1968 Renault Caravelle Convertible

We have always loved these little cars. a lovely blend of Italian styling and French engineering. This is a genuine Right Hand Drive 1968 Renault Caravelle Convertible. It is finished in Metallic Blue with Black Interior and has the rare Hardtop as well as the soft top fitted. It has covered 59k Miles from new and has been in the hads of the previous owner for many years having been sold new to Jersey. It is in a nice older restored condition. has a new Tax and MOT and needs nothing for the summer. The car drives perfectly and the body and interior are very clean indeed. The car has a new Blue mohair hood which looks superb against the blue paintwork.

Renault was envious of the growing success in North America of the Volkswagen Bug/Beetle and were looking for ways they might match the Volkswagen's success with their own Renault Dauphine. At a convention of North American distributors that took place in Florida. Renault's US dealers called for the creation of a Dauphine coupé/cabriolet which would improve Renault's image in the critical US market. Renault's chairman. Pierre Dreyfus. agreed. and since the concept had been born at a convention in Florida the car instantly became known within the company as the "Renault Floride". The "Floride" name was considered unsuitable for 49 of the 50 states of the USA. however. since it could have implied disrespect to states other than Florida. For this reason an alternative name. "Caravelle". was from the start used for North America and for other major markets (including the UK) where the principal language was a form of English.

The Floride was unveiled at the 1958 Paris Motor Show. A small rear-engined design by Pietro Frua at Carrozzeria Ghia. it used the floorpan and engine of the Renault Dauphine sedan. The Floride was launched in the United States and Canada as the Renault Caravelle a year after its introduction in Europe

The car was offered as a 2+2 coupe. a 2+2 cabriolet and as a convertible. the latter being a cabriolet with a removable hardtop. The 2. 65 mm (89. 2 in) wheelbase was shared with the Renault Dauphine but longer overhangs meant that overall the Floride was longer by a significant 320 mm (12. 6 in). as well as being slightly lower and very slightly wider.

Power was delivered to the rear wheels via a three speed manual transmission with synchromesh on the upper two ratios. For a supplement of 200 New Francs customers could instead specify a four speed transmission on the slightly heavier coupé version of the car. Having regard to the car's power-to-weight ratio most customers chose to pay extra for the four speed gear box.

In March 1962. the Caravelle received a new 956 cc engine that would be also used by the new Renault 8 from June. Although the new "Sierra" series five bearing engine shared no components with the existing 845 cc Dauphine engine. it was conceptually very similar: the engine size was chosen in order to come in (slightly) below the top of the 5CV car tax band in France. Maximum power output increased to 48 hp. Four speed transmission. already included in the price at no extra cost on some export markets. now came as part of the standard with the new engine even for French buyers. although bottom gear still made do without synchromesh. The upgraded cars. first presented at the 1962 Geneva Motor Show. now featured disc brakes on all four wheels: the Floride was the first French volume car to benefit from this enhancement which also reduced unsprung weight by approximately 6 kg. The Caravelle name also replaced the Floride name in all markets from 1962 onwards.

In 1964 another R8-derived engine of 1108 cc was introduced to the Caravelle. producing 55 hp . This model was tested by the British "Autocar" magazine in November 1965. The car had a top speed of 89 mph (143 km/h) and accelerated from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 17. 8 seconds. An "overall" fuel consumption of 30. 2 miles per imperial gallon (9. 4 L/100 km; 25. 1 mpg-US) was recorded. The Caravelle's performance closely matched that of the contemporary Triumph Spitfire 4 under most headings. though the Spitfire was a couple of mph ahead on top speed. The British car market was still protected by tariffs at this time. but even allowing for that the Renault looks expensive in this company: The Caravelle came with a UK recommended price of £1. 39 as against £666 for the Spitfire 4.

Our car is one of the very last produced and benefits from all the upgrades over the models lifespan. A very rare opportunity to buy a RHD Caravelle in a great condition for a great price.

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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