Re: DAF, rear engined Renaults etc.
From: coupe404 (tippett@pacificcoast.net)
Date: Sat 28 Feb 2004 - 02:54:26 EST
DAF! I love 'em. There used to be a DAF factory about 60 km from my
former home in the Netherlands, a bit south of Eindhoven. Now it's
owned by DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishis and smart ForFours are built
there. Sad. The mum of a friend of mine in NL had a DAF, an early
1960s one with the flat twin engine. Get in the car, two gear
selector, forward and reverse. And the engine always was running at
about 3800 rpm no matter what speed you were doing. V. cool,
ingenious thing, the CVT.
You will find that NSU was making rear engined cars long before the
Corvair was ever conceived; the little Prinz was around in the early
to mid fifties.
About the Caravelle 2+2 (meaning two main seats and two jump seats)
had the Caravelle body but a permanent hardtop welded to the shell
and a more accommodating roofline for rear passengers. To me that is
the Caravelle to have. Style without the wooly chassis. There used
to be a really nice example in Vancouver in the 1980s, a medium
blue "S" version owned by a UBC Professor, with its standard R-8S
drivetrain (i.e. 60 HP 1108 cc engine, rear track rods and
tachometer!).
The Dauphine nomenclature is more or less like this:
R-1090: basic Dauphine, 32 HP, three speed in most cases, 112 km/h;
R-1091: Dauphine Gordini, 40 HP, 4 speed, drum brakes, 130 km/h;
R-1092: not sure about that one, probably disc 32 HP manual cars
though!
R-1093: Dauphine "1093", special rally version with 58 SAE HP, hot
cam, twin barrel carb, header, rear track rods (the only Dauphine so
fitted as stock), optional five speed crashbox (non-synchromesh
manual), tachometer, 140+ km/h top speed, first ones had drums but
later ones had discs;
R-1094: Dauphine with 32 HP and three speed push button automatic,
disc brakes;
R-1095: Dauphine Gordini, 40 HP late production with disc brakes and
four speed automatic.
So maybe you can see why I'm only keen on the 1093. My Dad had a
1090 and I had a 1094, plus a friend of mine had a 1091.
The R-1135 8 Gordini was far better than any Dauphine, with 103 HP,
1255 cc, hemi head, nice header, twin Weber 40 DCOEs, 5 speed
synchromesh gearbox, twin shock rear end, built in driving lights,
twin fuel tanks, lightened and strengthened bodyshell. They were
fantastic cars, the epitome of the rear engined Renaults. These did
the 1/4 mile in the high 16s and would top out at about 180 or so
km/h with the stock gearing (underdrive in fifth). With the Alpine
kit and 120 HP they'd get into the very low 16s or even high 15s if
you were good at launching the car, very good for an old school 1300
cc car. They're the best rear engined Renaults unless you consider
the Apline A110, that is. And a friend of mine in Vancouver has one
of each! Crazy guy!
I sometimes think I might like an 8 Gordini; I almost bought one when
I was 19 (that makes it 1979). $1200, I waited too long and someone
trumped me. It's OK, I might have died in that car. The guy who
bought it was a postman and he cooked the engine not long after
taking possession. Shortly thereafter I bought my first 404 Coupé
Injection, which is soooo much nicer than any Renault!
Anyway, good luck with the collection.
Mike Tippett
404 Coupé Injection
M-B C 230 K
405
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