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Thursday, January 14, 2010

Not a Gordini: 1964 Renault R8 Project Car, $1200















I admire the honesty of this car's seller in stating that it is not a Gordini, hence the title of this post.  This 1964 Renault R8, while somewhat dinged up and disheveled, appears to be a good restoration project, has good glass and appears very complete and original with the exception of the steering wheel and roof rack. I like the styling of this car and the subsequent R10 better than the Dauphine which preceded them, but not as much as I like the quirky and overtly French appearance of the 4CV. The seller states that s/he will only sell to a Renault enthusiast, which will hopefully rule out the scrap-metal dealers, parts pullers, car hoarders and 24 Hours of LeMons and ChumpCar racers. 


Another especially appealing (or unattractive, depending on one's point of view) feature of the Renault R8 is how the designers of the instrument panel made it bear an uncanny resemblance to the front of a bookcase stereo receiver dating to the Reagan administration when it is actually the speedometer and gauges of a car built when DeGaulle was president of France and the car was imported to the US and sold new during the Johnson administration, well before rectangular black plastic stereo equipment reached ubiquity. 


The asking price of $1200 is quite reasonable considering that one can find the less desirable Dauphine in similar or worse condition than this car for more money on eBay more often than one can find any kind of R8 there at any price.


 Find this car here, in Corvallis, Oregon: 





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