’ regularly, although it does not really fit into the theme of my collection of Renault Fours, which is centred only on those vehicles with the first type of (small) grille”.
No lack of attention
There is no lack of attention when you are in traffic with a Renault 4 ‘Plein Air. Bram: "People jump out of their cars behind you at the traffic lights to come to ask if I made it myself. More than once, I found my car with strangers behind the wheel, who were being photographed by a spectator".
An official press picture of 1968.
Canada
It is said that about thirty examples of the Renault 4 ‘Plein Air’ were shipped to Canada, where, from 1968, they served in Montreal in the grounds of the World's Fair (Expo 67) held a year earlier. The theme of the exhibition was 'Terre des Hommes', after Saint-Exupéry’s book. The mayor of that Canadian city launched a plan to set up a permanent exhibition with the same theme, ‘Terre des Hommes’, in the grounds and in the beautiful pavilions, after the closing of the World's Fair. It is not entirely clear what role the Renaults played on the site, but there are vague images of a white ‘Plein Air with green, red and blue striping, which colours recur in the adapted logo of the city of Montréal, which appears on the front wings, next to the text ‘Terre des Hommes’.
Exhibition grounds
The fact that the specifications of the Canadian cars do not always correspond to the years, in which they were registered, may indicate that the specimens, which were driven on the exhibition grounds in Montreal, were used there without a registration number.
It is important to note that the Canadian Renault 4 ‘Plein Air’, just like the saloon Renault 4, which was also sold in that country, had a number of specific external features. For example, larger headlights were fitted, for which, of course, the bonnet grille had to be modified. Also, the lower bar of the grille was made flat to accommodate the taller Canadian license plate, which was placed on a specific holder. Incidentally, this type of grille was also used in other countries, for no apparent reason. On the corners of the wings, round side lights were installed, orange at the front and red at the back. This eliminated the parking lights on the front wings. The rear lights had the familiar shape, but are completely red, and examples of this accessory were also found with a chrome surround. A bracket is fitted to the tailgate, as is often the case with models imported from Europe into North America.