How Time Flies: Renault Marks 4’s 60th With AIR4 Drone

Renault has marked the 60th anniversary of the classic 4 sedan with a flying project that imagines how the icon might look in another 60 years.

Designed in conjunction with motion specialists TheArsenale, the AIR4 refashions the Renault 4 as a powerful drone beautifully finished from carbon fiber.

It’s no secret that Renault is bringing back the 4, which shifted more than 8 million units between 1962 and 1991. But don’t go getting your hopes up that it will fly. About the only thing the AIR4 will share with the upcoming Renault 4 car is that both are powered by batteries.

The AIR4 swaps skinny steel wheels for four two-blade propellors, the body being mounted ion the middle of the frame, and hinging forward to give the driver (pilot?) access to the cabin.

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And instead of a wheezy pushrod four-cylinder engine there’s a 22,000 mAh lithium battery developing 90,000 mAh, which is enough for a top speed of 26 m/s. That equates to 58 mph, which, when you think abut it, isn’t that much slower than the 75 mph you might hope to coax from an original Renault 4 on the ground. Peak altitude is 700 m (2,300 ft) and Renault says each of the four propellers is capable of generating 95 kg (209 lb) of vertical thrust.

In keeping with the original, the interior is definitely of the no-frills kind, seating consisting of what looks like a park bench upholstered with webbing straps, and the dashboard consisting of a simple centrally located digital display.

“After a year-long celebration we wanted to create something unconventional to close up the 60th anniversary of 4L,” said Arnaud Belloni, Renault Brand Global Marketing Director, of the AIR4. “This collaboration with TheArsenale was a natural fit. The flying show-car AIR4 is something unseen and a wink to how this icon could look like in another 60 years.”