AutoCult Renault 4 Bertin (1969) (France)

About the Original

Two Meters Ninety-Three

In the 1960s, the Frenchman Jean Bertin dealt with the idea of future traffic. The problem of the “clogging” of cities inspired the then almost 50-year-old so much that he came up with a small, city-friendly, two seater car by which he wanted to bring his theory to the public.

And which car would have been better suited for this in France than the ever-popular Renault 4?

According to Bertin’s idea, the in large quantities produced car, which was already a small car, was to become even shorter. Namely by exactly 74 centimeters. Responsible for the implementation of this radical shortening measure of the technically simple car was engineer Jean Simonnet, who ultimately removed a centerpiece and reassembled the two remaining parts. In the end the original doors and also the original rear side windows could be fitted again. In addition to the then unbeatable vehicle length of only 2.93 meters, the shortening also led to a wheelbase of only 1.66 meters – the original wheelbase measured 2.4 meters – and a weight reduction of over 50 kg.

The shortened Renault was presented in shining black paint at the Paris Motor Show in 1969 and caused a sensation. Jean Bertin not only wanted to convince the people with his project, but above all to meet with open ears in politics and at Renault. The cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment ended in December 1973 without result and also the request to Renault, whether this small car should go into series production, got a rejection.