The harsh route took in blizzard-like conditions with icy roads and snowdrifts. The narrow winding alpine passes with sheer drops were definitely not for the faint hearted.

Many cars couldn’t go the distance and fell into ditches or down banks, with some crews requiring hospital attention for minor injuries.

Picturesque it may have been, but a high level of concentration was needed to negotiate the often mountainous, serpentine routes while grappling with unforgiving driving conditions and poor visibility. The rally became an endurance test rather than a race.

Hubert Melot recalls: “Crowds cheered us on from the roadside at all hours during the 4 nights and 3 days. We tried to get some sleep at the pit stops but it was difficult to suddenly switch off from a state of high alert.”

With the rally underway and car number 44 tenaciously negotiating the course, a loose screw, small but essential to holding the steering gear in place, fell off.

This sent the R4 flying into a wall of snow. Lesser cars may not have recovered, but Hubert Melot worked his magic and with the help of a big screwdriver, the little fighter was on her way again. Hubert’s repair job enabled the car and the team to finish the race in one piece. The 1963 Monte Carlo began with 300 vehicles from 25 nations. For a race where less than half the vehicles made it to the finish line, this was no easy ride but the Renault 4 took it all in her stride.

The Renault 4 had certain advantages over larger, faster sports cars. Her smaller shape was better able to handle the twisting mountain trails. All things being equal, a car with a shorter hood like the R4, allows the driver to detect changes in road conditions a fraction of  a second sooner than in a larger car with a longer hood. In a rally, every millisecond counts. The Renault 4’s more vertical windshield, compared to a flatter, more aerodynamic shape, gave excellent visibility. You could actually see more through its large wide windshield, despite the often deep fog. 

Hubert Melot explains: “As co-driver and responsible for navigation, I would say things like ‘take the next bend at 100km/hour’. In those days people didn’t have route notes with them like they do now, we drove by sight.”

Race spectators and the press were delighted that the little Renault had completed the rally, it showed the everyday car was also capable of bigger things.

The Renault 4’s simplicity was her strength. Although not designed as a sports car, she was blessed with great stamina and able to cover all types of terrain. Sporting competitions were right up her street. The more adventurous the better.

Take for example, a demanding trip into the African wilderness. The 1979 Paris-Dakar rally was the first edition of this celebrated off road race that’s still going strong today. Of the 182 vehicles that began the 10,000km journey to the Senegalese capital, only 74 finished.

Competitors contended with desert sands, treacherous pot holes, gloopy mud and jagged rocks. In a blaze of glory, the Renault 4 Sinpar (the four-wheel drive version) took brothers Bernard and Claude Marreau to fifth position in 1979 and third position in 1980.

What about a worthy cause and a venture into the unknown? The darling of fun junkies, the Renault 4 is the star of the 4L Trophy. In this annual event, thousands of students drive across the Sahara to Morocco delivering school supplies to children. Only Renault 4s are used. Many argue that if it had been any other car, the challenge would never have enjoyed such popularity, or even still be going today. The 6,000km journey includes mountains, and nearly 1,500km of hot, dusty desert terrain with tough trails, sand dunes, valleys and dry riverbeds.

The Renault 4’s pioneering spirit still proves to be the perfect companion for intrepid explorers. Where there’s a land to be conquered, the Renault 4 is there, strong as an ox, brave as a lioness, and faithful to the end.