Renault 4CV History

Conceived in secret during the German occupation of France and presented to the public at the 1946 Paris Motor Show, the 4CV went on sale in 1947 as a rear-engined, four-seat economy car. It was the first new Renault launched after World War Two, beating the Citroën 2CV to market by a year.

The 4CV became the first French car to sell over one million units, with a total of approximately 1.1 million built through 1961. Its commercial success allowed the newly nationalized Régie Nationale des Usines Renault to re-establish itself as France's leading carmaker in the postwar years.

A Gordini-tuned 4CV also formed the basis of early French motorsport campaigns, winning its class at Le Mans and establishing Renault's long tradition of marrying small-car engineering to competition.