The Monaquatre (Type UY1) was a
small family car
The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States.
In 2011, the C ...
assembled by
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...
between 1931 and 1936. It used a conventional
front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
In automotive design, a FR, or front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout is one where the engine is located at the front of the vehicle and driven wheels are located at the rear via a drive shaft. This was the traditional automobile layout for mos ...
configuration and was powered by a four-cylinder water-cooled engine.
Details and Evolutions
Launched in October 1931, the Monaquatre was similar in design to
Renault Primaquatre
The Renault Primaquatre is an automobile produced from 1931 to 1941 by Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in ...
large family car with which it shared its wheelbase.
At the 1932
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
Motor Show the new Type YN1 version appeared, the engine size increased from 1289 cc to 1463 cc.
In October 1933 the type YN2 appeared at the
Paris Motor Show
The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...
, featuring a redesigned
bonnet
A Bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap
Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include
Scottish
* Blue bonnet, a distinctive woollen cap worn by men in Scotland from the 15th-18th centuries And its derivations:
** Fea ...
, the angle of the
radiator grill being now a little more raked.
The YN2 was a transitional model, the manufacturer having already decided to fit "aérodynamique" bodies with fashionably sloping tails replacing the very vertical rear ends of the existing cars.
[ By this time the Monaquatre was offered a choice from seven different body types, including 4-door berlines with four or six side windows and, at the top in terms of price, a 2-door 2-seat ]cabriolet
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
.[
The YN2 was produced for only three months before the new more aerodynamic Type YN3 appeared at the start of 1934, initially with just two body styles from which to choose.][
In September 1935 the production of the final version, the Type YN4, ceased like models 1936 Type YN4. The Monaquatre was replaced by the Renault Celtaquatre.
]
Types
* UY1
* YN1
* YN2
* YN3
* YN4
* Boulangère
Characteristics
*Speed:
*Power: 25 HP (7CV), 30 HP (8 CV), 35 HP (9CV)
*Brakes: with cables on drums AV and AR
*Battery: 6 V
Sources and notes
{{Renault
Monaquatre
Cars introduced in 1931
1930s cars
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Compact cars
Sedans