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The Renault Fiftie was a concept car presented by Renault at the March 1996 Geneva Auto Show[1] to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the launch of the 4CV. The concept used a bright metallic yellow color, honoring the 4CV's "butter pat" nickname.[2]
Styled by Benoît Jacob[3] under the direction of Patrick le Quement, Renault's vice president of corporate design at the time,[4] the Fiftie used a mid-engine/rear-wheel-drive layout, with its exterior styling drew heavily on its ancestor's — though with a two-door, mid-engine configuration[4] rather than the 4CV's four door, rear-engine/rear-drive layout. The Fiftie was part of a trend toward retrospective designs, including the VW New Beetle, Mini Cooper and Fiat 500.
The Fiftie used an aluminum frame from the Renault Sport Spider[5] and a carbon fiber body.[1] Its interior used cotton, linen, and rattan extensively, with a picnic basket concealed in the boot/trunk. Front styling recalled the horizontal chrome 'mustache bars' of the original 4CV, with the addition of distinctive apostrophe-shaped headlights.[4] The targa-style roof used four removable roof panels that could store beneath the flat-folding rear window.[4]
The Fiftie was fully roadworthy, sharing most of the Renault Sport Spider's chassis, suspension, and mechanics as well as Renault's D7F 1.2-liter, 8-valve four-cylinder engine, which was subsequently introduced as a production engine in the Twingo.
After introducing the Fiftie, Renault chose not to develop the concept further.
External links
References
- ^ a b "The Renault Fiftie was much more than a modernized version of the 4CV". Renaultclassics.com.
- ^ "Renault Fiftie (1996): Das Retro-Konzept feierte den 50. Geburtstag des 4CV". Motor Sport.
- ^ Joe Simpson (August 7, 2018). "Byton's Benoit Jacob on building a brand". Car Design News.
- ^ a b c d "Renault Fiftie (1996)". Oldconceptcars.com.
- ^ "New Retro". Popular Science, June 1996, p13. June 1996.