Renault Colorale Prairie 1952
Ahead of its time
Rare
Over seventy years ago, SUVs were far from being talked about. But without knowing it, Renault set a trend with the Colorale. Even if the market did not seem ready for it at the time. Surviving examples are extremely rare.
Text: Tony Vos - Photos: Losange Magazine
Range of body styles
Between the end of 1950 and February 1956, Renault built 39,512 units of the Colorale. The name was a contraction of Colonial and Rurale. Renault immediately made it clear that this range was specifically designed for rural and colonial areas. Under the Colorale banner there was a considerable range of body styles. By far the most popular was the four-door Prairie, which could seat at least six people. Renault developed a special taxi version with the rear seat in the boot and two folding seats. In addition, the range consisted mainly of commercial variants such as the 800 kg fourgonnette, a pick-up, a chassis cab, a bare chassis and the Savane. The latter was a variant of the van, a two-door with closed side panels. On the Savane these were open and could be covered by a rolling tarpaulin.
Chrome adorns the door handles and the ornamentation around the front logo.
A very raised body version
At the end of 1951 the 4x4 was added to the range, a very raised body version that was available in almost all the styles mentioned.
Production of the range was spread over several plants. Chausson was responsible for building the complete bodies. These were then transported on special trailers from Gennevilliers to Billancourt, where they were completed on Île Seguin. A rather cumbersome method, perhaps, but due to the huge success of the 4CV, Renault had no choice. Small numbers were also built in Haren near Brussels.
The '85’ 4-cylinder engine is actually a pre-war unit.
Farmer
Since 2005, Marcel van Oevelen has been the proud owner of this car, which was registered and delivered to its first owner on 7 May 1952. The registration certificate that Marcel received with the car shows that on 16 December 1958, the car passed into the hands of Gaston Valencier, who lived in the French department of Cher. The grey card shows his occupation as a farmer. And so, until 7 September 1996, the Colorale remained exactly what Renault had in mind when it was launched. At that point, the car moved to the Netherlands.
Properly
Marcel: "I have restored many Renaults in my life. But given my height, there are very few cars I can sit in properly. I fit quite well in this Colorale. But I still have to sink down a bit to see properly through the windscreen."
Marcel prefers restoring the bodywork. "I can really indulge in that. The Colorale gave me a lot of challenges. The car was really bad underneath. I completely replaced the underside of the doors. But also the floor panel and, for example, the edge where the tailgate hinges down. Once I had removed the bad parts, I set about rebuilding the same parts of the body from a flat sheet, which of course had to fit perfectly in the end."
The interior, like the exterior, has been completely restored. The beige elements provide much-needed contrast.
Fourth owner
Marcel took over the car in 2005 and is probably the fourth owner. "I've restored other cars in the meantime, so it took me almost 20 years. Of course, it wasn't just the bodywork that was done. I also completely overhauled the engine."
A glance inside the car immediately shows that everything has been dealt with. It is worth noting that the former running boards are now hidden behind the doors. This means that the Colorale is a bit narrower than it looks.
Spare wheel
New upholstery for both seats and the headlining gives the interior a fresh new look. Marcel has the spare wheel loose in the boot. "At the time, a seat from a 4CV was offered as an option so that seven people could sit in the Colorale. In the meantime I have found such a seat, I just have to make the attachment."
A big-looking 4CV
Speaking of 4CVs, the seven 'moustaches' on the front, the placement of the headlights and the shape of the bonnet are reminiscent of a big-looking 4CV. The bonnet featured the Renault logo and the words Régie Nationale Renault France on a red background.
Although the Colorale was primarily intended as a workhorse, chrome was used in abundance. On the bumpers, front and door handles. As the rear doors opened against the direction of travel, the two door handles were close together.
The rear access is a special construction. First, the tailboard has to be unlocked with two chrome handles. It opens downwards and is held in place by two chains. After that, the rear window and its frame can be opened upwards.
Nice touches include the cover for the interior lights and the emblem on the steering wheel (below).
Calves, sheep, hay
The interior of the Colorale was quite spacious, and the rear seat could be folded down to make it easier to carry large objects. Leaflets from the time show calves, sheep, hay, butter and chickens disappearing into the boot. Because the bottom of the tailgate was suspended so securely, farmers often used it to display their fresh produce at the local market.
Looking at the details of the interior, several parts are immediately recognisable. The handles for opening the doors come straight from Renault's pre-war shelves, as do the widow winder handles. On the inside of the doors there are oval letterbox openings used to close them. A simple and effective solution that was used until the last Renault 4 in the early 1990s.
Interior lights
A touch of Grand Luxe can be seen in the almost Art Deco style of the interior lights. The cream-coloured steering wheel with a stylised sailing ship in the centre, the work of Quillery, is also noteworthy. The instrumentation consists of two round clocks, the left one for speed and mileage, the right one with water and oil warning lights and gauges for fuel level and charging. In the centre of the dashboard there is another tachometer and clock, as well as additional switches and indicator lights on a flap covering the first glove box. The knobs around here are for the ignition, windscreen wipers and choke. The indicator switch is on the bottom left from the factory, but Marcel has moved it to the centre of the flap.
Philips
Marcel: "I also managed to get my hands on a nice old Philips radio that matches the era of the car perfectly. I made a plate for it in the opening of the right glove compartment."
Although the Colorale is a big car, Marcel has to lean down a bit to see through the windscreen.
Column change
The four-speed manual gearbox, with non synchromesh first and second gears, is column change, as was customary at the time. Between the two clocks on the dashboard is a plaque showing the position of each gear.
To make the car even more attractive, Marcel put a chrome searchlight on the left windscreen pillar. Two exterior mirrors are a must nowadays, but in 1952 they were not fitted by the factory.
The famous oval plate with the R number 2090 and the production number 11082 is mounted on a bar in the wheel arches near the left front wheel.
An aluminium plate
A special feature is the large beige sun visor mounted above the windscreen. Marcel: 'I was looking for some extra decoration for my car. I saw a similar construction with an aluminium plate in the middle on an American car. That gave me the idea. I think I'll make the aluminium part a bit smaller and shape it a bit better so that it fits the whole thing better.
After almost 20 years, Marcel is ready to take the Colorale on the road. It's time to drive it and that will probably bring a list of improvements. I hear some side noises in the engine compartment and the engine regularly misfires. Given his experience, we have no doubt that he will be able to fix these too. ‹›
En detail..
Renault Colorale (R2090)
Engine:
Type 603 W, capacity 2,383 cm3, bore x stroke 85 x 105 mm, power 48 hp at 2,800 rpm, Solex carburettor type 32 PBIC, side valves, compression ratio 6.4:1.
Gearbox:
Type 269, four manual speeds, one reverse. Rear wheel drive. 1st and 2nd gears non synchromesh. Gear ratios: 1st - 4.82, 2nd - 2.62, 3rd - 1.60, 4th - 1.00, reverse - 4.90, final drive 4.1.
Suspension:
Rigid axles front and rear, longitudinal leaf springs. Worm and roller steering.
Brakes:
Hydraulically operated drum brakes on all four wheels, handbrake on rear wheels. Tyres: 600 x 16.
Performance:
Maximum speed 100 km/h.
Dimensions and weights:
Length 4.38 metres, width 1.82 metres, height 1.82 metres, wheelbase 2.66 metres, ground clearance 0.17 metres (loaded), track front 1.45 metres, rear 1.45 metres. Fuel tank capacity: 65 litres. Weight 1,725 kg, maximum permitted weight 2,450 kg.
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