A message arrived in March 2005 from Alex, who originally hails from New York City:

'Hey, I just found this 1990 renault 4TL savane in an old cave here in the south of France. It had one owner, all the documentation, service record, 74,000 km. I must say, it is in mint condition. There is not a mark on her. No rust, no dents, Premium condition. I am thrilled to bring her back to life. This car has been hidden away for the past 8 years. It seemed as though the owner had deceased and the car was forgotten by the family. Now they came to sell the property. I am the neighbor, and when they hung a sign on it, I jumped on it.'

I replied, commenting on how I had imagined driving an R4 through NYC during my last visit there. Alex responds:

'It would be a great fantasy to drive the R4 through mid-town. How about a taxi, or a fleet of R4 limos, wedding cars? It's endless. I could almost check the car in as luggage. Anyway, spring is here in the south of france, and I am very content to cruise through the countryside as intended for this cream puff. The car is perfect, the only negative I have felt thus far is in the clutch. It seems very stiff, or kind of hard to depress. There is a bit of play in the cable, not a lot. Can I adjust the clutch, lube the cable and pressure points? I don't think it needs replacing. Maybe it will ease with a little driving time. It has been off the road a while. Thanks for your response. I am thrilled to say the least. Before I had a 71 - R4 F6 little truck. What a difference.'

These follow-up pictures arrived shortly afterwards, and show inside and under the hood.