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From: andrew@grkermi.UUCP (Andrew W. Rogers)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Worst Car
Message-ID: <781@grkermi.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 25-Jan-86 15:30:31 EST
Article-I.D.: grkermi.781
Posted: Sat Jan 25 15:30:31 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 26-Jan-86 17:09:21 EST
References: <379@ucsbcsl.UUCP>
Reply-To: andrew@grkermi.UUCP (Andrew W. Rogers)
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 28
Summary: 

In article <379@ucsbcsl.UUCP> iltis@ucsbcsl.UUCP ( ) writes:
>There is absolutely no question in my mind that the WORST car
>ever built was the
>
>                   Renault Dauphine

Oh, boy... someone else remembers this one!  For one month (12/59), this
device (does it deserve to be called a "car"?) was the #1 import in the
U.S., toppling the beloved VW Beetle from the spot it had held (and would
continue to hold) for years.

Renault is still living it down 25 YEARS LATER!!!  Memories of the Dauphine,
in fact, triggered so much negative reaction to the Renault name among
market-study guinea pigs that the admen wisely chose to emphasize the
Alliance/Encore's AMC (those wonderful folks who gave us the Gremlin, Pacer,
and Matador) lineage!

Now does anyone remember the Caravelle, Renault's answer to the Karmann
Ghia?  The convertible came with a bar that you were supposed to wedge
into the door opening whenever jacking the car up... to keep the body from
buckling!

And how about their molded ski-boot from the late 70's, "Le Car"???  Due to
the design of the rear suspension, the wheelbase was longer on one side
than on the other!


AWR