Renault Fiftie
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The Renault Fiftie was a concept car presented in 1996 by Renaultto mark the fiftieth anniversary of the launch of the 4CV. Its exterior styling drew heavily on its illustrious ancestor's, as did the choice of a rear-wheel-drive layout. However, the Fiftie was a two-door, mid-engine design whereas the 4CV had four doors and a rear-mounted engine. The interior was a styling exercise aimed at creating a "refreshing" environment through extensive use of cotton, linen, and rattan.
Contrary to many concept cars designed for static display only, the Fiftie was fully roadworthy, as it shared most of the Renault Sport Spider's well-proven chassis, suspension, and mechanical organs. The Fiftie was also a showcase for the all-new D7F 1.2-liter, 8-valve four-cylinder engine that was just completing development at the time and was officially introduced on the Twingo shortly afterwards.
The Fiftie received generally good reviews but did not cause a massive surge in customer demand for a production version, unlike Volkswagen's Concept 1 concept car that eventually became the New Beetle. Renault took no further action and the Fiftie remained what it had been intended to be--a friendly one-off "wink" to a legend of France's carmaking past.
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