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Réparateur d'automobiles

Pleinair Renault 4's

It seems to me like a conversion ...but could that be true: "Pré-série de fabrication SIMPAR 0009" ???
 
Renault 4 Torpedo Sinpar Plein-Air

To clarify matters, 506 Pleinair cars were converted from standard production white cars; each given a unique Sinpar number. 6 cars were ordered by Renault UK and delivereed in 1968 and 1969.

This information can now be updated as we have recently discovered Plein-Air number 563 somewhere in the center of France.
see http://www.lasudrie.nl/home/3
1-87.jpg
 
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It seems to me like a conversion ...but could that be true: "Pré-série de fabrication SIMPAR 0009" ???
I have personally seen this car and the identification tag seemed legit and the number matched the chassis number, but the body did not look like it was made by Sinpar. I did not buy, but apparently somebody did. Note that this post does not refer to no. 563 above but to the alledged Pre-series 009. The 563 is an original Sinpar Plein Air with matching numbers.
 
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Look at these photos:

http://www.photos-depot.com/photo-jpg-17519.htm
http://www.photos-depot.com/photo-jpg-17520.htm

It is a Plein Air, used as a rental car from a hotel on Rhodes island.
I had been told at some time that some "jeep-like R4s" had been in circulation on Rhodes in the 70s-80s. They must had been Plein Airs and not JP4s.
At first glance it looks correct (shape of the sides' cut, windscreen cut and fittings, hood shape).
But many parts are missing like the long waistline trim pieces, sill stripes and aluminum trim over the sides.
What really made me wonder was, when I entered the number plate in an older car database that used to be available here, it is registered as a 1972 R6!
The badge on the lower right corner of the grille is the trademark of Saracakis Bros. (Renault importers in Greece until 1977). They normally put such large badges on buses they built in their coachbuilding department. So this one could be a converted R4 body (with the original kits available in the 70s) on an R6 chassis.

However, this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO2i52fxULQ (also on Rhodes island) looks very correct (long waistline trims, all six pieces of aluminum trim over the sides, Parisienne style hubcaps), but it is bordeaux red with beige hood (no evidence of such Plein Airs being available at the time). I managed to find the movie and watch it, and there is a second "clone" of this one parked besides it, also in bordeaux red with beige hood.
 
Greek Plein airs?

Interesting photos. I agree that they look like plein airs but that they are probably no Sinpar conversions. The shape of the windscreen suggests the use of an original Renault plein air kit, but the frame of the convertible top is different. The R6 registration is indeed a mystery as it seems a lot of trouble to create a plein air body on a R6 chassis rather then converting a R4 Berline.
The plein air in the movie looks like a Sinpar but the pictures are not of adequate quality to say anything with certainty. All R1123's converted by Sinpar were 322 white and the colored ones I have seen were all painted in color on the outside only. Sinpar did offer a convertible top in two colors, black and beige: see:
1-63.jpg
 
As the only "special" part missing in the bordeaux Plein Air is the sill stickers, it must had been resprayed at some time (very early in its life, as the movie was filmed in 1973). Do you think the beige hood is original?
 
Yes, I think it is. If you look at the picture above which was taken at the Sinpar prodcution site in 1968, there is a plein air with black and one with a beige top in the picture. As the picture is B/W it looks grey but I have consulted a cabriolet specialist and he says it was most likely beige, as this was a common color in those days.
 
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