The Dauphine was of course one of the pioneering small, economic continental cars that steered the world away from two ton gas guzzlers at the end of the fifties.
It was a cute, compact issue designed inhouse by Renault with assists from carrozeria Ghia.
You can see the moddish elements of the three box design, whose Euro motifs where decidedly other than the American chrome clad giants that were being designed at the time, and with whome the Dauphine would attempt to do battle.
Check out this interesting ad for the little Frenchie from North America — its interesting to see how, as far back as fifty years ago, urban utility and fuel economy were becoming a marketing element. America might have been booming, but they also wanted to keep an early eye on the pennies.
We’re not sure how successful the car proved to be in the states, but it would have cut an alternative dash on the streets of Manhattan, as it would do today.
These little cars, with their rear mounted engine and rear ‘swing axle’ would have been a quirky little handler too — a lot more fun to chuck around than your average Buick at the time.
