Renault Floride
| Industry | Automotive |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 25, 1899 in France |
| Headquarters | Boulogne-Billancourt , France |
| Products | Automobiles |
The Renault Caravelle is a sports car manufactured by Renault between 1958 and 1968. Crafted by Pietro Frua of Carrozzeria Ghia, it utilized a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive configuration and shared its chassis and powertrains with the Renault Dauphine. Offered in both two- and four-seat coupe and convertible variants, it aimed to capture the expanding sports car segment.
Initially unveiled as the Renault Floride at the 1958 Paris Motor Show, it was marketed in North America under the name Renault Caravelle starting in 1959. In regions outside North America and the United Kingdom, the Floride designation remained until 1962.
Name
To enhance its appeal in the vital US market, Renault developed a coupé/cabriolet derived from the Dauphine, inspired by the success of the Volkswagen Type 1 in North America. The idea emerged during a dealers' meeting in Florida, which led to the internal project name "Renault Floride." Concerned that the "Floride" branding might not resonate beyond Florida, Renault chose "Caravelle" for North American and English-speaking markets.
The Floride name was later resurrected in 2011 for a special edition convertible of the Mégane Coupe Cabriolet Floride, paying homage to 1960s aesthetics.
Bodies
The vehicle was available as a 2+2 coupe, a 2+2 cabriolet, and a convertible featuring a removable hardtop. While sharing the same wheelbase as the Renault Dauphine, extended overhangs made the Floride considerably longer by , with slightly reduced height and a marginally wider stance.
Engine
At its debut, the Floride employed the Dauphine’s rear-mounted four-cylinder water-cooled engine but upgraded with a larger Solex 32 mm carburetor compared to the Dauphine’s 28 mm unit. Presented at the 1958 Paris Motor Show, this engine was rated at an advertised SAE horsepower. By mid-1959, a performance variant tuned by Amédée Gordini became available, enhancing output to SAE horsepower through modifications including an improved inlet manifold, camshaft adjustments, and an increased compression ratio from 7.6:1 to 8.0:1.
Transmission
The drivetrain transmitted power to the rear wheels via a three-speed manual gearbox equipped with synchromesh on the top two gears. For an additional cost of 200 New Francs, buyers could select a four-speed transmission option on the slightly heavier coupe model. Due to the vehicle’s power-to-weight ratio, most purchasers opted for this upgraded gearbox.
Subcontracted production
Although Frua of Italy designed the bodywork, manufacturing was carried out domestically by Société des usines Chausson, located in Asnières-sur-Seine near Paris, an established builder of French school bus bodies.
During France's rapid economic expansion in the 1950s, despite waning sales of the 4CV and disappointing results from the Frégate, strong demand for the Dauphine caused production bottlenecks late in that decade. The primary facility at Billancourt on Île Seguin was unsuitable for enlargement. Although new plants opened at Flins (1952) and near Le Havre (1964), neither addressed assembly requirements for the Floride in 1958.
The heavy engineering company Brissonneau and Lotz, mainly known for railway rolling stock manufacturing, had introduced a small cabriolet sports car based on the Renault 4CV in 1956 but sold only about 200 units. Renault persuaded Brissonneau to discontinue their own model and retool their facilities for Floride assembly. Combining Brissonneau’s manufacturing expertise with Renault’s investment transformed their Creil plant (covering 190,000 m² total with 41,280 m² enclosed) between 1958 and 1959 into a dedicated production site for the Floride. Assembly under Brissonneau and Lotz continued there until production ceased in 1968.
Upgrades
For the 1960 model year, introduced in October 1959, both the Floride and Renault Dauphine underwent notable enhancements to their suspension systems. These improvements, engineered by Jean-Albert Grégoire and branded by Renault as the "Suspension Aérostable," aimed to elevate both ride comfort and handling stability. The front suspension incorporated rubber springs to minimize body roll, while additional air spring components at the rear created a slight negative camber, boosting grip during cornering.
March 1962 saw the Caravelle equipped with a new 956 cc engine, which was also implemented in the Renault 8 starting June of that year. Although unrelated to the earlier 845 cc Dauphine powerplant, this engine's displacement remained within France's 5CV vehicle tax category. Alongside the powertrain update, the model featured a sealed cooling system, modified front suspension and rear geometry, improved steering mechanisms, and refined gear linkage. Moving the radiator behind the engine freed up an additional 12 cm of interior space. The engine output increased to , paired with a standard four-speed gearbox where only first gear lacked synchromesh. Unveiled at the 1962 Geneva Motor Show, these versions introduced four-wheel disc brakes, marking the Floride as the first high-volume French automobile equipped with this technology and reducing unsprung mass by approximately 6 kg. From 1962 onward, the Caravelle name replaced Floride in all markets.
In 1964, an enlarged 1108 cc engine derived from the Renault 8 was added to the Caravelle range, delivering . According to a November 1965 test by British publication "Autocar," this variant reached a top speed of , accelerated from zero to in 17.8 seconds, and recorded fuel consumption figures of . Its performance was comparable to that of the contemporary Triumph Spitfire 4, which held a slight advantage in maximum speed. Despite UK tariffs favoring local manufacturers, the Caravelle carried a higher price tag at £1039 compared to £666 for the Spitfire 4.
Commercial
Initial production volumes were modest, with only 3,777 units completed in 1959. Following the implementation of the "Aérostable" suspension system enhancements, output surged to 36,156 Florides in 1960.
By the mid-1960s, the Caravelle’s design began to appear outdated. The elimination of internal tariffs within the Common Market further intensified competition from Italian automakers targeting budget-conscious sports car buyers in France. Consequently, annual production sharply declined from 4,880 units in 1966 to 2,991 in 1967, and further fell to just 1,438 vehicles in 1968. Renault discontinued the Caravelle model during the summer of that year.