1931 Renault Primaquatre KZ6

Finished in Renault Midnight Blue, ‘NV 352’ is a 1931 Renault Primaquatre that has only had two owners from new. 

Restored in the early eighties but unused since the turn of the century, it needs recommissioning, but the seller is confident that a fresh tank of fuel and a new battery should get it running again – and he should know because that was pretty much all he needed to do when he bought it in 1983.

The bodywork was in great shape when he bought the car back in the early eighties, and he tells us that it needed minimal work before being good enough to be resprayed in Renault Midnight Blue (colour code 460). 

This was all obviously done to a very good standard because even now, more than four decades later, it looks great. Mind you, he only ever used it lightly after it was completed; used largely as a showroom exhibit, it's rarely seen rain and was always kept looking good.  It was sometimes used to take Renault UK regional staff out to lunch, a roll of honour that also included the Managing Director of Renault UK Ltd.

As for the panels, this history, taken in conjunction with their alignment, suggests they may be the originals. 

The rear-hinged doors allow elegant access to the rear passenger compartment, while the front doors pivot in the conventional fashion. Running boards and front cycle wings add yet further elegance by way of both their design and their condition. They’re also finished in a lovely gloss black that contrasts with the rest of the coachwork. 

The louvres on the both sides of the bonnet run straight and true, as do the slats on the imposing radiator grille; it’s obvious that Renault was more than capable of competing at the highest levels back in the day. 

The steel wheels are painted the same colour as the bodywork and are enhanced with a good set of small chrome hubcaps. Tyres are by Firestone, and while they all show good tread and are free of obvious aging, they were fitted in the mid-eighties, so will need to be changed.

Other nice touches include one of the seller’s old dealership stickers in the rear window and one of his tax disc holders in the windscreen, a sunshade above the (opening) windscreen, two rather good headlamps, and a brass plaque that bears the legend ‘Carrosserie Renault’ with the body number stamped on it.

The headlamps are supported on an intricate chromed support whose construction method is echoed in the tubular design of  the front and rear bumpers. This too is in a good condition, with light tarnishing and pitting but little more. 

Of course, there is patination to the rest of the bodywork and while we don’t think there’s anything here you couldn’t live with, we would be remiss if we didn’t point out the flaking paint near the bonnet badge, the scratch on the nearside rear wing, and the scratches to the offside rear door glass. 

There is also a tiny amount of rust on the offside at the base of the windscreen. It is small and we don’t think it’s significant and the nature of the opening windscreen means assessing its extent would be straightforward if you wanted to pop along to our HQ and check it out for yourself. 

The seller is very proud of the job his hand-selected trimmers did on the interior, and rightly so. Finished in an attractive blue-and-white hound’s tooth-esque material, it still presents very well by way of taut and nicely sprung seats that are free of any obvious marks or wear.

The door cards and the rear side panels are trimmed in the same material, and they are all in an excellent too.

The carpets are so good that they must have been replaced at the same time, and they too are free of rips, tears, or holes.

The main dashboard is painted blue, and it contains a black hexagon in the centre that contains a diamond-shaped Jaeger combined speedometer and odometer, with the latter reading just 20,519 miles. 

There’s a round Jaeger clock in there too, plus a rev counter and an ammeter. 

The five-spoke steering wheel, which contains the controls for the mixture and ignition advance/retard, is in a very good condition too with no cracks to the spokes and what seems to be only cosmetic fissures to the rim, some of which appear to have been covered with black tape. 

The pleated headlining is also still clean and taut, which means there really isn’t anything for the new owner to do in here other than to refurbish the instruments if the character they’ve developed offends the new owner’s eyes, or the steering wheel if they have concerns about its structural strength. 

The engine bay is nicely presented, showing a little character but not too much. Of course, given the car needs recommissioning, you’ll be freshening up bits of it anyway, but the headline is that it all looks fairly clean and nicely ordered.

As for the underside, this too is clean and tidy. It looks strong too, with no obvious corrosion to worry about courtesy of 40 years of dry storage and very little use. A good-quality grease gun would be a worthwhile investment, we’d be surprised if you needed to replace any wood or metal. 

As the car’s second owner, and the person who’s owned it since 1983, the seller is the best person to explain the Renault’s history: 

“This Primaquatre was supplied new to a well-heeled family from Surrey who kept it at their holiday home on the Isle of Wight holiday from new until 1983. It apparently spent the majority of its life parked up on blocks in the warm dry garage that adjoined the house, only being wheeled out when they were on holiday. It eventually fell out of regular use and went into an extended hibernation. 

“In 1983, its owner responded to my Poole Renault garage’s advert for an apple green Renault 5 that we had for sale. He wanted to buy for his grandson, and asked if I’d be interested in taking the Primaquatre in part exchange. I knew nothing about pre-war cars but being a Renault enthusiast and specialist I agreed, despite the fact that the only information I had to go on was a very small photograph of the Primaquatre – and that I’d need to recover it from their garage on the Isle of Wight! 

“The warm, dry garage had preserved the bodywork very well, but the same conditions had attracted considerable rodent activity and this had damaged the cloth interior so badly that it had virtually stripped the seats to their frames and upholstery springs. 

“But, while it only had 20,000 miles on the clock and all the mechanicals appeared sound and clean, the engine had seized and would not turn over. We got it back to our place in Poole and doused it liberally with oil, which did the trick within a week. Fresh petrol in the tank, a new battery, and the refreshing the ignition system was all that was required to get it started and running sweetly. In fact, it, even moved around under its own steam. 

“It was so good that I decided it deserved a full restoration. The body needed minimal work before repainting it in Renault midnight blue (406) but the upholstery obviously needed redoing completely. I entrusted this to a local firm of trimmers who I knew were vintage car enthusiasts, and the result was a superb interior that was every inch as good as the quality of the paint job. I sourced a new set of tyres and tubes, but the rest, untroubled by a high mileage, simply needed refreshing and recommissioning. 

“By 1985 the car was in regular but light use for shows and special events including a couple of weddings. When it wasn’t being used it stood in pride of place in my Poole Renault Dealership showroom, where it attracted a great deal of interest. The car stayed with me when I sold the dealership in 2003 and has remained in its own warm and dry retirement ever since. I haven’t ever run it but have ensured the engine has been turned over regularly.” 

The Renault doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, the recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and it has retained its Instruction Book and the Catalogue de Pieces de Rechange Pour Voiture Primaquatre. It’s also got its old buff logbook too, plus a handful of expired MoT certificates. 

The seller describes the Renault as “very usable”, singling out its brakes for praise and says it’ll trundle along at 30mph or so effortlessly. He also suspects it’ll fire up with a new battery, fresh fuel, and a bit of tinkering, just like before.

And, with a guide price of between £6,000 and £10,000, if he’s right you’ll have a bit of a bargain on your hands given the fact the bodywork and interior are so good.

And, because he’s keen to get it to a new owner who’ll bring it back to life and enjoy it like he used to, he’s happy to offer it with no reserve, so it’s going to sell from the very first bid.

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