A small car with a big engine, that principle is almost as old as the car itself. A good example from Renault's distant past is this 1934 Vivasport. The bodywork is identical to the Primastella from the same year of construction, the smallest six-cylinder in size. But this Vivasport houses the larger six-cylinder that belonged to the Vivastella. A pleasant combination.
It was at the Paris Motor Show in October 1933 that Renault introduced the Vivasport of type YZ2 as one of its novelties. The design of all six and eight cylinders was completely changed. The result was an aerodynamically favourable body shape, which incidentally retained the running boards. The bore of 75 mm of the existing 3,180cc six-cylinder increased to 80 mm. This resulted in a larger displacement of 3,620cc. The Vivasport got the scoop on this, followed in spring 1934 by the Vivastella, a considerably longer and slightly wider car.
Photo: The Renault Vivasport is not a big car, but it has the technical elements of one.
The Vivasport turned out to be almost identical to the Primastella, which retained the existing 3.2-litre 6 cylinder. Of both cars, Renault supplied five body styles: a four-door, two-door, coach, coach convertible and a cabriolet convertible. The difference in displacement was evident in the real power delivered: 65 to 85 hp. The weight gain was limited to 50 kg. The impact on top speed was limited to 5 km/h (120 to 125 km/h), but the larger engine delivered more torque and therefore performed smoother across the board.
The Vivasport turned out to be almost identical to the Primastella, which retained the existing 3.2-litre 6 cylinder. Of both cars, Renault supplied five body styles: a four-door, two-door, coach, coach convertible and a cabriolet convertible. The difference in displacement was evident in the real power delivered: 65 to 85 hp. The weight gain was limited to 50 kg. The impact on top speed was limited to 5 km/h (120 to 125 km/h), but the larger engine delivered more torque and therefore performed smoother across the board.
Face to face with the light grey Vivasport of Thijs Harink from Leende, it is easy to see that this model is in transition. A transition from angular body shapes with running boards to models with a better streamline and without running boards. Especially when the car is viewed straight from the front, it is noticeable that the grille is narrow and high. Also, the passenger compartment is wide enough for two adults to sit side by side. Three passengers side by side, that's not easy.
With an overall length of 4.25 metres, the Vivasport is not overly large, a mid-size car by today's standards. But in terms of positioning, the YZ2 definitely belonged to the top class in 1934.
Thijs deliberately looked for a pre-war six-cylinder and in 2017, he ran across this one in the northern French town of Marc en Baroeul. Thijs: "The previous owner, Mr Michel Vautrin, had died shortly before at the age of 90. I bought the car from his heirs and that comes a lot of paperwork."
The car had been restored by its previous owner. This was also much needed when Thijs shows the photos of what the Viva looked like when it was transported north from Béziers in southern France in 1991. The various letters show that owner Mr. Beaudoin first transferred his car to the Renault dealer in Cazoules lès Béziers. There, the Vivasport slept inside for a week, the seller confirmed to the new owner by letter. The papers also show that Mr Vautrin started driving the Renault in 1993 after a restoration.
Thijs: "What I understand is that my car was in a barn for a long time. The restoration took about two years and was thorough. The bodywork was painted completely new. Whether the car was originally grey too, there is no evidence of that anywhere. The interior has been redecorated to perfection with gorgeous, beautifully finished materials. The carpeting colours nicely with the velour upholstery of the front and rear seats, and is itself a bit too luxurious compared to the usually rubber mats that came as standard in the 1930s.”
That doesn't mean, however, that Thijs could get in and drive away. "I was able to test drive the car on the spot. But I did see that some details needed to be addressed. For instance, I fitted a new radiator, new brake shoes and had the grille with the ornaments re-chromed. The mudguards also required attention. And when the appointment for the technical inspection was made, a connecting rod bearing broke down in the engine. It lay in thousands of pieces in the crankcase. So the engine had to be taken out and completely opened up.” But that has since been done, the car has a valid license plate again and is ready for a drive around the area.
The six-cylinder sounds extremely pleasant when Thijs uses the long gear lever to shift from first gear to two and three. By today's standards, the power is extremely modest. But the horses delivered are enough to keep up well on 80 km/h roads.
The interior is a joy to behold. The upholstery comes out a little lighter than what was originally supplied by Renault, but the beige fabric and the look of it all beautifully captures the atmosphere of yesteryear. The dashboard and upper edges of the doors give the impression of wood, but have been painted using a special technique. Faux wood is timeless. The two instruments include a speedometer and clock with the latter including gauges for fuel supply, charging current and oil pressure. In the centre on the dashboard are a number of knobs for pre-ignition, choke and lights. The ornament surrounding the two clocks also appears completely symmetrical around the glovebox.
Photo: Pure class with a wood-grain painted dashboard and beige fabrics.
The four door windows can be turned down with the familiar cranks. In addition, it was also common at the time to open the windscreen from below. This not only allowed fresh air to be admitted, but also defogged the windscreen when appropriate.
The bonnet has four flaps on either side that can be opened to admit extra cooling air at higher temperatures. The beautifully green-lacquered engine block has an impressive length. But the construction is otherwise simple, making maintenance easy.
On the outside, the Vivasport has one specific feature compared to the similarly shaped Primastella. These are spoked wheels that were standard on this model, where the Primastella had closed steel wheels.
Thijs: "Other than that, I don't know much about the history." But leafing through the papers, the early life of this mighty six-cylinder is fully documented. That starts with a copy of the production ticket, which was filled in at Billancourt during production with all the so-called matching numbers. The car appears to have left the factory on 26 June 1934. In addition, Thijs shows a copy of the two pages from a registration book. This shows that the YZ2 received a registration number four days after production. The names of the owners can be read with some difficulty, and it can also be seen that the car changed hands during the war. It was Jean Chevalier from Montpellier who ordered the Renault and sold it again two years later to someone living in the middle of town. After five years, owner number three followed in Palavas and the car moved to Béziers in 1943. And despite information stopping there, the Vivasport always remained in Béziers until its move north in 1991.
En détail...
Renault Vivasport (YZ2)
Engine:
Type 400, 6-cylinder petrol, bore x stroke 80 x 120 mm, displacement 3,619 cc. Power 85 hp at 3,400 rpm, compression ratio 5.3:1. Automatic Bendix-Stromberg carburettor with constant level, electrical system 6 volts, 150 watt alternator, 120 Ah battery. Fiscal power: 21 CV.
Gearbox:
Three forward and 1 reverse gears, of which second and third gears are synchronised, gear ratios 1st - 3.12, 2nd - 1.86, 3rd - 1.00, reverse - 3.75, final gearing 3.91. Tyres 160 x 40.
Foot-operated cable-operated brakes on all four wheels, hand brake on both rear wheels.
Dimensions/weights:
Length 4.250 metres, width 1.800 metres, track width front 1.440 metres/rear 1.454 metres, wheelbase 2.944 metres.
Weight: 1,700 kg. Tank capacity 85 litres, oil 9.5 litres.
Performance: top speed 125 km/h, oil consumption 0.35 litres/100 km.