The Renault 4 Plein Air – A Celebration
10 August 2022
It is the late 1960s, and you are hip, groovy, and generally “with-it”. You also crave beach transport with greater comfort than the Mini Moke can hope to offer, and Renault is now offering an open-top version of the 4 – the Plein Air. Today, many enthusiasts will tell you that any vehicle favoured by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg is instantly “far out”.
Renault introduced the Plein Air on the 15th of May 1968, one day before its principal rival, the Citroën Mehari. Their in-house Sinpar (Sinpar (Société Industrielle de Production et d’Adaption Rhodanienne). division undertook the conversions on standard 4. The coachbuilder removed the roof and doors, modifying the side panels for additional strength and altering the windscreen. Power was from the familiar 845cc engine, while a chain across the side opening served as a (very) rudimentary safety feature. Apparently, the Plein Air also featured gearbox sump guards from the Moroccan-market 4 and the Van’s rear anti-roll bar.
Customers could place an order via Renault dealers across the globe, while 100 Plein Airs served as PR vehicles. Sinpar built 563 examples until March of 1970 - Renault replaced it with the 4 ACL Rodeo. A relatively high price of 8,990 Francs in 1968 restricted domestic sales, but export territories included Canada, the USA, Mexico, Finland, Germany, the Netherland, and the UK. A Daily Telegraph report of the 31st of July 1968 stated the Plein Air was soon to be available in Britain at a price of £815. The writer also noted, “The soft torsion bar suspension gave an astonishingly smooth ride over the violently rutted mud tracks away from the main roads”.
Such a report is a reminder that France had far more of a tradition in building 2WD ‘Soft Roaders’ to cope with often terrible rural roads than the UK. The Plein Air completed with the Mehari in its homeland, but across The Channel, 1968 saw BLMC transfer Moke production to Australia. An open-top 4 was not really suitable for the rigours of British weather - the canvas top provided limited weather protection - and £815 meant the Plein Air cost as much as a Ford Cortina Mk. II, It appears that Renault UK ordered a mere six cars, delivered between 1968 and 1969, and gained new canvas side curtains. The concessionaire employed them for PR events, but it is unlikely there was a serious prospect of significant British sales.
But today, who would not crave a 4 Plein Air for those August evenings? This writer certainly would…