RENAULT DAUPHINE

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by old mart on 01/08/2019 21:45:31:

Renault currently make a small car with a rear engine, I forget it's name.

Twingo. No longer sold in the UK

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

SWMBO had an Imp when I met her, great car to drive but the build quality was dreadful. Starter ring falling off the flywheel was it's most spectacular failure, but fortunately getting the engine out was fairly easy, big blowlamp and some kit-e-kat tin sorted that out. With a lot more development before going into production it could have been a super little car, the cooling system for a start needed sorting.

this might be one of those apocryphal stories, but Imps were made in Scotland and brought south by train. One wild night some of them blew off the Ribblehead viaduct. Can't imagine that did them much good

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Interesting, I'd assumed the Imp was built at Ryton (I used to live about a mile from the factory in the early 90s), but it seems complex process of sending engines north to the Clyde and cars back south was put in place.

Neil

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

" but it seems complex process of sending engines north to the Clyde and cars back south was put in place."

Check Bernard Mathews poultry business, Chicken/Turkey bits from middle Europe and sending dead birds there???

Regards Ian.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

In the 1960s I had A Fiat 500, one evening I set off from Mosgiel over the hill to Dunedin, no problem, it was snowing quite heavily, but I went up and over Three Mile Hill no trouble at all, but when I got about half way down the other side there was a road block and a Traffic cop, he let me through but asked about the road block on the other side of the hill, there wasn't one, and a couple of hours later I went back again the same cop was on the barrier and he told me that they had found the other cop in a ditch a couple of miles from where he was to set up his road block, he would have been driving a Vauxhall Cresta, couldn't handle 6" of snow, he was the bloke who took me on my driving test about 3 or 4 months before. Light weight, out shooting rabbits, got a puncture, 2 mates lift the car change wheel, don't need a jack (back wheel).

Ian S C

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

Re. the Imp, wasn't one of the major problems the pneumatic throttle operation? Never had one but heard tales of the throttle tube coming adrift. Seem to remember they were much favoured for racing.

rgds

Bill

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

Posted by duncan webster on 01/08/2019 23:39:45:

With a lot more development before going into production it could have been a super little car, the cooling system for a start needed sorting.

I remember a trip to the Earls Court Motor show in '71 or '72. The heater in an imp was a water valve type and the controls were on the dashboard with great lengths of rubber pipe hidden under trim etc between there and the engine bay in the rear – and they perished. The first thing we know was that the windows steamed up instantly and boiling water started to drop on the driver and front passenger's feet! First RAC call out and he bodged the system using an old box spanner and a couple of jubilee clips to replace a worn section of hose. Twenty miles further on – repeat. Second RAC callout and he looped the hose within the engine compartment – taking the box spanner to give to his mate – I wonder if he ever did? No heater for the rest of the trip home so we needed to keep both front windows open to demist the windscreen. Freezing!!!

At least it is better than the reputation the estates and vans (Commer Cob) had of bursting into flames!

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 02/08/2019 13:14:47

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

Posted by Ian S C on 02/08/2019 12:31:56

…….he told me that they had found the other cop in a ditch a couple of miles from where he was to set up his road block, he would have been driving a Vauxhall Cresta, couldn't handle 6" of snow,

Father had a new 1963 Vauxhall Cresta that he drove round his GP practice and across country to visit relatives, but on our annual holiday – Nottingham to Harwich then through Belgium, Holland, Germany and Austria to the Adriatic coast taking about 4 days or so to do it, but even then traffic, even on the autobahnen, did not usually go as fast as it does today.

The Cresta had a ribbon speedometer that changed colour at 30, and 70 miles an hour, but in response to us kids requests to 'see the speedo go red' he took it on a disused airfield in Lincolnshire and caned it down the runway before it changed at 70mph. I don't remember my dad being a slow driver, he was certainly not later on!, but he just kept up with the traffic. So issues with performance, cooling systems or braking efficiency in older cars, even in the sixties, are perhaps different when viewed against today's 80+mph on the motorways and 30+++mph round town?

