We have seen it with the 2CVs: the prices are through the roof (and thereby damaged the solar panels). We currently know a ZGAN 2CV with a price tag of € 24,500. And the selling party happily declares that there is very little room for negotiation in that asking price. Such amounts for such cars are madness. The Renault R4, however, is the 'better' Duck. A real driving car. And that is how it is often used. So what would happen to that?
And that kind of madness leads to evasive behavior
Alternatives will be sought. And so 'the market' discovered the Renault R4 a while ago. That is a sensible thought. After all, the Renault R4 was conceived for Citroëns free-range duck to put a firm foot cross. The approach at Renault was that their newcomer had to be exactly like the 2CV, but better in all areas. And Renault succeeded without a doubt. The Renault R4 was and is the ultimate car.
That translated into top sales and worldwide production
A lot of R4's have been made. And a lot of work is still ongoing or easy to save from this massive production. In addition, R4s cost only a fraction of what comparable Ducks have to earn. So all good messages. Because the world is not a Walt Disney movie, there is a huge 'but' in this story. Even a threat to the future. That threat in the 4TL Trophy.
The 4TL Trophy
It was born out of good intentions, idealism and some more subtleties. Plus the nice side effect that the Moroccan government has little to do with the local nationals, because the Moroccan administrators have very different revenue models. In short: no matter how much money goes to Morocco, the local poor in education, care and nursing see little of it.
This skewed situation usually prompts idealists and world improvers to 'do something about it'
Not that it puts a lot of work on the dike, but in the Rif area they do not do much about dikes anyway. So one of those rescues lives under the banner of the 4TL Trophy. This is an 'experience' in which young people up to the age of 28 travel from Paris to Morocco to bring locally redundant teaching materials and thus to the underdeveloped parts of Morocco. There are now 33 international teams, including the club from Arnhem. Respect for the whole idealistic story that surrounds it. But the pain is in the transport of the Trophy participants: They have to drive that very solid ride including a few desert tracks in Renault foursome.
And every Trophy now has more than 1.000 (!) Renaults participating. These are not bake boxes, but seriously taken care of cars. There are even companies that specialize in making R4s 'Trophy ready'. The ride is not a timed rally and certainly not a 'banger rally'. But now the numbers say that a well-prepared R4 has been written off and gone after three to four Trophies. And with 1500 expected participants in the next Trophy, those figures have to cut back on the existing stocks of Renault Viertjes.
This year, Arnhem's HAN participated in an R4 that was set up as a study project
Behind that school assignment was a team of thirteen students of 11 nationalities. The Arnhem R4 successfully completed the ride and is now safely back on the nest after 8000 km. And meanwhile the students are lobbying to participate again next time. Also for PR reasons compared to the course, of course. The approach is that there is currently a lot of four R4s in one sale on offer.
All in all, the R4 market seems to be under stress
The demand from the side of classic enthusiasts is increasing. On the supply side, people are gnawing hard at people who just see such an R4 as what it was made for. And well, that also has something. And that this group of people is obliged to be under 28? That is actually a great development.
Also interesting to read:
I was used to the gears of a Duck, and left the seller of the R4 surprised when I reversed at full throttle at the start of the test drive ...
That was a "learning moment!" Fantastic!
http://Www.4ltrophy.com
Next year already the 24th edition. This year about 1.500 Vierjes went to Morocco, each with a minimum of 50 kg of charity items and two or three crew members. Start from Biarritz and then about 6.000 km. Every year, all R4s complete the tour. Apart from an occasional minor repair (especially flat tires) every 4 has come back so far. Indeed a good design that Renault 4. And 'sporty', because with mid-engine, which is behind the front axle. Good road holding, smooth suspension, a lot of ground clearance make this a good rally car.
Thanks for this glowing addition
Eight million have been made. Chief designer Pierre Dreyfus compared the R4 to jeans: it fits everyone, man, woman, young, old, student, workman, farmer, entrepreneur, it is practical, it is almost impossible to break and if it does break it is easy to repair. An all-rounder I wish today's manufacturers still had such a philosophy. Now you can not even replace a light yourself and cars have a “target group”. The R4 had the whole world as its target group, even the chic ladies, because they could order a dressed “Parisienne”.
Do not forget that half a million licenses were made in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia at IMV in Nove Mesto, which became the second largest car manufacturer in the Balkans, after Zastava. We only know this factory in the Netherlands from the very successful Adria caravans here.
A real 'world car'. Endearing and yet a bit tough.