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Hot Rod Your Renault Dauphine

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cosworth151:
If you grew up a gearhead here in the States, you've probably seen a J.C. Whitney catalog. They have almost anything you can think of for your car. Even a chrome donkey with light up eyes that looked out of you back window. His eyes blinked in time with the turn signals.

This was a kit they offered to hot up your Renault Dauphine/Caravelle/Gordini. It promised a 10% increase in horsepower.  In the real world, that would have taken it from 32 hp to a blazing 36.2 ponies!

I know that Dare had a Dauphine back in the day. So did a high school buddy of mine.

https://autoweek.com/article/classic-ads/1971-piston-kit-gets-your-renaults-engine-whopping-09-liter

Warmwater:
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.

Dare:
Bought my used when I was 16. Two weeks later
riding down the road I heard a poof and when I
looked in the rear mirror flames were shooting out
of the back. Where I bought it repaired it free but it
didn't last much longer. Might be one of the reasons
Renault's aren't sold in the US

Dare:
https://autoweek.com/article/car-life/1959-renault-dauphine-ad-promises-new-french-revolution

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