Renault Dauphine
A colourful four-door family car put its little water-cooled engine in the back and its luggage in the front.
1956 Renault Dauphine museum display · Damian B Oh · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
Renault unveiled the Dauphine in Paris on March 6, 1956 after millions of kilometres of development testing. Its four-door body was roomier and more export-minded than the 4 CV it followed. This profile covers the original 30-gross-PS, three-speed French launch car, not the later Gordini, 1093, Ondine or push-button Automatic versions.
Look a little closer.
Renault tucked the spare wheel in its own compartment beneath the front luggage well, reached from outside under the bumper.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Designed to travel beyond France
Renault wanted a larger, more comfortable successor to the 4 CV that could win export customers. Four doors, four seats, useful luggage room and low running costs were part of the original Project 109 brief.
Source: Renault Germany Press · A car for the whole world ↗Later Dauphines are different
The launch car had 30 gross PS and a three-speed manual. Renault later added Gordini and 1093 performance versions, four-speed gearboxes, an Ondine luxury model and an Automatic, so those specifications do not belong on this 1956 page.
Source: Renault Germany Press · From heir to queen ↗Where these facts come from
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 29, 2026.