By Tim Odell
Aside from recognizing these as some kind of Renault, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Floride with a hard top before. The more common “1.5 cars worth of useable parts” listings (as this one is) tend to be for a topless Caravelle or Dauphine. Honestly, I know nothing of these vehicles and their parts availability, so I can’t even begin to guess what’d go into making one or both of these roadworthy for the first time since the 1970s. But hey, if one carburetor’s borked, you can pull the one from the parts car, which is surely in excellent condition!
As is often the case, I fell down a bit of a wikipedia hole researching these vehicles. Did you know they were produced in Renault’s first large factory, which happened to occupy a man-made island in the middle of the Seine on the outskirts of Paris? Île Seguin has a mildly interesting pre-industrial history, but at its peak had an underground test-track and loading docks for receiving and delivering parts and completed vehicles. It also made an easy target for Allied bomber pilots during WWII (the Germans had repurposed the facility for their own uses).
Anyway, back to the cars: the seller seems a reasonable individual willing to facilitate inspections or delivery, as the market for Renault Florides in the immediate vicinity of kinda-rural Auburn, CA can’t be too hot.
$3500 obo for the pair – eBay Motors
Jeff Glucker
Nah, I’m holding out for a fixed-roof Floride coupé.
http://classiccarcatalogue.com/R/renault%201959%20floride_coupe.jpg
I would have pegged you more in camp dacemino, but yes that is pretty.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Pickup3.jpg
Oh wow! http://www.lesrenaultdepapier.fr/Dacia_Vintage.htm
http://www.lesrenaultdepapier.fr/CouverturesCatas/Dacia1304PickUpMeuble_80Rou.JPG
‘Better than a Renault Floride? Two Renault Florides.’
This is some strange new meaning of the word ‘better’ that I haven’t come across before.
In keeping with the vintage Japanese theme of this week, here is an example of a Hino Contessa.
What is now effectively ‘Toyota Motors Truck Division’ used to make this range of Renault 4CV derived running gear under licence and came up with their own version, restyled for them, by Michelotti and sold from ’64 to ’67. Build quality was better than the equivalent Renault, but with the even softer JDM suspension, handling wasn’t. An Australian ‘Wheels’ magazine roadtest panned the car for ‘it’s seemingly simultaneous understeer and oversteer’ and low levels of road-holding.
Having finally driven one a few years later, I found one that despite being on newish Dunlop Aquajets to be almost undriveable on a wet road. It remains the worst handling vehicle I have ever driven.
They are pretty though and many of the locallly assembled rust free ones from her in NZ appear to have been shipped back to Japan by avid owners.
They did make a pretty Coupe version too and proving that you can develop anything, it had some competition success with an American called Peter Brock.
http://www.autominded.net/brochure/div2/HinoContessa1300%2001.jpg
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Hino-Contessa-1300_21.jpg
http://www.bre2.net/mm5/graphics/00000001/bre2_telly_hinocontessa_lgt.jpg
https://s1.scalemates.com/products/img/8/8/3/180883-12155.jpg
Look at this last picture carefully. What movie did they screen-grab the shot from?
No idea. Do tell.
Let me clarify/correct. Not a screen-grab, but a sketch/painting,possibly directly
traced from a photo or movie still.
It’s from “The Graduate”. They just put the Contessa in the Alfa’s place!
Ha! You’re right, well spotted.
Not something that would happen today?