When it comes to convertibles, Renault has played no significant role since the Second World War. However, if you enjoy open air motoring in your Renault you will be familiar with the concept of the fabric sunroof made of canvas or PVC that can be opened and closed quickly, either manually or electrically.
Various models have been fitted with these for decades and even in the current range the fold-back roof has returned. From a typical city car via a business saloon to a sporty coupé, Renault's sunroof seems to be cross-class.
Usually a fabric sunroof is cheaper to buy than a factory build glass or metal sunroof, while when open it offers much more fresh air access. So we 'roll' happily through the post-war history of Renault in search of which models were equipped with this feature, and there were more than you might think.
Picture: Renault Juvaquatre.
Before the war it was very common for Renault to produce a saloon, a convertible, a roadster and a coupé of one model. It was up to the customer to decide how he or she wanted the vehicle. If that choice wasn't enough, several famous and lesser known coach-builders were ready to make exactly what the customer wanted. The fabric sunroof was an option that was already common in the thirties and was fitted instead of the vinyl roof on some Renaults. An addition that was only fitted after production and by a specialist. After all, the cavity in the bodywork already existed, so such a roof was quick to instal. Even large coaches in those days were equipped with fabric sunroofs, several metres long.
Picture: Renault 4CV.
In 1939 Renault experimented with the Juvaquatre, the smallest Renault at that time, whereby the window frames remained fixed but the entire fabric roof could be rolled back towards the rear. The car had more open expanse than a folding roof, which only opened up part of the roof area. This form of bodywork was offered again in 1946 by the SAPRAR sub-branch but in the end no more than twenty of these decapotables were converted, too bad!
The 4CV appeared sparsely on French roads from the summer of 1947 and also in other countries outside France. In post-war Europe, the car industry was seen as one of the means of acquiring foreign currency which meant that the proportion for export was relatively high. Demand surpassed production many times over, so Renault could only offer its first new post-war model in a very modest range, the Normale and de Luxe.
At the 1949 Paris Salon, Renault displayed an important expansion to the range by offering a sliding steel roof and in addition, a 4CV Décapotable with a canvas roof that rolled back neatly along the roof edges. The fabric roof was folded back into a compact package, protected with a nice cover, at rear window level. This version was regarded as a great luxury, that's why the number of examples produced was so modest that a good 4CV Décapotable is extremely expensive nowadays. No wonder there are also repro cars and it is wise to take a good look at them first. In Paris in October 1956, the 4CV Décapotable was no longer on display on the Renault stand but was included on the official price list just to sell the cars in stock.
Picture: Renault 4L.
At Renault, the emphasis was entirely on the latest addition, the Dauphine. A more mature car in every respect that the whole world seemed to have been waiting for. Not surprisingly, the war time experiences began to fade and the various European economies slowly started to blossom again which was good news for car manufacturers. Popular but affordable models like the Dauphine. ensured that even the man in the street could gradually afford a car. Henri Chapron, the famous coachbuilder, made a wonderful découvrable based on the Dauphine and a modest number were built. Renault offered an optional sliding steel roof on the Dauphine, but made no effort to develop a more open version.
The first cars that had a real fabric sunroof again were the Renault 3 and 4 which were launched in the summer of 1961. Due to the simplicity of construction, the price option was modest and this is how Renault brought open air motoring closer to the general public. Almost until the end of production of the Renault 4, the fabric sunroof remained available as an option. The roof could be opened from the front as well as from the back to the middle and when open the wind noise at higher speeds was enormous. However, given that main highways were still on the rise at the time, the average Renault 4 was used in town or on rural roads where speeds were considerably lower than to today. Nowadays, a Renault 4 with an opening roof is quite rare and sought after. If you fancy a Renault 4 Jogging, which appeared as a limited edition in 1981, you are in luck as it was always equipped with a fabric roof. If a sunroof really identifies with one particular Renault, then it is the freedom icon that is the Renault 4.
Picture: Renault 4 Jogging 1981
Picture: Renault 6 TL.
It is not surprising that Renault offered this option on other models as well. It is therefore logical that the Renault 6, which was built principally the same way as the Renault 4, could also be ordered with a fabric roof. It wasn't the first version of the Renault 6, available at the end of 1968, which could be ordered with an opening roof but when Renault launched the 1.1 litre R6 TL about two years later, the fabric roof was offered again. The construction was similar to the roof of the Renault 4.
