Can a Renault Le Car beat a Corvette?

"Berang" (berang) 07/03/2015 at 06:32 • Filed to: renault, corvette, le car, snow driving

55

60

For reasons that I shall not get into, I once owned a Renault Le Car. And once when I owned that Renault Le Car I found myself lined up next to a Corvette at a red light.

I promised an amusing Le Car story, so let’s give some context here: for a brief period of time I owned a Renault Le Car, it smelled bad and it sounded like an antique inboard-motorboat. It was also extremely fun to drive because it had about three yards of suspension travel and would corner on its doorhandles. Or it would have if it had doorhandles. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Back to the corvette story: for some reason, many years ago, I had driven my mom to her friend’s out in the foothills of Colorado. Then while we were visiting it started to snow. And it snowed and snowed, and snowed some more so we figured we ought to get going. In fact what we got going into was about to turn into a full blown blizzard. We couldn’t even see the road back to the highway because about an inch of snow had already fallen in the thirty or so minutes since it had started snowing. And more was already coming down. By the time we found the highway there were at least two inches of snow on the road, it could have been three or four.

It was then that I pulled up next to the corvette. We were both about to attempt making a left turn from the underpass intersection and onto the on ramp. Can a Renault Le Car beat a Corvette? In the snow? Around a 90 degree corner? Oh my goodness. Yes. It can.

I stepped on the tram-car-like accelerator pedal of the Le Car, and it gave all its strength! Or well let me be honest here - it shuddered forward, the front wheels feeling around for traction like a cat wearing socks on a waxed wooden floor. With all the agility of a paddle-steamer maneuvering through a field of peanut butter, this French 1970s shit-box lurched its way through the intersection and towards the on-ramp. You see, front wheel drive pulls you around the corners, and out of the skids.

I looked back. The Corvette hadn’t moved but a foot forward. Its wheels churned the snow like the wheels of a paddle-steamer churn a field of peanut butter wheels of a low-slung rear wheel drive sports car stuck in a blizzard. And that is the story of how I beat a corvette in a 1978 Renault Le Car that probably had 40 or so horsepowers left in it. To be serious for a moment, when it comes to snow, little can beat a lightweight car with skinny tires and a generous ground clearance.

Oh but my Le Car wasn’t out of amusing tricks yet. Only about five miles from home we were approaching an intersection when the light turned red. Gently - gently I worked the brake pedal. And gently, ever so gently, without even drifting out of the lane - Le Car slowly spun about its axis, a full 180 degrees until it came to a perfect stop facing oncoming traffic.

And that is the story of how my mom never asked me to drive her any place again.

PS: I’m an illustrator who needs a paying job illustrating things.

Cé hé sin > Berang 07/03/2015 at 06:57

17

Quite possibly. Just choose the right R5.

Berang > Cé hé sin 07/03/2015 at 06:58

2

Find me one that says Le Car on the side.

duurtlang > Berang 07/03/2015 at 07:09

0

PS: I’m an illustrator

Berang > duurtlang 07/03/2015 at 07:11

0

I need reference materials.

KnowsAboutCars > Berang 07/03/2015 at 07:19

16

Close enough?

PS. Nice drawings!

traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn > Berang 07/03/2015 at 08:10

9

What year was the Vette? If it was a ‘53 or ‘76, you might've actually had a chance to beat him without the snow.

Jonee > Berang 07/04/2015 at 17:35

5

Fun story and fabulous illustrations. I just returned from a quick jaunt in my Le Car. I blew by a few Lexuses, but no Vettes today. One thing I like to do in that car is see how long I can go with the gas pedal pressed to the floor.

I also see your old 360 is on Ebay.

Berang > Jonee 07/05/2015 at 01:46

0

I’ll have to check out ebay then. Somebody linked me to a craigslist ad a couple weeks ago. I’m surprised it hasn’t been restored yet honestly.

Jonee > Berang 07/05/2015 at 16:25

0

Yeah, as a matter of fact, it looks even more battered than when you had it.

DCV > Berang 07/06/2015 at 16:09

3

Satisfied?

User1312 > Berang 07/06/2015 at 16:23

0

You’ve definitely got the illustration part down!

Brian, The Life of > Berang 07/06/2015 at 16:25

17

My God ... you’re like the next Ralph Steadman!

