For decades, the Renault 4 fought head-to-head against the Citroën 2CV on the French new-car market. Both were among the top choices for French motorists in need of a cheap, simple car. The cars remained in production well beyond their expiration date, and they’re considered sought-after classics today. So, for me, it was both surprising and fitting to find a 4 and a 2CV rusting away, side by side, next to a forest in the Alps.
I stumbled upon the duo while biking through the southern part of the French Alps. They’re not exactly hidden, but they’re far enough away from the beaten path that they haven’t been vandalized. Abandoned cars often end up used for target practice in this part of France. The different types of lush-looking moss that’s growing on both cars suggest that they were parked decades ago and haven’t moved since. It’s the kind of scene that used to be fairly common when you drove far enough away from cities. But tableaus like this are becoming rare, even deep in the countryside.
While both cars are pretty stripped, there’s enough left on each one that we can tell roughly when they were built. Let’s put on our automotive archaeologist hat…
The plastic vent below the 4’s windshield was added in July 1977; it replaced a narrower metal flap that could be opened from inside the cabin. Peek inside and you’ll spot a five-digit odometer. Renault replaced it with a six-digit one starting in July 1978. We could still date this car if the instrument cluster were missing: the exposed upper front door hinges disappeared in 1981.
The 2CV is in worse shape. There’s nothing left inside, there’s no drivetrain, and the front end is gone. There’s a big hint in the engine bay, though: The round paint code label that’s riveted to the firewall reads “AC 087,” which corresponds to a color called Beige Albatros that was only offered on the 2CV between 1971 and 1973. That the car looks almost white gives you an idea of how long it’s been sitting in a field.
With the dates more or less pinned down, the next mystery I wanted to solve was how the cars got there. This can be next to impossible sometimes, but I got lucky with these two. They’re on a big plot of private land, and the owner’s grandson is a vague acquaintance of mine. He told me the story: Both cars were parked when they were deemed too far gone to keep on the road. Over time, they were cannibalized for parts.
Will they one day be saved? Probably not. It wouldn’t be economically feasible to put them back on the road. Add up the cost of sourcing the missing parts to the cost of repairing the rust and you’re miles away from the stratosphere of R4 and 2CV values. Neither would be useful as a parts car, either; they’d say “been there, done that” if they could talk. Maybe it’s best to let them slowly return to nature in a quiet part of the Alps. Which one will fare better over time? Who knows, but it’s a bit of a slow-motion comparison test for these two longtime rivals.
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