Introduction and drive in my latest arrival, a Renault Dauphine Gordini 1964, single lady owner for the first 16 years, then on display at a dealership for the next 20 years has surely helped preserve this car
My Dad had several Dauphine when I was a young boy. My Dad's mother kept his one until the 80's. These cars had a particular smell in summer. The false leather from the seats, I guess? And this sound engine! During hollidays in the south of France, at my Grand Dad's home, at Mèze (he was the railways station master of the town, located on the Étang de Thau, near the city of Sète), I remember my Dad let me alone in the car (I was 4 or 5) while he was buying some fishing stuff for few minutes. South of France, end of the 60's, summer, just after the lunch = the whole city was on a nap. And me alone in the Dauphine. Taking my father's seat. Discovering the controls of the car around the steering wheel. And suddenly... What is it? Push it Bruno! The horn! What a wounderful sound! THE HORN! I never touch it again.... Even now, I prefer flashing the lights on the road! And my father never let me alone in a car after ... But the Renault Dauphine horn... what a wonderful sound!
Luverly car and one I always wanted. In the 1960s my father's co-worker had one. He was French. He kept it in his garage and never used it in the rain. He took his moped to work in the rain rather than using his car.
What a beautiful example of that Renault. Sadly, we don’t have a lot of older European cars in America. My first car was a 1959 Peugeot, 403. What I would give to have that car again. No bells, no whistles, just turn the key and go. Thanks, good luck ! Rick….. 🇺🇸
My first car was a 403 as well I bought it from an old couple when I joined the Army. Where I come from the 403 was called the "Locomotive". In the town where I was stationed many people thought it were a Volvo Amazon. I still have got a 403 Estate/Commerciale and a 203 Familiale.
@@MrUlrik9 I do work on the brakes at the moment. You have disc brakes right? I have drum brakes all around. And somehow even for drums, they have no power at the moment…
@@mydauphinefilms thanks. Because here in Brazil, in the past, the Gordini version was sold with the only Gordini name, with a stronger suspension 40 HP engine, side trims and best internal finishment. The former type, still named only Dauphine...
My first car in 1970. Renault Dauphine Gordini, type 1091.from 1962. ,,,,,,,,,, My second car in 1970. Renault Dauphine Gordini, type 1093, original, from 1962. With dobbel carburator, " air cool" brakes in the front. Dobble springs at every valves, intake and eksos. An other gearbox. ,,,,,,, 5 cars type 1093 were sold i Norway. 🙂🇳🇴
Oh wow...my grandfather owned one of these. It was the only car he had 40 years or so. It was the first car I drove ...on a field somewhere when I was 10 maybe.
@@MrUlrik9 😊Yeap, I learned that even earlier, while we were waiting for my grandma in front of the factory she worked at. Although the car is long gone, and sadly my grandfather too, I will never forget it. It took me on the best trips of my childhood.
Thank you for sharing. You have bought yourself a treasure. I hope you keep and enjoy it. I've liked the Dauphine since I was a kid. I remember my parents' shopping in '61. They looked at Renault, Fiat, bought a Corvair.
Thanks for giving a comment, these personal stories bring it all that more to life, a corvair is also a very special car, would fit perfect in my weird collection, the closest I have been to us cars is a couple of 1980 Oldsmobile Omega , so called x platform, small us cars with a transverse v6, and just like the corvair they were doomed as unsafe to drive, so that affected values all the way up to present day, but that just make them that more desireable in my mind, do like an outsider
Be careful if things are a bit slippery. That overhung rear engine can produce a really dangerous oversteer. It happened to me. Came into a corner out in the country and the back end came out, I corrected as I'd been taught. It then spun the other way and I went backwards into a ditch, and it rolled. I was OK, but the car was a write-off. I suspect there was a patch of 'black ice'. I wasn't speeding.
I know because back in the day when my parents hat their car,( the reason for me buying one in the first place) my dad hit a stonewall and damaged it, the car never felt allright after the repair, so he traded it in. But tires have improved a lot in the years in between, and now its only for good weather as well
What an amazing automobile! I had to sub to you because all the cool stuff you work on is not common here ! Vintage euro cars I think are about the coolest cars ever . Sadly.... We cannot easily find or acquire them in the United States. There are some vintage German cars especially Porsche and mecedes but virtually zero French cars. I promised myself if I could find a Rene bonnet or a Renault gordini here I will own it .
Thanks for the kind comment, glad you like it, if its any consolation, I watch youtube from the US and is amazed at how many is available and how cheap us cars and trucks are. We have a very different tax system here, which hugely affects the cars sold new here
Thank you for the memory. Your mother was right and Car and Driver agreed, calling the gear shift an egg on a coat hanger. True, on could sort of stir it around gently without moving into a gate. One quickly learned firm throws . My first Renault Dauohine was a used 3 speed. I needed a good economical car to got to work while I waited for a clutch plate and release bearing to arrive frim Conventry....first car was an 8 year old Jaguar XK-159 roadster, so that wait stretched to 6.5 months. While Dauphine was having brake shoes replaced, the mechanic used an pnuematic wrench to tightened the wheel bearing 2 days later thee bearng burned out and the wheel came off while driving to work. Second Renault was a Dauphine Gordini with a 4 speed gear box. Last a good number of years before I sold it. Had a lot of fun with this ideal urban/suburban runabout. Being a big young man I was able to lift and bump the front end into "impossible" parking spots... managed to raise some eyebrows in the process.
Thank you for sharing your great story, makes it all worth doing a video, what a great pair of cars to have at the same time, would love to duplicate, but the xk, is a bit out of my range
@@MrUlrik9 Wasn't until the internet became available that I discovered exactly how rare the XK-150 roadster was. Sadly I had to sell it after moving to NYC. At current prices, it would be way out of my range. PS. Later acquired a R5, marketed as LeCar in US as commuter vehicle... Now that was truly versatile and fun to drive. Dad had two Renault's, R8 and R10, Sister had an R10.... Enjoyed your video very much, thank you.
@@MrUlrik9 PS once XK clutch and transmission were fixed, on a fine October afternoon topped out a hair under 140 on limited access highway...got the ticket to prove it😊
@@thechancellor3715 would you have any pictures from back then, maybe with both the xk and one of the Renaults showing ? Im doing an article for my clubmagazine and would like to point out this lovely history as an example for others to come forward with their memories
@@MrUlrik9 Sadly I have no photographs of either. Lost my whole collection of family photos to a winter burst water line in 77. But much thanks for your consideration. Very nice to chat about the autos we've had and the memories evoked. Let me add another item. Now a days one rarely sees private car blown out tire carcasses along the road side thanks to vastly improved tire tech. Sometimes one comes across a truck tire. But in the 50s and 60s such sight were not uncommon. Dad's 1960 Peugeot 304 had Michelin X steel belted radials as standard, not so with the Renault's. I was running on whatever was on the used Dauphines I bought as a cash strapped youth focused on the XK repairs. Rarely mentioned are the 3 lug wheels on the French cars with heavy boat like washers fitted to the wheel groove. After numerous flat tires I became a speed wizard at Dauphine tire changing to the surprise of my buddies, 3 versus 5 made the difference.
It was an anemic rust-attracting mobile chicane. It was tolerable in lare 50s/early 60s life because cars were a lot slower travelling back then. And even then you could outrun one with a well-tuned 36hp Volkswagen, which says so much - and so little.