You have a new fan :)

Birddog > Berang 07/06/2015 at 16:33

0

Your illustrations remind me of someone but I can’t put my finger on who exactly.

A little bit of Richard Thompson (Cul De Sac, Richard’s Poor Almanac) maybe?

Dan > Berang 07/06/2015 at 16:39

1

Actually front wheel drive can do a really good job of just pulling you straight forward, no matter which way the wheels are turned, in heavy snow. Just sayin’, it doesn’t pull you around a corner. You can ask the guy who curbed his car’s nose into the median across the intersection trying to outpace me in the exact same situation. I have a Legacy with decent all weathers and a manual to boot (to those who don’t know, manuals are the transmission for snow). I agree with you that your skinny tires were the deal maker in the drag race compared to the Corvette with it’s 13 inch wide drive wheels which were probably wrapped in summer rubber to boot. But back to another point about Corvette owners, most , not all because there are 20 year old lawyers out there, can be beaten by an exuberant Amish horse and buggy because they are in their mid 80’s and don’t feel like everyone should be rushing around because “back in their day, we didn’t have fancy 55 mph speed limits, only 40, and you should appreciate how fast you dang kids can get around these days all willie nillie” Good article though about a fun-ramp

43%burnt > Brian, The Life of 07/06/2015 at 16:46

5

Dude.... i saw the same thing. i saw the good doctor and his attorney in the great red shark tooling through the desert. ripped... twisted... good people.

The Artist Formerly Known As... > Cé hé sin 07/06/2015 at 16:46

0

That’s so fugly I laughed.

Uncle Boo > Brian, The Life of 07/06/2015 at 16:47

4

These are such lovely, dynamic drawings, I too am a fan! Wish you luck finding work.

The Old Man from Scene 24 > Berang 07/06/2015 at 16:49

1

Since you drove a LeCar in the snow, I assume you know the sound of the car oxidizing around you?

When I was a teenager, our next-door neighbor had a LeCar; it looked like Le Fromage Suisse after three winters in NJ.

She then bought a Fiat Strada.

Yes, I know.....

CommonSenseIsn'tCommon > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 07/06/2015 at 17:07

0

I once had a similar experience in my M-I-L’s ‘89 Nissan Sentra vs. an early 90’s Firebird - I was tootling along at 25mph on a small 2-lane road around a small lake in northern Washington, and he was trying desperately to keep up. It was hilarious watching him fish-tail, slam into a curb, slam into a snow-bank, nearly slide into ditches, while the whole time I was serenely puttering down the road.

Fjord > Berang 07/06/2015 at 17:12

1

Can’t offer a paying job but as a Le Car owner I’d buy a tee with that first Le Car image (maybe without the ‘vette so as to be more general-purpose). Great story.

xanthophyll > Berang 07/06/2015 at 17:13

4

This one time, I saw an old man with a walker lined up against a car. When the flag dropped, the results were epic!

Brian, The Life of > Birddog 07/06/2015 at 17:18

1

I see the hand of Ralph Steadman with the humor of Jason Torchinsky ;)

Nigel the 968's pilot > Berang 07/06/2015 at 17:25

1

Thanks for writing this, it brought back nice memories of a LeCar that I had in the early 80s. It was made cheaply (3 lug nuts, not 4), was underpowered - but a lot of fun to drive. A lot of NVH.

Velvet Elvis > Berang 07/06/2015 at 17:29

0

The most amusing artwork since Stan Mott!

tebelivi > Berang 07/06/2015 at 17:41

0

Wow i love ur drawings! U have Hi -Res for my wallpaper ?

Btw, i know a similar story with a Mini VS a Vette.

Vive les tractions!!!

JJG > Berang 07/06/2015 at 17:46

3

Back in the 70’s when I worked for Hertz, we had certain car we would NOT rent out when it was snowing. We had no Corvettes, but Camaros and Firebirds were definitely on the list. The most popular car for the snow? Pintos, for the very reason your LeCar worked so well.

RustedSprinter > Berang 07/06/2015 at 17:57

0

What a great story!

jechu > Berang 07/06/2015 at 18:25

4

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Yes:

and an Espace:

And a Twizy too:

stigshift > Berang 07/06/2015 at 18:42

2

For reasons I can’t explain, I have always loved Le Cars. So much so that I installed a Le Car full cloth sunroof in my Parrot Green ‘78 Rabbit. It was glorious!!

