50 Years of Renault 4 Plein Air

Absolute minimalism boomed in 1968 – in many ways. Renault for example presented the Plein Air based on the practical small car R4. It was a rather impractical fun car without doors, side windows, tailgate or roof. On the sides deep cutouts ensure easy access. Flower children and other supporters of the flower power movement quickly accepted the car as an ideal companion for sun, summer and beach.

The Renault 4 Plein Air did not just run off the line. Instead the French sent finished R4s to the special coachbuilder Sinpar (Société Industrielle de Production et d’Adaption Rhodanienne) in Chassieu near Lyon. This company belonged to the Renault group and removed doors and roof of the cars, mounted a continous front bench instead of single seats and changed the side bodywork with aforementioned cutouts and attachable, plastic-coated chains.

To be as free as possible, however, most of the drivers of a Plein Air drove without the chains and also didn’t use the rudimentary roof made of single-layered canvas. The latter was meant to be a parasol and not real weather protection. It also took a long time to unfold it. The R4 Plein Air was just a consequent fair weather car for areas like the Côte d’Azur. Compared with similar concepts of the time, the Renault had front-wheel drive, but was relatively restrained in terms of performance with its 26 PS from 845 cubic centimeters of displacement.

In total only 563 copies were produced until 1971, which were officially offered in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Finland, Mexico, the United States and Canada. It was also in Canada where the car was unofficially debuted in the form of 20 vehicles chauffeuring visitors across the grounds of the Expo. As a successor Renault brought the Rodeo to the markets all over the world, which was also based on the R4 but got its own plastic bodywork. In addition Sinpar built further vehicles with modified R4-bodies and retrofitted four-wheel drive system.

Images: Renault