Last R4s

[angel]

I was discussing with a friend yesterday about the end of the R4 production. All official sources give December 31st 1992. However, I remember back then that it had been said that "Renault will be forced to stop the production of R4s for the european market as catalytic convertor fitting will be essential for vehicles sold in the EU since Jan 1st,1993, and Renault does not plan fitting one to the R4. However it will continue to be producted on countries like Morocco, Slovenia and Portugal".
I have heard a lot of rumors about R4 production up to 1994 In Slovenia. Can anyone confirm this? (especially you guys from former Yugoslavia). Does anybody have any other info about when the last R4 (worldwide) was made?

 

[claude van rouge]

According to this web site - http://www.geocities.com/richardirl/dando.html (see the bottom of the page) - production of the R4 finished on 21st December 1994 in Slovinia. Production started on the 3rd of August 1961 - hence the birthday party ( http://www.renault4.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=1353 )

 

[angel]

I had a lot of time to visit Richard's site...
I had always thought that the Bye-Bye models referred to the last 1000 French made. I remember one appearing on Ebay and it was registered in 1993. Probably Renault realized they had too many R4 parts to stock and decided to make them cars? :-). So there must have been a little more R4s built than the 8.135.424 officially stated.
I am curious to see if anybody knows more on this.

 

[RichardIRL]

Hi,
I was confused about the different dates given for the end of the Renault 4, so I was not sure what to put down when I wrote that web page. Renault's own official website listed both 1992 and 1994 as years for the end of production, which didn't help.

But I have seen been told by Peter from the Renault 4 Club of Germany (I can't remember what role he had in that club, but he was full of knowledge, some very obscure) that production did in fact continue in Slovenia until 1994, using parts never intended for immediate assembly, and with some oddity parts - like parts which were not normally on later R4s.

This would mean that the Bye-Byes were not the last R4s, and that 8,135,424 is not the total R4 production, this is why I wrote that production had soared "beyond" that number

 

[Greeney in France]

I am not totally certain but I was told somewhere that the bye byes were actually "Clan" bye byes being the last of the clan cars not the last R4s

 

[angel]

But the last R4s were Clan (GTL) anyway. I was reading on magazines of that time that the No1 Bye-Bye would be the very last R4. There is a lot of confusion on this, just as with the VW Beetle. With the 2CV it is more definite. Citroen did not run a limited edition series for the last cars, but they state clearly the 27th July 1990 15:00 pm as the moment that the last 2CV came off the production line in Portugal. This was 2 years after the end of the French producted 2CVs.
Maybe Renault History&Collection will be more clear? I doubt, as they never were too willing...

 

[jjad]

In 1990 at least, Slovenian built GTLs were not badged as 'Clan'; they were simply GTL.

Our R4 GTL was built in 1990 in Slovenia

It has 'hard' headrests with holes in them, which I have only ever seen on R4s from Slovenia. Unfortunately, the 'soft' headrests found in the late French R4s have different diameter 'legs', so don't quite fit the Slovenian seats