Postwar Renault 4CV - Dunkelgelb.

Discussion in 'Postwar' started by von Poop, Jun 18, 2021.

  1. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Watching a (slightly daft) kiwi programme where they try and start old bangers.
    They're playing with a 4CV. Nice little thing, like a French Moggy Minor. Designed secretly under occupation with thoughts of the future (not unlike a few of their tank efforts).

    They say it's nickname 'Lump of butter' (presumably something more French involving Buerre) was down to Renaul thaving a lot of the 'standard' German Dark Yellow military paint.

    Crops up in a few articles:

    70 Jahre Renault 4 CV: Cremeschnittchen statt Käfer
    "A completely new people's car in the gloomy times of the destroyed post-war Europe - 70 years ago that aroused even more longings than butter or even delicious cream, which was only available on a coupon. Associations to which the Renault 4 CV presented at the Paris Salon in 1946 owed its two nicknames: "Cremeschnittchen" in Germany and "motte de beurre" (butter lump) in France, especially since the small car was initially only delivered in light paint.

    This in turn was a legacy of the Second World War, which had just ended, in which the Renault works under German military occupation had to paint trucks for the Wehrmacht in the basic color "dark yellow". The color, which has now been renamed "ivory", made the new Renault shine in a friendly manner in a time of dominant gray tones. Above all, however, the four-door small car developed during the war years was a foretaste of peaceful times and a world of unimagined automotive prosperity."


    Not asking a question or anything.
    Just hadn't heard that before and faintly surprised that Dunkelgelb could be turned into a shiny street colour.

    Finding it a bit tricky to find a decent contemporary colour photograph that has 'Ivory' paint that looks all that Wehrmacht yellow. Wondering how much they mixed it (if at all). Restorations mostly seem paler, to the extent I'm not sure they're 'Desert Yellow', (more like one of those other light German shades like you see on some 'ambush' patterns, if they're from that paint source at all).

    Artwork from early German brochure, which does look pretty DG.
    Screenshot 2021-06-18 032226.jpg
    1959:
    1959renault4CV_01.jpg

    1948 looking very DG, but again, only artwork.
    renaul2.jpg

    Maybe they didn't have to do it for long.
    My guess would be all sorts of surplus paint knocking around postwar... Maybe largely green.

    1947 one displayed by Renault in 2018.
    Looks like Dunkelgelb to me, and presumably they knew what they were about during restoration...
    renault-retromobile.JPG
     
  2. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    That's where the scale modeler can help:
    The origin of the color shade „314 Ivoire“ was in fact with the German occupiers. It corresponds to the mid-1943 standard color „RAL 7028 Dunkelgelb“ of the German Wehrmacht ( for which Renault in Billancourt had to produce exclusively).
    The vehicles of the Afrika Korps had „RAL 1001 Sandgelb“.
    The color was originally slightly glossy, today one would say semi gloss/satin, and then became really matt after a short time due to the weather.
     
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  3. idler

    idler GeneralList

  4. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    You just know what colour these are, but where the heck is the contemporary colour photo!

    1948, get one while you can.

    Kind regards, always, Jim.

    P.S. Pound to a penny these all used the same key.

    Renault-4_CV-1948.jpg
     
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  5. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    Le Tour 1948. That colour again!

    Notwithstanding post war difficulty of getting hold of colour photographic stock, there must be some colour photos of the 35th tour somewhere.

    Paris Match anyone?

    Kind regards, always,

    Jim.

    Le Tour 48.jpg
     
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  6. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    Hmmm. Doubting this train of thought now as the model colour is given as white. Bugger!

    Kind regards, always,

    Jim.

    bleedin voiture blanche.jpg
     
  7. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    Well this would be it but I'm a tad suspicious that the photo's been retouched (only a little mind).

    Billancourt, 1946 : renault 4cv la route route s'ouvre s'ouvre à tous

    Suffering with 4CV overload now.

    Curse you Adam, damn it!

    Kind regards (with absolutely no curses) always,

    Jim.

    P.S. But always beware man in knitted speedos pointing "come hither to the woods young lady".

    And never argue over how much curry powder to put in the compo. Put it all in!
     
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2021
  8. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    If the '47 a little way down in the link below is original paint then that's the stuff (bound to be a re-spray though).

    Focus sur : La Renault 4CV, la voiture française star des années 1950 - Absolutely Cars

    A (rough) translation of the text alongside goes;

    "The first cars sported a “sand-coloured” body (paint done at Le Mans), the anecdotal origin of which dates back to 1942. German troops of Rommel's Afrika Corps used this paint to camouflage their tanks. . This colour reuse was done on the first 300 vehicles and earned them the name "the lump of butter". However, delivery is long, sometimes being a year. Distribution in the concessions is slow and difficult, given the production capacity that could not keep up with the orders at the time. It was not until 1949 that the objective of 300 units per day was reached, bringing the successes we know today!"

    Kind regards, always,

    Jim.
     
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2021

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