Jonah G > The Old Man from Scene 24 07/06/2015 at 18:53

0

The Strada’s came with free rust from the factory, on the Abarths it was considered a tuning package :P

me > Berang 07/06/2015 at 19:04

4

I love these illustrations. I think we need a regular Le Car comic strip.

me > Berang 07/06/2015 at 19:10

3

Couple of similar stories, passed on from my dad;

Same basic effect, but different reasons; Once, when he was driving in particularly wet weather, he watched a ferrari getting overtaken by a 2CV. There was a layer of water all over the road, so the ferrari couldn’t go at any real speed without hydroplaning on it’s wide tyres. The 2CV just cut straight through.

Another time, when my dad was driving an old triumph 2000 auto (Big engined (for the UK), RWD saloon), it was snowing, and my dad was just pulling away, when the back tyres lost grip totally, and the car spun a neat 180 degrees. Therefore, my dad set off in the other direction instead.

vlpronj > Berang 07/06/2015 at 19:16

1

If it helps, mine said “SPORT” in 2’ high letters on the side. You could tell, because the three lugs at each corner held on OEM alloy wheels.

The Old Man from Scene 24 > Jonah G 07/06/2015 at 19:46

0

Add lightness.....

Half-Caulked Jack > Berang 07/06/2015 at 19:55

0

That was just fantastic.

Berang > The Old Man from Scene 24 07/06/2015 at 21:35

1

this one was actually pretty rust free except around the rear fenders.

Berang > Dan 07/06/2015 at 21:53

1

To be honest the only car I ever slid into a curb in the snow was a four wheel drive 1980s Subaru GL. Of all the cars I have owned the front drivers have always been the easiest to handle in the snow (ice is a different story). My best snow car was a 1982 Tercel, which I bought from the original owner. The original owner was a 4x4 enthusiast but he used the Tercel as his “ski car” - it really was unbeatable in snow. I’ve got a wild story about driving that car down the Raton pass in one of Colorado’s worst snow storms too, so I’ll have to write about that sometime soon.

Berang > stigshift 07/06/2015 at 21:57

2

I wish I had had the sunroof. I did have those extremely 70s alloys though.

Reckoning Day > Berang 07/06/2015 at 22:02

0

Not impressive.

RustedSprinter > Berang 07/06/2015 at 22:03

0

Le Car Kun!

thx_442 > Berang 07/06/2015 at 22:14

0

Oh, I don’t know. Many moons ago we had a Volvo 760 Turbo Wagon. One Thanksgiving after moving to the east coast from Los Angeles I drove it across I90 to Pittsburgh. Outside Syracuse we drove into a lake-effect blizzard. I just hunkered down, told the kids to STFU, and drove 30mph all the way to Buffalo and then south to Pittsburgh. Longest damn day of my life. Couldn’t tell you how many cars – I’d wager most were FWD – we saw spun out in the center divider or in the ditch, waiting for a tow truck. And a big FU to all the snow bird retirees who – after the first rain of the season – loved to tell me that Californians (Angelenos) don’t know how to drive in weather.

The Old Man from Scene 24 > Berang 07/06/2015 at 23:07

0

I will give the LeCar props for being fairly roomy, our neighbor managed to haul a fairly large television and a recliner (not at the same time) with the car.

Berang > The Old Man from Scene 24 07/06/2015 at 23:45

1

It’s actually a really well thought out car in practical terms. The wide, low opening hatch and fold down seats meant it was good for hauling large items. I also particularly liked the big windows for all around visibility. The only real let down was the motor.

MFEJAL grey because who knows... > Berang 07/07/2015 at 00:32

1

No, but it will surprise you

Berang > Fjord 07/07/2015 at 02:20

2

Maybe I’ll drawa bigger one and make some Le Shirts.

Sk3ptik0n > Berang 07/07/2015 at 02:41

0

My first car was a renault 4. Pretty much the same thing. Same engine but even more dramatic in the turns. More cargo space too. I remember one curious fact about my R4: I was able to start it with a front crank. That feature was probably in your R5 as well, except that in later models (mine was a 68) they did not have a hole in the front to insert the crank.

Sk3ptik0n > MFEJAL grey because who knows... 07/07/2015 at 02:43

0

This is an R4.

