I had a new Dauphine in 1959. At first it was good, very light and inexpensive (about $1300.00). I was 18 with a boy-racer mentality, had a pilot's license, a Harley-Davidson, a Triumph Bonneville, and a hydroplane. The Renault engineers apparently didn't take exuberant driving style into consideration. The first problem was that the independent rear suspension would "tuck under" during cornering, and with the heavy rear end, the result was often an impressive spin. In an attempt to counteract this, larger wheels and tires were mounted on the rear, but then the wheel bearings had to be replaced every few weeks. During cold weather the cables to the clutch and throttle would freeze solid, car was not usable until the temperature warmed. Another interesting quirk was that the fuel line connection at the carburetor wound pop out during hard acceleration, blowing fuel directly onto the exhaust manifold. Ultimately this led to the death of the Dauphine when it burned to the ground, it was less than a year old. Other than these minor faults, it was a fine automobile and would actually beat a Volkswagen in any kind of race.