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

Posted by Cornish Jack on 02/08/2019 12:55:45:

Re. the Imp, wasn't one of the major problems the pneumatic throttle operation? Never had one but heard tales of the throttle tube coming adrift. Seem to remember they were much favoured for racing.

rgds

Bill

Yes ! used to watch them at Brands Hatch coming out of Druids , down the hill & round the South Bank with the inside wheel off the ground racing the minis. Finally lost out to the Anglias.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

The pneumatic throttle was read across onto the Daimler Fleetline bus. It was a right P I T A.

When it misbehaved there was no way of fixing it at the roadside.

Seemed a good idea at the time!

Howard

[Old ElanParticipant @oldelan]

I had a few Imps. In my view they were a much better car than the Mini but the launch was rushed for some reason, so yes, they were a little under developed. The pneumatic throttle and automatic choke were soon replaced by cable operation.

They were very successful on the track. Three consecutive saloon car championships with Bill McGovern in '70,'71 and '72. Quite a good rally car too.

They were produced in Lynwood, not far from Glasgow. Lovely engine based on the Coventry Climax fire pump engine. Put together properly they were reliable. Unfortunately the majority of the work force were recruited from the Clyde ship yards…..

I commuted to London in mine and never had a major problem apart from the petrol crisis in '74! Before that I could fill my 6 gallon tank for £2!

To get back on topic, my only experience of a Dauphine was a cast model of one from CIJ, the French equivalent of Dinky. I still have it and it hasn't rusted away…….

[Martin of WickParticipant @martinofwick]

See also Skoda Rapide – a more recent version of said Renault.

If you attempted to corner the Skoda at the speed of a front engine car, you would find yourself being rapidly overtaken by the rear end! At motorway speeds, there was an uncomfortable hovercraft feeling caused by the front wheels were barely in contact with the road.

Thankfully got rid of it after only ten days ownership, much to my relief.

[clogsParticipant @clogs]

Here in SW France u never see them…..

even a few of the model before the "Dauph" cant remember the name tho…….

plenty of older models and a lot of Reno 4's……

Dauphine the dog was just that……..

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

M o W

If the front wheel bearings were correctly set on a Skoda 100 Series, and presumably on the other rear engined models, the steering feel, was lighter, and self returned.

You NEVER EVER lifted off in a corner, or like any other swing axle rear, you took a short cut into the country side.

We had a 110R and once the carburettor, engine and wheel bearings were set up, it went like the wind, and cornered like few other cars. Never found what the maximum speed was, supposedly 87 mph, but mine was still accelerating at an indicated 90!

The traction in snow was phenomenal, you could use full throttle in second gear on packed snow.

It was intended for those conditions, good cold starting, fantastic heating and demisting; but needed a bit of reassembly and adjustment. They didn't win Rallies for no reason!

Howard

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Just bin the rest of the car and put the Imp engine in a racing sidecar outfit

Mike

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

Back to the IMP- BMW made an equivalent to the Imp about the same time. I seem to recall that it had an odd crankshaft which may have had roller bearing big ends

[martyn nutlandParticipant @martynnutland79495]

Remember them well, and a school mate who was very miffed if anyone raised the issue of instability.

Think it was a myth. As someone says, you had to accustom yourself to the characteristic of the car in those days, and the Dauphine layout was helping to break new ground, particularly in the UK.

Rust? Everything rusted to billy-o then, even R-Rs and cars like the Vauxhall Viva and Hillman Avengers were catastrophies.

Suspect the disparagers of the Dauphine may be displaying a touch of Europhobia….lot of it about.

Martyn in Paris

[HowiParticipant @howi]

had a Singer chamois (luxury version of the imp!!!) then soild it to buy a Ginetta G15, got 100mph on the motorway but had to hold on to the dash to stop it vibrating so I could read the speedo.

very disconcerting when a bus pulled up beside you, you got a very close view of the wheelnuts, ones bum was about 4 inches off the ground, ooh! err! missis!

Steering wheel was about 8" in diameter, didn't need much turning to get round a corner.

them were the days eh?

