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UK 45th Anniversary of the R4 - Kent, May 2006
by Peter Gumbrell, 10 June 2006, updated 11 May 2010

Towards the end of 2005, rumours were circulating that a meeting might be held for UK owners the following year. There were some doubts as to just how many Renault 4s might show up, given the rapid demise in the car's numbers around Britain during the previous couple of years. This event was what many believed to be the first real gathering of any fair quantity of R4 enthusiasts on British soil, and it also coincided with the 45th anniversary of the car; a double reason to celebrate! I attended myself and snapped a few pictures and videos.

I had been contacted by Renault 4-Play regular Liam Jones, advising of this event some months in advance. Despite my running this website, in being such a hopeless action man when it comes to organising group events, I had long since given up on the idea of arranging some kind of UK meet-up for R4 owners, and could only hope somebody else might take the trouble. Thankfully, although it was some forty-four years in coming, such an outing was finally put in place by Derek Flavell, who runs the Renospeed website and undertakes Renault 4 restoration and repairs at his London garage. Liam provided me with particulars for the day and helped drum up some support via the Renault Classic Car Club, for what would be a day out also involving the Renault Owners Club of Great Britain. This meant that other Renault models were welcome to participate, but with the 45th anniversary of the Quatrelle looming in early August, the focus was sure to be on the 4 more than anything else.

Due to constant work commitments, I was uncertain until just days before the event whether I could make it, but I struck lucky with my schedule, at the expense of my car not receiving anything in the way of prior attention, and precluding any likelihood of it winning awards for best of show. Upon setting off, I found an unwelcome quantity of bird excrement deposits adorning the bonnet in big clumps, the result of parking the vehicle under a popular tree for the previous couple of days, and so my only gesture was to take it through the local car wash on the most expensive program. Inevitably, this was still rather pathetic and left parts of the car more dirty than beforehand, also threatening to snap off the aerial that I had lazily neglected to remove, but it may have done something to scrub up the rust that was taking a worrying hold of the driver's side.

My journey started in Hove and took me beyond Sussex and Surrey to the services on the M2 near Gillingham in Kent; not the most glamorous location, perhaps, but a practical meeting point. Here, arriving some fifty minutes early after a surprisingly speedy journey of just over an hour, I was greeted by three other Fours who'd beaten me to it. Amongst them was Liam Jones, and it was my first opportunity to meet the organiser, Derek. Both had gleaming models parked side by side, putting my battered old heap to shame, although my GTL workhorse had originally been owned by Liam two years previous, albeit in a slightly better bodily state. Derek's cream-white model was already a contender for star of the show with its novel features, including an R5 Alpine engine. Its sparkling chrome trim matched the finishes on Liam's neighbouring TL, though one interesting difference was the door handles. Derek's were original chrome fittings, whilst Liam's looked the part and seemed perfectly real until handled, at which point their secret unravelled. They were plastic parts, but coated with a chrome paint that fooled all who forsook any hands-on testing.

Early souvenir snaps were being made as the initial flock turned into a healthy R4 crowd, and a line-up of three vehicles was arranged to commemorate the red, white and blue colours of the flag; or blue, white and red, depending on whether you choose primarily to celebrate the British appreciation or the French design. By the time of eleven o'clock this Sunday morning the 28th of May 2006, around thirteen Renault 4s had made an appearance, in addition to a few other Renault models including an R10 and two Renault Fives. An itinerary was handed out to all the participants, guiding them on a mazy route traversing the Kent countryside north to south. Being short of a travelling companion, I elected to stick somewhere in the middle of the convoy, since the lengthy directions were too much to absorb in my memory, and reading them en route might have jeapordised the rear of anybody in front. One or two late arrivals completed the line-up, including Mark and Aerial in their '60s classic, the slower 850cc engine of which had caused their journey to Kent to take a little longer than envisaged. They had also travelled from my locality of Brighton and Hove, and so we at least knew that we could support each other on the return leg, should any cataclysmic R4 failures occur. One other latecomer was a blue R4 van which must have had an interior designed by the same team that worked on Doctor Who's Tardis, since four dogs - three of them enormous - all descended from the rear. Only that giraffe - as featured in old Fourgonette ads, with its neck sticking out of the original rear top hatch - was missing.

Derek's wife set off and led the way in a blue model, and the peculiar sight of more than a dozen right-hand drive Renault 4s trundling down the motorway became a reality. This was something I never thought I would see on British roads. With so many models disappearing in recent years due to the rot, it seemed like this opportunity had been missed. For anybody passing it must have been a surprising and unusual spectacle. Indeed, so many people of all walks of life will comment when the Renault 4 is brought into a conversation, that they either owned one themselves, knew somebody who did, or perhaps - if they are younger - used to ride in one when they were little. There must, therefore, have been many a double-take from other drivers and observers, a large proportion of whom might not have seen an R4 for years and presumed them to have faded into history.