Funkpanzer > Berang 07/07/2015 at 03:13

2

This immediately comes to mind.

puninhouser > Funkpanzer 07/07/2015 at 05:51

1

WHAT IS THIS AND HOW ON EARTH HAVENT I HEARD FROM IT

puninhouser > Cé hé sin 07/07/2015 at 05:52

0

DAT ASS

OneHeadLight > Berang 07/07/2015 at 08:13

0

‘With all the agility of a paddle-steamer maneuvering through a field of peanut butter, this French 1970s shit-box lurched its way through the intersection and towards the on-ramp.’

That made me lol, Berang. Thanks. One high and fine day in 1977 or so I walked by a red Lecar with a big canoe strapped to its roofrack. To this day I imagine that little Renault being driven to the nearest lake, parked parallel to the shore, rolled onto its roof and paddled away...

Ok...the day was fine and I was high. But damn, it seemed possible at the time.

Gonemad > jechu 07/07/2015 at 09:38

0

The Espace F1 is a bit of a bonkers lovely idea. And I bet you must open the windows to avoid being sucked into that Formula 1 V10, or running out of breath and pass out, or braking the windows from the suction inside the car if you really give it a go. And the music... oh the 13.000 RPM music.

valis86 > Brian, The Life of 07/07/2015 at 11:18

0

seconded and carried.....knew those looked familiar. And I can totally relate to the 180; did that in Colorado Springs in a 72 nova with a date. She never dated me again.

Inko the Pinko > Berang 07/07/2015 at 12:39

1

That illustration of the LeCar scrabbling for traction might be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Definitely describes the handling of my old xA to a T.

Dan > Berang 07/08/2015 at 08:06

0

I did make that sound like FWD cars cannot handle snow. My bad. I meant to word that more or less along the lines that while they do good in snow relative to RWD, they can also do really bad. People’s perception that front wheel drive is unbeatable in snow, instead of realizing the tires and driver’s ability/sensibility matter the most, tends to lead said people into hitting things in a very underseery sort of way. And that’s true for all cars, no matter which wheels are getting the power. Though, I have not had any trouble yet from my Legacy when it comes to getting out of the newly fallen snow sans pre-shoveling. I can’t say that for my ‘94 Lumina or ‘02 SC2 which had a tendency to get stuck if I didn’t clear some runway for them. Though my ‘94 Voyager never got stuck once. But it also didn’t have heat so not getting stuck got offset by not being able to see out the front.

Travis Okulski > Berang 07/09/2015 at 14:20

0

What’s your email because this is amazing.

Berang > Travis Okulski 07/09/2015 at 15:51

0

eyebrowphotographer at gmail

DakotaLynx > Berang 12/15/2015 at 15:29

0

That last sketch of Le Car spun-out under a traffic light: It needs to be colored and put on a T-shirt. Absolutely adorable.

Berang > DakotaLynx 12/15/2015 at 18:07

0

Maybe I’ll do it.

Daniel JOp > Berang 02/25/2016 at 12:06

1

<3 Your post. Glad to say. Been here done this. I drove a 1984 Renault 5 TX in Mexico city from 2011 to 2014. It was a great experience, the car draw a lot of attention, finding bussiness cards in my windshield asking me to sell the car was a common practice, although passing the emission test that Mexico City requires every 6 months for older cars was a PITA ( catalytic converters were not required by law in Mexico until 1992) so their parameters were very difficult to meet for a 1.4 L4 with a very outdated SOLEX carburetor.

Driving down in very busy motorway was a little stressful since the space to the car next to you is measured by INCHES, so every crosswind or pothole made you soil your underwear for a second. Panic stop, slam the brakes, car has a tiny wheelbase, and badly balanced brakes, story tells itself. 180° skid on my own axis to end facing oncoming traffic at a 80km/hr speed is something that i would only remember as a traumatizing experience.

Luckily, i did not hit ANYTHING OR ANYONE when i opened my eyes.

I still miss this car, it got great fuel economy, a lot of attention, it had the softest suspension, it was cute and it was different from my workmates cars ( tipically a Mazda 3 or similar). Also repairs were stupidly cheap, and it never left me stranded except for a couple starters that were a PITA to replace since you had to remove exhaust manifolds and carburetors and such to get to it.

Great read. Great illustration.

Greetings from mexican Renault lover.