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by Howi on 04/08/2019 09:51:37:

had a Singer chamois (luxury version of the imp!!!) then soild it to buy a Ginetta G15, got 100mph on the motorway but had to hold on to the dash to stop it vibrating so I could read the speedo.

very disconcerting when a bus pulled up beside you, you got a very close view of the wheelnuts, ones bum was about 4 inches off the ground, ooh! err! missis!

Steering wheel was about 8" in diameter, didn't need much turning to get round a corner.

them were the days eh?

Was that disconcerting bit at 100mph? Speedos were always optimistic. I used my rev counter to check the speed more accurately. Motorway markers ans stopwatch gave a good measure of actual speed if one could keep at a constant speed for, say,10km.

[Old ElanParticipant @oldelan]

had a Singer chamois (luxury version of the imp!!!) then soild it to buy a Ginetta G15, got 100mph on the motorway but had to hold on to the dash to stop it vibrating so I could read the speedo.

That shouldn't have happened! I helped a chum build one in '72. Triumph based front suspension like an Elan and the trailing link Imp suspension. I admit that the steering was very light but quite stable when flat out. G15s were good on the track too.

We used both Imp and the G15 on car trails. They were ideal with the weight on the rear wheels.

Indeed, them were the days!

[An OtherParticipant @another21905]

This thread brought back some memories. I had several Imps long ago, and have to say I liked the car. I had one special version which had an 'Estate Car' rear end (not the van), and a digital speedo (this was around the mid 1970's). Contrary to some of the opinions here, it handled well. My opinion is that the weight of the all-aluminium engine/gearbox at the rear was fairly well balanced by the fuel tank at the front of the car, and the weight of the driver and front seat passenger.

It was always a fairly easy car to work on. I changed the clutch (first UK car to use a diaphragm clutch!) on one single-handed at the side of the road. Simply support the engine and wheel the car away. The job I always hated was replacing the rubber drive doughnuts, because they had to be compressed using a special tool (actually a big jubilee clip), and it always seemed to be a PITA to get the bolts back in!

Tappet adjustment was a la Jaguar XK, by replacing shims under the tappet buckets – I eventually ended up with a bucketful of the shims collected from scrapyards, because you had to fit a shim, assemble it all, measure the gaps, calculate the actual shim size needed, then take it all apart to fit the correct one – but it was OK once it was done.

The standard 875cc engine went quite well, but I much preferred the twin-carb 998cc – much more go!

At one time I worked on the Rapier missile system. At that time, the generator unit for the system was powered by a variation of the Coventry Climax engine, which was originally developed (I believe) for fire-engine pumps, and was later developed into the Imp engine.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by An Other on 04/08/2019 18:19:21:

…. I had one special version which had an 'Estate Car' rear end (not the van),

.

The Husky … Me too

Replaced it with a Singer Chamois with well-sorted suspension.

MichaelG.

.

https://www.imps4ever.info/family/husky.html

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 04/08/2019 18:39:28

[An OtherParticipant @another21905]

Michael – It wasn't a Husky – it was a special build. The roof line followed the curve of the standard roof, not raised as in the Husky, and the opening rear window was modified and fitted as a 'hatchback' type door at the rear. It was built by someone in Malvern. All the instruments had been removed and replaced with digital versions. The engine was a 998cc, and all the suspension had been uprated, and the interior re-upholstered in real leather.

I ran it for about a year, then sold it, because at that time I needed a bigger car. The guy I sold it to eventually managed to put the front into a ditch, which bent it sufficiently to be beyond repair. It was quite a useful car, despite the fact that the engine bay took up some of the space behind the back seats, there was still a useable boot space there. It used to cause quite a lot of comment, and people used to ask me where I got it from. Surprisingly, the added weight at the rear did not make much difference to the handling, except that it was bit sensitive to high side winds.

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of it now, (it was a long time ago) so I can't show you it.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by An Other on 05/08/2019 11:29:00:

Michael – It wasn't a Husky – it was a special build. [ … ]

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of it now, (it was a long time ago) so I can't show you it.

.

Now that sounds nice !!

Apologies for my misunderstanding

MichaelG.

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

I had the reputation for replacing Imp doughnuts. I simply used a crowbar to slot them into place. Took about 10 minutes to change one, if the nuts were undoable.

Andrew

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