We soon branched off the M2 and onto smaller roads, though some stragglers were lost at the back after a set of quick-changing traffic lights. A few minutes later, all the initial parade pulled over to wait for the rear end to catch up. It wasn't easy to find a suitable spot on narrow country roads where other vehicles could pass, and the job of the front runner was far from easy in ensuring that everybody stayed in the group. My own duty seemed to be a holding role somewhere in between, checking that the front and rear ends of the procession didn't lose sight of each other, and trying to remain in view of both.

click an image below for a larger photo and more information

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We weaved our way along rural lanes, avoiding most of the major towns and admiring the increasingly pretty surroundings of rustic Kent villages. Pedestrians on the pavement facing in the direction of travel would soon realise something was up after just a couple of our cars had overtaken them. For some, even just one Renault 4 was enough to turn their heads. The general reactions of the passing public seemed to be ones of mild enchantment, bemusement and amusement. From many came a smile and sometimes a wave, though in some corners came looks of complete bafflement and even a few almost angry frowns. These tended to be exerted, however, from the faces of rather frumpy folks who most probably sported such expressions by default.

One hour and a quarter into the journey, which was for the most part conducted at a relaxed pace, we arrived at the village of Horsmonden, location for a spot of lunch at the pubs adjoining the green in the centre. This was, at least, a suggestion made in our itinerary, so in having about forty-five minutes to kill, most decided to at least grab a drink on what was turning out to be a gloriously hot, sunny afternoon. The number of Renault 4s seemed to have increased to fourteen or fifteen by this point, with another joining the gang when we arrived at the village green. The cars surrounded the square and parked on two opposite sides, whilst proprietors of local establishments looked on intrigued.

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The mix of characters clambouring out of the cars was somewhat eclectic, though to be an R4 fan one must have some desire to avoid going with the flow and instead to stand by one's beliefs and values. It's all too easy for these boring owners of 'New' Beetles and Minis and various other fashionable but weak imitations of charismatic cars to flaunt themselves as being free-thinking and alternative, but in fact they are falling victim to the precise intent of the manufacturers in admiring nothing but a pale pretender that doesn't rock the boat in any way. The big car companies don't have to put any real effort into designing anything too deviant or remarkable, and therefore don't have to take any risks in bringing to market a potentially unpopular or misunderstood product. Just make something faintly childlike and legions of everyday people wanting to look like they're full of fun tag along. R4 owners tend not to care what anybody else thinks and just go with their head and heart, which usually puts them in the class of individual. That is, philosophically, if individuals can truly belong in a class?

So, there was little in the way of tedious under-the-bonnet comparisons going on, or discussions of brake horsepower and revs per minute, but more straightforward talk and intrigue as to just who other Renault 4 owners are and where they are. Clearly, many more than fifteen of the cars are still sitting around some secret sites in Britain, and numbers are still likely in 2006 to run into three figures, but with a car that most now treat delicately and wish to preserve, the journey down to Kent wasn't going to appeal to all. Some came from Hertfordshire and the Home Counties, others from London and the wider south-east. Even for some of these attendees, the day trip including the actual run through Kent will have added several hundred miles onto the clock. For a first and little-publicised meeting, to have over a dozen make it down to this corner of Britain was quite a respectable achievement. Perhaps in future years more events could be organised, not just in the south-east, and other owners might be persuaded to join in.

At 1.30pm, the 4s came alive again, snaking around the green and setting off southwards for the second section of the run. With the sun shining on the spring parade, spectators continued to ponder over the meaning of twenty diamond-fronted French fanatics heading towards the coast and closer to their cars' country of creation. After worming our way around the western edges of Kent, we entered East Sussex, my car's regular home county, but at its opposite end in the east. Just a few miles now from the coast, but it was first necessary to pass through the historic town of Battle, ancient site of King Harold's ultimate demise in the Battle of Hastings. Considering the dramatic change in English history that the Norman Conquest had effected, it was surprising that locals didn't attempt to sabotage the Gallic vehicles and raise an Anglo-Saxon flag for the first time in almost a thousand years. And in this month of pre-World Cup football fever, it was some relief to see that none of the contestants in our convoy had joined in with the frankly disturbing and futile flag-flying which had seemingly taken seige of the country. Some colourful flags were, however, hung across the street in Battle, which was busy with tourists and families enjoying a day out. No time to stop for us though, and the journey continued to the final destination, on the seafront at Bexhill near the restored De La Warr Pavilion.

