1961 Renault FLORIDE

Owner Marcelle bought this car in 2016 from its second owner, an elderly South African gentleman who’d had the car for 25 years. ‘Prior to being imported to that country it had originally been delivered and sold in Rhodesia.’ It’s recently been brought to the UK, road registered and provided with a fresh MOT ticket.

‘Its original colour was powder blue, but around 20 years ago it was re-sprayed red. Research requested from the German Renault Owners’ Club fully confirmed this car was built in ’61, further verified by the car’s engine and chassis numbers.’

Documentation between the Renault Classic Car Club in this country and the DVLA regarding receiving a period-correct number plate is provided in the photo gallery. ‘I’ve recently had new shock absorbers fitted, which have been adapted with the old shock toppers. The suspension king pins and track rod ends have also been replaced.’ It seems ready for a summer of fun, are you?

‘It’s in very good condition,’ says Marcelle. ‘It’s not concours, but instead it’s around an 8 out of 10 car. The paintwork has a couple of small cracks, and it doesn’t have the soft-top. The hardtop is in spectacular condition, and to be honest I’ve never needed to source one.’ Looking at the photos, we think he is being a bit harsh, but why not arrange to see it in person with the Contact Seller button.

The next owner may pay close attention to weather reports before stepping out sans hardtop in this Floride. Personally though, we’d see that as part of the fun of owning this early top-down Renault.

The red paint is holding up very nicely, with a decent shine and with no discernible orange peel present. Those long elegant flanks look nice and straight - although the chrome moulding between offside door and rear wing is a little out, no biggie though. The doors have a few chips around the edges, but nothing that you wouldn’t expect on a car that was painted over twenty years ago. Open them and you’ll find nice, clean door shuts.

Generally bright work is good. Both bumpers have a nice amount of shine and are free of pitting - although the rear one sits a little low on one side. Windscreen wiper housings are a little tarnished and the front grill has some light surface corrosion, so there’s room for subtle improvements to be made.

The hardtop is in top condition, with a good paint finish that contrasts nicely with the bodywork. Its seals are okay, but those on the rear quarter windows have definitely seen better days. Down below, the steel wheels and chrome hubcaps are in very good condition.

We believe all of the ‘critical’ comments may be a bit tough on the car, this is patina perfectly commensurate with the age and good care this rare Renault has experienced. To improve would require a nut’n’bolt resto car (with £30k of bills to match) and some of these parts are probably in the same drawer as unicorn teeth anyway! We challenge you to find another available in better condition, and that’s before we limit the search to right-hand-drive only….

There’s not much to a Floride interior, but that doesn’t mean it’s not full of character. The combination of body-coloured metal work, simple horizontal speedometer, nicely trimmed seats and door cards lend it a debonair chic that’s at least the equivalent of the exterior’s. Surely it’s time to daydream and imagine Brigitte Bardot next to you in the passenger seat?

Just me? Sorry. In fact there’s not just room for her, but you can easily fit four in the cabin. True full-sized adults may struggle on the rear bench seat, but place a couple of nippers in there and you have yourself a proper cool little family convertible.

Owner Marcelle says the interior seats are ‘sound with no tears. The carpets too are excellent, with first class under felt’. And the pictures in our photo gallery back that up. There’s very little in terms of signs of wear inside, with only the odd paint chip on the floor-mounted gear lever an indicator of cabin age. The seats have clearly been re-trimmed at some point, with the carpets updated and it all works together nicely.

With the hardtop in place it’s transformed into a more weather resilient vehicle. The headlining looks decent, although it’s a touch discoloured here and there through age. Just as with outside, it’s a pleasant story in here.

Okay, potential purchasers should have a decent look at the pictures of the underside. It hasn’t been protected in any way and in the owner’s words is ‘solid, sound and very good’.

There’s evidence of some surface corrosion, but it’s all visible with no dollops of black tacky stuff - a la many UK cars - hiding any possible rust ablutions. With this one, what you see is what you get and it looks like a strong honest little thing.

We’d recommend any potential purchasers hit the ‘contact seller’ button and get down to Newhaven for a good check of the car’s condition, and a quick spin around the block.

There is some evidence of overspray from the paint colour change, but that shouldn’t be an issue as with the car now in the UK we’d recommend that the underside is properly protected once any surface rust is removed.

The engine bay is nice, with no evidence of any leaks from the little power plant or similarly diminutive radiator. The red finish on the boot floor has dulled a little, and there is an ounce of room for a bit of cosmetic improvement in here. Up front the boot is nicely carpeted and there’s plenty of room for luggage or to stow a family picnic.

‘The car drives lovely, and I’ve recently covered 300 kilometres in it,’ says Marcelle. ‘The four-speed transmission is sound, and the overall mechanical condition strong.’

As well as the aforementioned Renault Car Club document, also included are two invoices (one dated June 2018 and the other January 2019) from Kayse Intelligence Auto Services in Western Cape, South Africa.

The first details the reconditioning of the suspension, during which some rewiring work was undertaken, and new wiring sleeves and steering rack boots fitted at a cost of R6536 (approximately £360). The second is for the subsequent suspension king pin work, and is for a total of R2724 (approximately £150).

There are also several from its time in the UK, including for consumables and its MOT test. The owner has been active and diligent in tidying up loose ends, happier in handing over a car without issue. Also present is the certificate detailing that it passed the Exhaust Emissions Test.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

A Floride/Caravelle is such a dainty little thing to pilot. Climbing in one you immediately forget thoughts of ripping up tarmac (its somewhat limited power output alone enforces that) and instead delight in the balletic poise of that super light front end.

If you’re looking for an elegant, mechanically simple, top-down classic car from a supremely stylish period then one of these should be up for consideration. And you’re really unlikely to see another coming the other way…..

The benefit of this example is that it’s only recently come across from the dry climate South Africa and as the pictures of the underside show, it looks to be a lovely solid example. Factor in that it’s right-hand drive and its appeal is even stronger.

As such we think this little charmer will sell for between £15,000 and £19,000, which we think is a good price for a car that we’ve no doubt will provide the next owner with some delightful open-air motoring.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located in Newhaven; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.