By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Which do you like better, the Le Car or the Dyane?

Continue reading "So Slammed, So French" »

By Mike Bumbeck

Clunkbucket

Over a million Renault 4CV sedans can’t be wrong. Sales of the 4CV hit half a million units in 1954, and surpassed the million mark by 1960. The 4CV was sold here in America, and manufactured under license as the HINO 4CV in Japan. And what’s not to like? Rear engine. Developed in total secrecy by a German-occupied WW2 France. Rear wheel drive. Cheap to buy when produced. Still relatively easy to hop-up with proven modifications, as long as there’s a few spare parts kicking around. Very light at 1230 or so pounds. The Volkswagen-like 4CV is even the progenitor of the rally-winning Alpine A106. Larry Peacock has one more great reason why he digs his 1960 Renault 4CV with a Lexus emblem glued onto the side. It hasn’t caught on fire and burned to the ground like his Citroen SM did. Read more and gape at a giant 4CV Gallery over at Clunkbucket!

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

As an AMC fan, I could look at Renault as the company that brought on the death of American Motors. Or I could look at Renault as the comrades-in-arms that had the right amount of insanity to build the LeCar-based R5 Turbo2 (seriously, wouldn’t the AMC guys have done something similar if they were European? Maybe they’d whack about a foot from the wheelbase while they were at it, too…). So I’ll plug this Turbo2 currently for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller’s description:

1984 Renault R5 Turbo in Red with tan cloth seats and tan carpeting; 5-speed, 19,800 miles with roll bar. Original paint and in excellent condition. Recently had remote oil filter modification done with braded steel oil lines and braded steel clutch hydraulic hose.

See more pics at Hemmings

By Fireball Tim

Movie Car Design Master

Man, it’s been a crazy few days. Lots of cool cars have shown up (All in my driveway…. slight exaggeration, as in the driveway of the mind!) But, there are SO many doodads of coolness out there, it’s really hard to pick what gets the major super duper cool status of being one of of my CDW’s. (See, another acronym… I keep doing that for some reason.)

So, without further do doo… Feast in the pure bitchiness of the soul. Cars of heaven, direct to your door, yo.

1. THE AUDI LOCUS CONCEPT

Gorgeous, right. I mean, here’s a woman that knows your weakness. Although, most likely a 3D image, this Audi concept evokes style and charm with added sass. Like a woman who knows just how to get into that sweet spot of yours. ‘Course, dangling it first to get your attention until you melt like warm chocolate. Oooooo……

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "Fireball's "Cool Designs of the Week!"" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

It looks like the acquisition of Saturn by the Penske Group will be finalized this September. It looks like all the dealers will remain independent, but will have to sign a new dealer agreement with the new owners. So, why is this of any interest to the CarDomain reader? With the closing of the GM Facility that produced the Saturn Sky (along with the Pontiac Solstice), I though it would be prudent to see what the new Saturn product offerings might look like. So come along with me on a voyage of discovery, and see if the magic crystal ball is working.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "Pure Speculation: Saturn's New Models After the Roger Penske Takeover" »

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Tight parking spaces? No problem. Check out what people are coming up with in other parts of the world to avoid buying Smart cars. I bet it’d work great for moving non-running vehicles around the garage too!

By Craig McAlpine

imotormag

The Renault 5 didn’t need much power to go fast, because when it was launched in 1985 there was no such thing as Euro NCAP. No airbags, no traction control, no ABS. As a result it only weighed 850kg (1,875 pounds). Safety was not a huge priority, it was built to showcase the turbo technology that Renault was using in its 1,000hp Formula 1 cars. The 5’s 1.4-litre turbo engine initially produced 115hp (later versions had 120hp), but it was not just a turbo that made the 5 special. Renault tweaked the chassis to make the 5 GT seriously good fun.

Since the hot hatch heydays of the mid 80s and early 90s cars have got heavier. With better safety, comfort and more gadgets, instead of worrying about power they could really do with going on a diet, and that’s exactly what Renault has done with the Mégane R26.R.

Check out the iMOTOR video test drive!

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Last week Autoblog ran a cool little feature called Top 10 Mid-Engined Hatchbacks. Now, the first car I think of when I think of mid-engine hatches is the Renault 5 Turbo. However, it failed to make Autoblog’s list. So did Theon Parseghian’s awesome Ford Festiva. What gives?

Ok, this is what happened. After the throttle cable on his Renault broke during the Ralley de Serrians in France, the driver climbs under the hood and controls the throttle manually until his copilot manages to cross the finish line. Seriously. This badass rides until the hood for the last mile. The best part? The official’s face when the car completes the stage. Who says the French are wimps?   

Axis of Oversteer via Autoblog

Just got back from the Renault Laguna Coupe launch in Portugal. I took this photo on my phone of the rear quarter because in THAT color, in THAT light, it reminds me of something British… Full review next week on iMotor.