Italian link

Photo: A pre-series Renault Carraro with the as yet unofficial type name 574 instead of 571-4.

Due to a changing market for agricultural tractors, Renault was developing a very extensive new series in the early seventies, which enabled the brand to meet many needs. From an output of 65 hp onwards, four-wheel drive was an integral part of this programme. At the same time, a partner was sought to meet the much smaller demand for all-wheel drive in a lower segment.

For this purpose, a commercial as well as an industrial agreement was concluded with the Italian company Carraro. This involved buying driven front axles for various Renault models, selling Carraro models under the Renault name on the French market and supplying parts for Carraro tractors already in use in France.

The first Renault to be fitted with a powered Carraro front axle was the 651-4, produced for the first time in December 1972 as a member of the completely new Renault family. At the same time, Renault launched no fewer than three Carraro compact tractors, which fitted neatly into the new Renault programme with their colours, names and a few exterior changes. At the base was the particularly compact 321-4 (R7221), a tractor with a length of only 2.89 metres and a weight of 1,570 kg. This model had a non-synchromesh gearbox with three forward and one reverse gears. Due to a doubler, six + two gears were finally available.

The 2 cylinder 1.9 litre (Carraro) engine type 195 produced, as the type name suggested, 32 bhp. The second in the series was the 451-4 (R7222) which, with a length of 3.14 metres, was considerably larger. This was partly due to the 2.9 litre three-cylinder (Carraro) diesel (type 284) with an output of 45 bhp. Here, the gearbox had 12 forward and four reverse speeds. The front-wheel drive for both was engaged by means of a lever. A single transmission had been chosen, using bevel gears, while the drive was provided by a driveshaft protected by a sump.

The largest of the three Carraro tractors was the 571-4 (R7223), which had a 3.2-litre three-cylinder diesel (type 315), which incidentally, like the engines in the 321-4 and 451-4, originally came from Deutz. The largest Carraro was 3.52 metres long, produced 57 bhp of course and had a different front axle drive with double bevel gears. The four plus one gearbox only had synchromesh on top gear. The doubler finally provided 8+2 gears. At the beginning of 1974 a different and especially larger engine was installed in the 571-4, which was available for over a year alongside the existing one. The Carraro type 430 had a capacity of 4.2 litres and maintained a power output of 57 bhp, but naturally also gained torque. The 4+1 gearbox had four groups, so that a total of 16 forward and four reverse speeds were available. The second series (R7224) was immediately recognisable by its headlights placed in the middle of the radiator grille. In addition, the type name was given a different position. Because ventilation grilles were incorporated into the side of the bonnet at the level of the black stripe, the name Renault Carraro and 571-4 were placed at a lower level on the sides. The 451-4 also underwent the same change.

As expected, the Carraro models achieved only modest sales numbers due to the relative unfamiliarity of four-wheel drive in this segment. Of the 321-4, 286 were built until 1 October 1975. The 451-4 remained in production until 1 June 1978 and was imported from Italy 599 times. The biggest success was the 571-4. Of the first model (R7223) 338 units were produced until 1 June 1975, while the variant with a larger engine (R7224) from 1 February 1974 to 1 October 1979 reached a production number of 1,333 units. By way of comparison, 6,764 of Renault's own 651-4 were built at the Le Mans factory between December 1972 and November 1980. The 451-4 and 571-4 were succeeded by the 481-4 and 581-4, and later the 501-4 and 601-4.

In the early 1970s, four-wheel drive was still a rarity in Europe for agricultural tractors. Renault took its first steps in the second half of the sixties with the Master and Super series and continued this line at the beginning of the new decade with the 456, 486 and 489 as well as the larger 496 and 498. The latter have a ZF driven front axle, while the smaller models got a Zetor front axle.