Blue Barn Find: 1960 Renault Dauphine
The Dauphine was Renault’s answer to the Volkswagen Beetle, Fiat 500 and Morris Minor — a people’s car from the people who loved cheese, wine, and a provincial life. It had a 845 cc Ventoux I4 mounted out behind the rear wheels and a smiling face up front, and over 2 million were produced during a decade of production. Find this 1960 Renault Dauphine offered for $1,000 in Maple Valley, WA via craigslist.
The Dauphine has a pleasantly mustached front end with a preposterous
bass mouth grin instead of the evil frown on its
cousin —the R8. This one has a chain (for towing?) that adds a Fu Manchuesque look to the face, and you will need to tow this thing home as it hasn’t run for 40 years.
All things considered, it doesn’t look bad for a car that has been off the road for 40 years, but a few pictures of the interior and undercarriage would be nice. It will have some rust, but it will be a much easier to get back on the road if it the floorboards aren’t yabba dabba done.
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As a kid in the early sixties in New York City one of these sat day in day out down the street, occasionally moving on street sweeping day. It was that fifties salmon color. I loved looking at it as I walked to school. There was also an Isetta front door opening BMW. I lived on a street with some weird car people obviously.
As a kid in the early sixties growing up just up the street in MA, Dauphines littered the yards of a couple of homes on my paper route. Most remained motionless for years, but the few that ran were visible on snowy days. Under-powered skinny tired rear drivers, beat the socks off nose heavy Detroit iron on snowy days. Then, the sun came out and the Dauphines went back into hiding.
@Woodie Man: You mean AWESOME car people!
Family next door to me was a Ford Family they bought there teenage daughter one of these only ran half the time the Mustang was just being released and they got one of the first ones never saw anything but Fords after that.
My dad's first new car. Grandpa bought it for him to go to college in. (Grandpa was a long haul trucker, and was very proud to have a college student son.) Dad blew the engine, and was so ashamed to tell his father, that he got a buddy to bumper push him to the top of the tallest hill in Minneapolis, (not very, as it turns out, Midwest). Once there, dad let it coast down the hill into some little mom and pop car lot and traded it for a '61 Chev. The whole time, inwardly praying they wouldn't try starting his trade-in.
Car salesman: "Well Mr Fueltruck Sr. That little Renault you brought us sure is a quiet little runner."
Dad: "Yes sir, runs great!"
And my ex-wife wonders where I get it from…
My first car. paid $10 bucks for a '59. Sold it for $15. Hey, 5 bucks then was real money and it was a start. 3500 to follow.