Irretrievable original condition
05/21/2018
The views of classic car enthusiasts have changed over the last few years. Whereas 10 or more years ago, top-restored cars were considered desirable, patina and original condition have become much more important in recent times. Owners and observers have realized that a car can only be truly original once, but after a restoration, when many parts have been renewed and rebuilt, it can only be true to the original.
The 1960 Renault 4 CV pictured here is an interesting example of this. We had this exact car on the Zwischengas stand at Retro Classics in Stuttgart three years ago. The visitors loved the car and we had to keep opening the door so that the onlookers could take a whiff, because the smell was just like the exterior back then.
In fact, this car is a largely unrestored Renault 4 CV, delivered in Belgium and presumably with exactly the 66,600 km mileage shown on the speedometer.
Even the paintwork is still largely original, as can be seen from the fact that it is almost completely polished through in some places.
The interior has survived the 58 years without any changes, so it goes without saying that it no longer looks like new.
This also applies to many add-on parts and of course to the engine compartment, where only the bare essentials (e.g. hoses, fuel pump, etc.) have been replaced to keep it alive and running.
So now it is as it was when it was first built, without carpets and other modernizations that are often installed during restorations due to a lack of original spare parts. As soon as you start replacing parts, it will no longer be the same. More beautiful perhaps, but no longer as original.
In any case, we like the "Crèmeschnittchen" as it is now. However, the owner still wants to part with it and has advertised it on zwischengas . If you are interested, just take a look.