When closed the fabric was stretched around a raised frame, a clever construction fabricated around the roof opening. At the front and rear the roof was released by unscrewing two knobs and then folded back. When the roof was also opened from the back to the middle, it folded in two parts to the middle and was locked there.
The smart and trendsetting Renault 5 was launched with an optional fabric roof in January 1972 but was only promoted on the 956 cc TL version even though also available on the base L. The roof of the new Renault 5 was shorter than that of the 4 and 6 so after releasing the front, it folded backwards but couldn't be opened from the rear to the front. If an opening roof symbolises extra freedom, this concept also perfectly suited the Renault 5. Unsurprisingly this option was also available on the more expensive versions, firstly in April 1974 on the 5 LS, which was succeeded within a year by the Renault 5 TS, distinguished by high back front seats. The economical GTL was also given the sun roof option and American customers of the car (first Renault 5, later Le Car) were able to crown the happy character of the little Frenchman with the addition of the fabric roof.
Picture: Renault 5 TL 1972
Picture: Renault 17 découvrable
The fact that Renault didn't only use the fabric roof for popular models was evident when in 1971 it revealed the 15 and 17 coupé models to the public. The more sporty of the two was the 17, which was recognisable among other things by its twin round headlights and the grilles over the rear side windows. The 17 TL and TS were available with the découvrable roof as an option and this roof was electrically operated, for the first time in Renault history. In just a few seconds the roof opened up to the rear and gave a huge opening. The roof rolled over two extremely narrow profiles above the side windows, which is why Renault made structural adjustments to the body of the car. In order to be able to use the Renault 17 découvrable all year round without any problems, it was supplied with a plastic hardtop that fitted over the closed fabric roof and screwed down at the front above the windscreen. Throughout its lifespan, the découvrable remained an option, even when the 17 TS Injection was renamed the 17 Gordini and also when the model was given a facelift in February 1976. The range then only consisted of the 17 TS although for a short time this was sidelined by the injection version that retained its Gordini name.
Picture: Fabric sunroof Renault Fuego
It was logical that the successor of the 15 and 17, the Fuego, could also be ordered with a fabric sun roof. In 1980 the variants with 1.4 and 1.6 litre engines were first marketed and complemented by the TX and GTX 2 litre engines towards the end of that year. The range was later expanded with the Turbo Diesel and the petrol turbo and Renault also made modified versions for the American market. All versions of the Fuego could be ordered with an electrically-powered fabric roof as an option. Compared to the 17 découvrable, the opening was considerably smaller to allow Renault to keep a much wider roof edge on the Fuego, obviously with consideration to the rigidity of the bodywork.
In the seventies, the fabric sun roof seemed to experience its glory days. Alongside one another the Renault 4, 5, 6, 17 and also the 14 and 18 were available with it. In the case of the Renault 14 the roof could be ordered on the TL, GTL and TS as desired and it slid open all the way to the rear (manual). This option was supplied in limited quantities so finding a survivor is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Anyone setting their sights on a Renault 18 with a fabric sun roof will also have their work cut out. At the launch of the saloon in 1978 the fabric roof was available (G-versions), and remained on the option list almost to the end but the 18 Estate was not offered with it. Still, a fabric roof didn't match the needs of the more business-like Renault 18 buyer so the option was only sold in a small quantity.
Was that the end for the fabric sun roof that offered so much freedom? It may seem so for a while, but then Renault came up with the Twingo at the end of 1992. A car that was young and frivolous and that suited the fabric roof par excellence. In a manually operated version it became available a few months after production started. It was a relatively affordable option that was frequently chosen so it is not exactly rare to find on the first generation Twingo. Did it really take more than thirty years for the fabric sun roof concept to become popular? It almost looks like it. By the way, after a number of facelifts, or rather, new collections, Renault also launched an electrically operated sliding glass roof on the Twingo that seemed to take over the role of the fabric roof. When the Twingo II appeared in 2007, only the electrically operated glass roof was on the option list but Renault hadn't counted on the many reactions from customers who appreciated the fabric roof that much. That's why it could be ordered again on the second phase Twingo II, the only difference being the electrical control. Renault learned from previous experience and the fabric roof remained unchanged on the Twingo III. Let's hope that Renault will continue to supply models with fabric roofs in the future. In the pursuit of weight reduction this concept fits perfectly, because it weighs considerably less than the glass roof that many manufacturers have commited themselves to.