My Renault 4 Adventures

I have run Renault 4s for 12 years on and off. Occasionally I feel I should run a sensible car but soon get bored and revert to the wonderful Renaults. All of the cars are named after magic roundabout characters.

Ermintrude the Renault 4 GTL

I was only looking for a pair of headlamps when Ermintrude was advertised.

Ermintrude was a rare find - an almost perfectly straight Renault 4 that had been carefully looked after mechanically throughout her life. Rust had taken a hold in all the normal areas, and the car would have been sold for scrap had I not rescued her.

Ermintrude's body was removed from her chassis for a thorough restoration at the end of 2003, and she has since completed a 4500 mile trip around Europe.

Renault 4 Restoration	Ermintrude goes to Monte Carlo
Drag Racing in a Renault 4	Living with a Renault 4

Rosalie the Renault 4 GTL

I decided to become self employed in late 2002, and bought Rosalie to replace my Peugeot 406 Diesel and save money. Rosalie had been owned for some time by a lady in London and was stored in an underground garage which accounted for her fine condition.

Rosalie's travels included a trip to Loch Rannoch in Scotland for New Year in 2003. A friend, Robert, bought Rosalie from me at the end of 2003, and we have since driven to Chamonix in her.

Photographs of Rosalie the Renault 4	Clementine the Cat repairs Rosalie's Rear Chassis
Sensible Version of Rosalie's Chassis Repair	Rosalie goes to Chamonix

Florence the Psychedelic Renault 4 TL

Florence was my first Renault 4. I swapped a CD player for Florence together with another R4 in 1992.

Florence was a wonderful car. In her four year career she was used as a wedding car, became a film star, and toured the former Czechoslovakia almost making it as far as Russia. Florence finally retired in 1996 when her rear chassis rusted away.

Florence the Renault 4 TL
The Life and Times of Florence the Psychedelic Renault 4

Renault 4 TL Restoration
Florence - The Early Years

Florence goes to Czechoslovakia

Margot the F6 Van

Margot had previously been owned by nuns in Sheffield. I think they were called 'Sisters of Charity'. I bought the car from my uncle in 1998. The photograph was taken during a tour of France. Our bedding is drying on the boot lid - Margot leaked, and the bedding started to smell of cheese after a couple of weeks.

Margot's rear suspension mountings had rusted away by 2000, and I was on the verge of moving house so didn't have time for the repairs. I sold the van to an engineer from Lotus who had plans to use her as a wheelbarrow around his building plot.

I only found 2 photos of Margot (the French name for Florence incidentally) so didn't have enough to make any detail pages.

Margot the Renault 4 F6 Van