It may be something of a rarity now, but back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Renault’s Dauphine was the hottest thing on four wheels, finding buyers in markets well beyond its native France. Unveiled in 1956, the Dauphine took its name from a word that roughly translates to ‘princess’ in English. The name reflected the fact that Renault intended the new car to be a successor to their 4CV (better known as the 750 in Australia), which they regarded as the “queen of the road”. Hence, the next in line to the ‘throne’ would be the princess.
A huge hit for Renault domestically, the compact, economical and affordable Dauphine also proved to be a success overseas, including the USA, where it found a place in many suburban garages as the family’s second car.
The Dauphine was also manufactured or assembled in a variety of countries, including Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Israel, New Zealand and even Australia.
Renault’s later R4 and Citroen’s 2CV may be regarded as more of a “people’s car” from this period, but the Dauphine can genuinely lay
