Talk:Renault Dauphine

The 1962 model had an automatic transmission. Really it was an electric clutch and electric shifter to the standard three speed transmission. Contol was by push buttons, not unlike the 57 Plymouth. Top speed was well above 60 mph and the gas milage was over 40 mpg on the highway.

Was it air or water cooled?
Most rear engine designs seem to be air cooled, but I seem to recall a radiator tucked in the back with the engine. If this is so, it should be incorporated in the article. Yes, they were remarkably unstable. A friend's went over a couple times. It seemed to just "fall over" spontaneously, like a baby first learning to walk. Also, the jack handle could slip through a hole in the rear bumper to hand-crank start the engine. 71.174.149.35 (talk) 01:32, 8 January 2010 (UTC)


 * Water cooled. I owned two of them.  The picture of the blue one, on top of the Continental divide, in August, 1964, was one of mine.  Also, another photo of it going thru the Wawona Tree at Yosemite National Park, in California. And yes, they could roll over more easily than other cars.  The rear axels were designed much like they Chevy Covair's and they would "tuck in" when there was much of a side load on them.  I know, because I totaled one of them that way, while driving from Farmington, New Mexico, to Denver, Colorado, in 1958. EditorASC (talk) 03:51, 27 February 2010 (UTC)