RENAULT ONDINE GORDINI R1091 DITE "SUZIE" - Type : Private car - Body : CI - Energy : ES - Mileage : 52120 - 1ere M.E.C : 09/01/1962 - Power : 5 - Seats : 4 - Remarks : "Véhicule de collection" registration card The Renault Ondine is no more and no less than a Dauphine with a more meticulous finish. In the passenger compartment, the car has thicker carpeting, a matt black dashboard, front seats with reclining backrests and a neater steering wheel! In terms of equipment, there's a windscreen washer, which is rather rare in this category. The exterior of the car received a discreet treatment with mainly metallic colours, a double front bumper, bumpers at the rear, a chrome bar on the rear apron and large 'Ondine' logos. Introduced in the mid-1950s, the Renault Dauphine quickly established itself on the French market as the popular saloon car, and achieved commercial success on a par with the Renault 4CV. However, the Régie brought out the Ondine in the early 1960s to target customers looking for comfort... The Renault Ondine was presented in 1961 and produced for the 1962 model year, of which our example is one of the first. Mechanically, the Renault Ondine could be fitted with the same engine as the Dauphine, the in-line four-cylinder 845 cm3 which developed 31 bhp, but with a four-speed gearbox fitted as standard, a feature designed to make the car stand out from the Dauphine. As an option, customers could opt for the Gordini version, which received an engine tuned to develop 40bhp, enabling the car to reach a top speed of 130km/h, compared with 115km/h for the basic Ondine. Produced for two vintages, the Renault Ondine was discontinued in 1963 after 66,000 units had been produced, a rarity that makes the model so attractive today, and its price remains high.