This year marks the 50th anniversary of Renault’s iconic 4, the French firm’s first front-wheel drive family car that was introduced in 1961 and remained in production until 1992. Not surprisingly, the automaker and enthusiasts of the car alike are planning several events over the year to commemorate the Renault 4’s golden birthday.
Aside from launching a design competition for the creation of a modern-day Renault 4, the automaker is also lending a helping hand to a team of four French enthusiasts who will attempt to set a new record at the Bonneville Speed Week, which takes place in northwestern Utah from August 13 to 20.
With the help of Renault’s Classic and Sport divisions, the team, which calls itself the “Triplets de Bonneville”, prepared a specially modified Renault 4 using the body and chassis of a panel van version.
The Bonneville speed racer features a 290-horsepower turbocharged engine sourced from the Renault 5 Turbo that participated in the French Touring Car Championship of 1983. It also sports a gearbox from the Renault 25 GTX Turbo and the brakes from a Renault 25 (front) and Clio (rear).
To ensure optimum safety, in addition to a roll cage and a fire extinguisher, the car is equipped with a special harness, a single bucket seats and a braking parachute housed in the roof.
The makers of the Renault 4 Bonneville racer believe that their creation will manage to achieve a top speed in excess of 280 km/h, which would make it the fastest Renault 4 ever built.
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