The Pavilion itself was largely unnoticeable as we turned onto the coast road at its rear corner, since the back of the beach-based building is generally featureless, and parking spots were not plentiful until a little further along the road. Besides which, our itinerary's last command was to park up a bit further down the beach near a café. The Renaults filled all the gaps on both sides of the road, though there was never a chance to get them all lined up in one single impressive streak. No real plans had been formed from hereon, and it was left for everybody to do as they pleased, although this side of Bexhill beach didn't offer much in the way of surprises. The café stopped serving food shortly before I got there, and so some had already headed up into the town to find themselves a good old-fashioned bag of English chips. There was another chance to have a wander around the assorted models and pick out a few features.

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With such a collection of French classics lined up along the south coast of England, any lookouts on passing ships in the Channel might have been confused as to which country they were staring at. It was as if the cars were trying to sneak back home but had hit upon a big wet blue place they hadn't counted on. Here, just metres from the sea on the fringe of Britain, fifteen faithful fans fronted the world beyond as representatives of the eight million former friends of the Four family.

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Some R4 owners are more dedicated than others, as became apparent during the day, but enthusiasts contribute to the longevity of the car in different ways. Whilst some like Derek and Liam can work wonders on the mechanical side and help keep other owners' cars on the road, some maintain shining symbols for themselves and preserve examples for the record books. And when it comes to dedication, there was no finer representative than Henry Moore with his late '60s classic. It had been in his family's ownership for thirty-six years and clocked up over 200,000 miles. The car made the journey down from Hertfordshire, and whilst other attendees' own histories of Renault 4 possession extended to years running into double figures, nobody could quite top that achievement. Despite my own tenth anniversary of R4 ownership looming at the end of 2006, I was now onto my third model, and one which clearly wasn't in any prestigious league of preservation. My own contribution to the continuation of the R4 story would have to remain best exhibited in my maintaining its notoriety on the worldwide web. I would never have the knowledge or mechanic's devotion to keeping any one car running for so long. The cars might remain a part of my life, but their repair and restoration would be best left in the hands of others with more expert skills.

A stroll along the promenade to the only food establishment in sight resulted in some familiar faces being encountered at the café. A host of hungry Four fans were found feasting on fish and chips. The four dogs had taken up their positions under a table, on the lookout for potato droppings. Above them, a whirl of discussions about the Four's past, present and future seemed to represent a very unusual occurrence, and perhaps even a key point in the car's British life. Forty-five years after its creation, could so many people gathering in one place to celebrate it ever have been envisaged? In its birthplace of Billancourt, maybe, but not here, in Bexhill!

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The party began to disperse, though a few maneouvres were made to create a slightly longer line-up along one side of the seafront. It was noticed that there was a new arrival - the sixteenth R4 of the day - sitting along the line. A blue GTL with a rare canvas sunroof had made its way along the Kent coast from Folkestone to join the group. Every entrant, be it a pristine model of perfection or a battle-scarred everyday hack, had its place and had proved itself as a worthy survivor, in especial consideration that this also marked the 20th anniversary of the end of British imports. Right-hand drive versions ceased to be issued in 1986, and there had been a notable slide in remaining numbers as the final years' models had all eventually become susceptible to rot around the turn of the millennium. Those that remain roadworthy tend to have been preserved to some extent, either through permanent garaging or regular, loving attention. For any example from the 1960s or 1970s to still be in existence is a tremendous achievement. Until Derek's London operation came into existence, there had been no major commercial restoration clinic dedicated to the R4 in the UK. It's only sad to think of the number of R4s that have slipped out of sight and which could, ultimately, have been saved if people had realised years earlier just what unique aesthetic value and charm the cars hold. It would be nice to think that an effort could now be made to save as many that still survive as possible, and perhaps this event will have served to underline that aim.

Mark and Aerial were ready to head off home to Brighton, and so I opted to follow behind in a mini convoy. The journey across East Sussex still brought a few surprised looks from motorists, who hadn't been ready for the sight of a 1967 Renault 4, let alone another, later model following behind it. We diverted our separate ways on the edge of Brighton and Hove, and my faithful Four returned to its regular spot in suburbia as a lone peculiarity once more. It should be that all those who participated in the day's event, not least the organisers, be thanked for their efforts, and it can only be hoped that further outings will be planned in future years. The flame of the UK Renault 4 shall not be extinguished!


The videos I shot during this event were very brief, so I have since created a film combining additional footage from the later Kent runs in 2008 and 2010.

The clips included from 2006 show some moments from the run amongst a convoy of Renault 4s through the Kent countryside, and two excerpts from the journey home trailing behind Mark and Aerial's 1967 4L. For this, it must surely have been coincidence that I decided to put a classic Jimmy Smith track on the stereo, as used some years ago in Renault's own Clio ads. Best not to ask how I managed to do the filming!

View the video of the 2006, 2008 and 2010 Kent runs here.


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