I pulled this car out of the desert in 2017 with a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to build. The funny thing is, I was never really a Renault Dauphine fanatic. I've always been more of a German car guy than a French car guy, so I wasn't specifically looking for a Renault. What really drew me to it was the fact that it was such an oddball car that you just don't see anymore. I loved its small size, quirky appearance, and the challenge of turning something so unexpected into a serious driver's car.
From the start, the plan was to completely rethink the car. It's now powered by a Porsche 3.2-liter VR6, which is based on Volkswagen's VR6 architecture, with a Vortec supercharger, a six-speed Volkswagen transmission, and a Peloquin limited-slip differential. The drivetrain is mid-mounted, sitting where the back seat used to be.
To make that happen, I built a completely custom chassis and suspension. The car rides on pushrod suspension at all four corners, and I converted it from left-hand drive to right-hand drive along the way.
I also hand-built the carbon fiber widebody. After it was finished, I color-matched and patinaed the new panels so they blended in with the rest of the car instead of looking brand new. The retro race livery was hand-painted by me as well.
The wheels were custom-made by Felgen Factory in Italy and are wrapped in Toyo R888s—315/40R17s in the rear and 275/45R17s up front. Wilwood brakes at all four corners handle the stopping duties.
At the end of the day, it's just a car built to be driven hard on canyon roads. It's not a restoration and it's not built for car shows. It's my take on what a Dauphine could be with modern performance, great handling, and a lot of garage-built fabrication.
