Tuesday 12th August 1947

The most famous Renault of the early post-war years, the 4-cylinder, 760cc 4 hp Renault 4CV, was launched. Designed in secret during the War, all cars produced in the first few years were painted desert sand yellow, using a bulk supply of paint from Rommel’s Afrika Korps. It was the first French car to sell over a million units, and was superseded by the Dauphine. The 4CV was of monocoque construction, 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in) in length with front suicide doors and using Renault’s Ventoux engine in a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout. CV is the abbreviation of cheval-vapeur, the French equivalent to “horsepower” as a unit of power. The name 4CV refers to the car’s tax horsepower.