Ornella the '65 R4 - SOLD

Ornella is pictured in great detail on http://www.renault4.co.uk/my-renault-4.htm She is completely original (apart from her tailgate which is disappointingly post-'65 and a nicely done repaint on the outside panels only) having been run by a priest in the south of France for 41 of her 44 years.

I bought her from a furniture restorer in Avignon last year, and over the winter I replaced the mechanical bits and pieces that the pragmatic French mechanic had got wrong. She now drives very well and has more torque and power than you would expect from a 750cc 3 speeder. I've registered her in the UK on a C plate.

With rust being a bit of an issue with Renault 4s I should mention Ornella has no rust, at all, anywhere. I think she must have been stored under-cover in the south of France as her interior is amazing too.

She'll need to be stored under cover as she's a museum piece. She even has the original 1965 gearchange diagram on the windscreen! She is not for everyday use nor for leaving outside in the rain.

My reasons for sale are I'm not using her enough, I'm becoming short of storage, and mostly because I have more cars on the road at the moment than I can sensibly take care of.

My valuation for Ornella would be over £3500 which would just about cover my costs but not my time spent in getting her working nicely. I would not be open to offers less than that. Do visit and have a look before making an offer. She is LHD but I could include the parts necessary for a RHD conversion or could even do the conversion for you.

Don't rush - this isn't eBay or anything silly like that. Come see and drive Ornella or request more photos. There are some more photos in my album on the forum (you'll need to register to see them): http://www.renault4.co.uk/forum/album.php?albumid=85

If only i had a garage to keep it in....

Are you sure you want to sell it, i still regret selling my blue 62 to this day...5 years later....you will never find another like it......stop going on and on....
sorry bout that

good luck with finding her a new home...hope its someone in the club

regards
andrew

Hi Malcolm!sorry to see you're selling Ornella as she looks TOTALLY STUNNING!
-as you say there comes a time when you have to make the decision to sell,and I totally agree with you-if you don't have the time to drive her anymore it's best to find a new home for the girl..

Shouldn't be hard to sell at £3500 as she looks really One of a Kind

-new owner will save Big on not having to do all those tedious bits we all know too well...
Hope the old girl will be there next week so at least I can have a look at her before she goes.... Cheers/seeYa -R.

I'd have her like a shot Malcolm, having seen her in the flesh, so to speak, and knowing she is in such a fabulous original state. But I can't keep her in a garage and haven't the nous to look after her properly.

I do hope you find someone that will take care of her. BTW I would think it a shame to convert her to RHD or do any messing about with her.

True enough - it would be a shame to mess with her. And LHD adds to the fun.

I'm just not using her as much as I thought I would. Especially at the moment when she's blocked in by Helga the MGA. Ornella is fun to drive, but it's a lot easier to jump into Ermintrude the Renault 4 when I want to go to the shops.

Might try to encourage her back into France via eBay later on in the year. I'm sure they'd love to have her back, and the climate is more favourable over there.

Might also post new photos of the engine bay at some point - been tidying in there for a while and now the air filter has finally been blasted and sprayed.

Originally Posted by malcolm she's blocked in by Helga the MGA.

Easy-why don't you try selling Helga indtead? :-D You will forget Prince of Darkness fun too!

I wish I had the money to buy her...last week our government put an increase of 150 euros to road tax to any vehicle first registered before 1995, while these registered after 2005 will benefit of a reduction of 18 euros...and they seem to classify the cars from year of first registration in Greece, not actual model year...guessed it? :-D :-D 46 euros current road tax for 747cc minus 18 euros is 38 euros a year plus 3-speed fun!

must say im tempted !

but luckily the 2 spaces i have are filled with projects already and i couldnt leave yours on the drive throughout the winter months
if it wa me id sell the other one as i know you say the other is nicer to jump into , the early ones look just so cool and you try finding another gem like that

Eee Luxury!

Its a shame as your lovely little 4 needs a nice warm home to live its retirement in.

She's not ready to retire yet! After hardly being used the last 40 years she's keen to get out a bit more.

WOW!!

What a beautiful 1960's timepiece she is.
I wish i had the space, money and time to really give her the love she deserves.

My father lives in Murcia, Spain so maybe i could persuade him to buy.

Rick