This (sporty?) little red 1964 Renault Caravelle has been stored since the 1970s and has only 63,000 miles on it. What would it take to wake up this little car for a top down, wind in your hair ride? It needs brakes and exhaust to begin with and the interior is trashed. They say it runs yet it hasn’t run in years, so it will need the usual mechanical encouragement. There’s no rust showing and the floor mats don’t seem to be sagging into holes in the floor pan. I had a sedan version of the same vintage, the Dauphine, and it was a reliable, easy to work on car. Introduced in 1959 with 37HP, by 1964 it had a 48HP engine designed for the new Renault 8. The Caravelle had also been upgraded to 4 wheel disk brakes and a 4 speed transmission by 1964 . The convertible top is included but there is no word on its condition. Condition 4 cars are said to be worth $8000, so perhaps $1200 is a reasonable price for this one. It’s up near Clear Lake, California, north of Sacramento, pretty much in the middle of nowhere and listed here on craigslist. This could be a cheap fun car or perhaps the $1200 could be only the down payment on a more expensive project.
Well I guess it must have been a great deal, because the listing has already been removed! Someone bought themselves a nice project. If the new owner happens to be on the site, please get in touch. We’d love to hear more about it and see more photos!
These are pretty simple to work on, though the engine’s “wet” cylinder sleeves can be a bit fussy. I’ve serviced/rebuilt several old Renaults and, other than the R8-style brake calipers and the sleeves, don’t remember much that was difficult or terribly frustrating.
Getting a Caravelle’s hard top on and off is a two-person job, as I recall. That said, they look neat and, when the seals are in shape, keep the inside nice and dry.
Still, it would cost more than it’s worth to bring it up to Condition 4, so you’d have to be prepared to enjoy it for what it is. And what it is is slow. Sleepy-turtle-slow.
Hello Ray, this may be a long shot but I am replying to your comment because you commented about rebuilding several of these Renault Caravelle’s. We currently have one here at our shop with a cracked engine block. I am in FL, do you know anyone that sells parts for these cars or anyone with the expertise to rebuild this engine for us?
Very interesting we have a 1966 Renault Caravelle, except the interior is mint perfect.
Looking for a mechanic that knows Citroen Ds’s in the Central Florida area. Any help would be appreciated