1966 Renault

Floride Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Manual

126421

Clear

Gasoline

Just able to post my listing before leaving for hockey (priorities and all). First picture of extraction from long term deep storage. Lots more pics and info as I put it up on jackstands and give you a thorough evaluation during the week. Please use the "Watch This Item" tab to get an accurate account of condition. Thanks for Looking! Dan LarsonOn Apr-04-11 at 19:24:28 PDT, seller added the following information: 4/4/11 Today I am able to photographically prove that the car has a front end, which should come as a relief to those already bidding. Pictures 2-9 show the car enroute to its first bath in a long time. Obvious blems shown are scratches, rust bubbles, bumper dings and stickers,all of which characterize the car as a restoration candidate, not a driver or a show car. That said, there appears to be very little body work required. Underside and after wash pics will be next. While I have the opportunity, the back story of this car goes like this: It is titled to the Pioneer Auto Museum of Murdo South Dakota, and wears South Dakota plates expired 1996. The story was that it was brought to Denver to be sold at a Kruse Auction in the late 1990s. Instead, it became part of a parking lot trade involving a Henry J. Go figure. The new owner brought the Caravelle to be with the rest of his "collection" in an open field, where its appearance suffered in the Denver sun. By 2003, he was no longer looking at a glossy red sports car, just a chalky oddity with a stuck motor and little hope of local service. That's about when I came along, and about the only credit I can claim for any of this is that I bought it and kept it inside. The evaluation and pictures will be more work than I've ever done on this car. Why didn't I restore it? Because the original intent of the Caravelle was to compete with other quirky underpowered machines like Borgwards and Karmann Ghias. It' more about style than performance, but my projects lean the opposite way. Next update will show all the areas I would look at when buying a Renault (besides mental health). I will describe problems accurately, with the goal of letting you know exactly what you need to know. If anything, I would rather hear that it's better than expected, than to make a few extra bucks by selective photography and leave the top bidder unhappy. Thanks for Your Patience! DanOn Apr-05-11 at 19:16:59 PDT, seller added the following information: 4/5/11 Well,now, here's a wrench in the gears...In photographing under the front hood I came across a problem which will lead to the withdrawal of this car from its Ebay auction. The number plate is missing. See last picture. The title, plates, and registration all match, but the aluminum diamond plate carrying the VIN is missing, and I am not aware of any secondary way to verify the VIN without it. As far as I know, this problem effectively prevents road registration in most of the world. Thus, I intend to end the auction on 4/6/11, but wanted to explain why, and apologize to those of you who have already bid, inquired, or just plain watched. This car cannot be sold as a useable automobile, so I will disassemble and part it out on Ebay beginning Saturday April 9th. I have other Caravelles with correct titles, but they're different years; the 66-67 Caravelles had several late year features not found on the 63 S-model or the 62 (Dauphine powered) cars I have. If you have any specific parts needs from this car, let me know and I'll list them individually on Ebay; if we can arrive at a reasonable price, I'll just put them up as Buy it Now and notify you first. My direct email is dan.larson@hotmail.com for your guidance on the dissection of this newly declared organ donor. Arrgh! Thanks for your time and, again, sorry for the screw up. DanOn Apr-06-11 at 19:48:46 PDT, seller added the following information: 4/6/11 OK, I'm going to leave it up. Ebayer input from all over the world was strongly in favor of leaving it intact and continuing the auction. I had made the decision to sell this car, so the number plate issue is just something that will have to work itself out in the final price. THIS CAR IS BEING SOLD WITH THE ALUMINUM DIAMOND VIN PLATE MISSING. Please do not bid if this is a problem for you. The car does come with a title, registration and plates (expired 1991), but the absence of that little VIN plate could be a major headache in some places. Now back to the original plan, which was to give you an accurate idea of condition. The car has been restored previously, to the level that it has every last part on it, nothing missing at all. It definitely needs to be restored again, but it truly is a whole,viable candidate, not a parts car. There is rust and filler in both rockers, but the standing seams and pinch welds on the body are solid and undamaged. I found no rust which would compromise body stiffness. See pics. There are upward shots of every conceivable underbody surface - if you don't see what you need to see, just email me for more of the 80 pictures I took today. Mechanical restoration will be required on the engine, brakes, fuel and cooling systems. The engine is stuck from sitting, a common occurence in Renaults parked for more than 3 weeks. Fortunately, their wet sleeve design allows for a much simpler repair option; take the cylinders and pistons out to soak them free. These engines also have a provision for hand cranking which, in conjunction with solvents, may solve the problem without disassembly. Two of the tires do not hold air, but they are all 5.60-15 Volkswagen tires, entirely wrong for the car. It should have Michelin X 135/15's to get the true Renault feel. The right rear bumper corner was badly mangled by the "collectors" yard helpers, who thought that their tractor would pull the car sideways. Sure would... I will include a clean straight replacement bumper piece (pictured). The windshield has wiper scrapes that are too deep to polish out, but is otherwise clear and unbroken. The interior is clean and dry, but needs attention to the lower door panels (foil material is peeling), and the drivers seat has a tear and a split seam. Carpets and interior vinyl are good. The ever so rare tinted visors are 50/50 - drivers has a split, but is otherwise intact, and the passenger visor is fine. The plasic rear view mirror housing has cracked, releasing the mirror, but the glass is OK. The convertible top is shot, but I am including a new in box Crown black replacement top with fresh clear plastic back window and white headliner. The bows and latches work smoothly, so the replacement should be just that. The removeable hardtop fits and latches well, but the headliner is hanging. Paint and glass are good. Pics of door sills and latches are included, and show no sign of distortion, rust, or weakness. Floors are solid, inside corners are clean and dry. Under the front hood likewise, surface rust at the center drain, but all corners clean and dry. Transpar fluid bottle, notoriously fragile, is intact. Dark Red appears to be the original color, with the repaint being either a different shade, or more likely just toasted by the Colorado sun. I forgot to open the spare hatch, but can also add pictures later. The engine bay is completely intact, just dusty. 1108cc engine, easy to work on, and parts are readily available. All splash pans, air ducts, fuel and vacuum lines are in place and look original. I can inspect, photograph, and add description within 12 hours of auctions end. Please do not hesitate to ask for specific info. I will put this car under a microscope if you're willing to bid despite the VIN problem. In fact, I can make you a plate after the sale, just not before. Thanks for your input and understanding - Dan On Apr-07-11 at 16:00:15 PDT, seller added the following information: 4/7/11 Fortunately, Ebay does not base their listing fees on word count. I am also fortunate to have help from Friends and Ebayers who took the time to inform me of some options for handling the VIN plate problem - Thanks You Guys! By typing http://plaques.anciennes.free.fr into the address bar, a previously unknown world was revealed to me. I already knew that any Renault diamond plate would go on virtually any 46-72 car, and have certainly used that feature to my advantage when registering in the past. But complete, new, made to order plates with your choice of accurately stamped numbers? Way too cool - They show their product on a well designed webpage that offers zoom on the picture, and a one click to buy Visa or Mastercard feature. They show one plate that would turn any cloned R8 into an 1135 Gordini. Others appear as blanks, awaiting your own stamping. Though I haven't tried it yet, I am also told that Google Translate will even help with reading French. The pictures actually say everything I needed to know about a week ago, before putting the car on Ebay. Thankfully, I can't think up much more to say at this point. I do have pictures of the replacement convertible top, bows, old top, closeups of radio, dash, trim, and on and on, but all 24 of my Ebay pictures got used; I can still send a picture of anything to you by email. Thanks for sticking with my soap opera...Dan