For the public the ESTAFETTE'S history begane in 1958. But long before her introduction, Mr Guy Grosset Grange in 1952 has the  instruction from  Renault's management to design and develop a delivery vehicle with a 600 cc engine of the Renault 4CV.

As example he used the German car Gutbrod. They decide to make the loading platform as low as possible. The carrying capacity should be 600 kg. Al this means a front wheel drive. They couldn’t use the solution of Volkswagen. The engine in the back. That is why the slogan “ Renault vous vendere un vehicule vide” ( “Renault sells you an empty vehicle”) was bring about.

The loading platform is simple a copy of Volkswagen! Double steel plate with stiffening ribs, two stringers and 8 cross beams. Box wan bodies have floors welded together with side panels and the cabin The front part, the engine is fasten in combination with the radiator, the steering and the front suspension. It is designed to disconnect from the cabin. Also called as “Le Cheval” (The horse). The Renault Estafette is the first Renault with front wheel drive.

The rear crossbar, carrying the rear suspension and rear brakes is grouped by only 4 screws on the floor.

To park the Estafette like a normal car is very difficult to realize, a specially with front wheel drive. By placing the engine a little bit forward, the wheels could turn further. The drive of front wheels is done by propeller shafts. Each of them has at the distribution box a cross-pin, further a longitudinal slop coupling flexible cylinder Repulse-coupling which absorbers torsion vibrations by rubber and a homo-kinetic joint at the wheels. These driving shafts are sloped a bit to the back to enlarge the turning radius in a curve.

There fore snow chains are very difficult to place on the wheels, because the front wheel suspension is placed close to the wheels. But to be honest you don’t kneed them at all, because the vehicle is heavy of its own. This did give many problems with the France people who drove an Estafette and would drive up in to the mountains with snow. The France Gendarme (Police) who did drive a lot in the Estafette forbidden them to drive further if they didn’t use snow chains. The gendarme didn’t use them at all.
 
The heads of front wheels are suspended on a transversal trapezoid made of sheet metal triangular arms. On the auxiliary frame are these arms hanged in rubber bushes The upper arms are beared on helical springs with telescopic shock absorbers inside. Rubber stops work as suspension correctors near the stroke end. The yielding of the front suspenders is 12 mm/100kg load.

The rear axle is divided, made of a brace bearing a simple sheet metal triangular arm. A joint low mounted pin was not used because on vehicles which centre of gravity is variable depending on the load was it not suitable to place the tilting centre of the rear suspension too high. Tilting half-axles are beared on helical springs telescopic shock absorbers inside. The suspender pins are mounted in rubber bushes. Suspension correctors at the end of the stroke are made of rubber stops. The suspension yielding of the Estafette model is 14,3 mm; Traffic 17 mm; ambulance 36 mm/100 kg. The useful load of Estafette model is 600 of Traffic 500 kg. The Traffic model has only weak springs, was designed just with this load, because at the time of his rice in Paris a traffic limit for vehicles with load over 0,5t at definite hours was valid.

In 1958 he was introduced to the public with an engine of 850 cc from the Renault Dauphine. The Renault Estafette was placed in the segment between the Renault Juvaquatre, Renault Dauphinoise and Renault Voltigeur, Goulette and Galion.

The Estafette become a new gearbox with four synchronised accelerations. He has an dry one-disc-clutch with 6 depressing springs. The cylinders are inserted. The crankshaft is equipped with 3 main bearings, cylinder heads are of light alloy. At compression stage 8 is the output 32 HP at 4,350 r.p.m. The max. turning moment is reached at 2,000 r.p.m. Gravity carburetor Solex 28 DIT has no acceleration pump. Ignition is equipped with both centrifugal- and vacuum-controlled advance. The gearbox is of a special construction. There is a hollow main shaft positioned over the main differential axle and has on its ends an bevel pinion. Through the hollow passes the clutch shaft which is at once a torsional vibration absorber. This unused arrangement made possible the direct drive, i.e. the continuous coupling of clutch shaft with the bevel pinion quite as at a classic gear box. The countershaft is seated in needle bearings. The bevel gearing is hypoid and the motor ratio is 25,65 - 13,5 - 6,5 - 3,5 % and at 1,000 r.p.m. a speed 4,6 - 7,7 - 12,9 - 20 km/h.

The bottom gear and the second gear are very sort, there fore the Estafette can clime mountains until 23.5 % with a 600 kg load. In 1961 the 850 cc engine was replaced for the 1.100 cc Sierra engine of the Renault 8. In 1969 the 1.100 cc Sierra engine was replaced by the 1.289 cc engine. Not only stronger, but also faster became the Estafette. His top speed was 98 km/u. Consumption of the new engine was about 10 l/100 km.

Also the interior of the driver was changed. The chairs, the dashboard, the heating and air ventilation system become much better. On the outside the bumpers were bigger and stronger, and become lager rubber blocks. So he was better prepared to do his job in the city. In 1972 the front of the Estafette was changed. A new whim of the radiator and the air circulation above the front shield disappear.

The Renault Estafette 800 and 1000 was build in many forms of bodywork. Long one or short, with or without a high roof, Pick-up, Camper, Microbus and Alouette. This was a small coach for 8 people. Famous is the Estafette with the high roof. The Estafette with the high roof was designed by the gentleman d’Ariveau. It was the first automatic production of polyester products of Renault.

To be mentioned are the front doors. The driver's ones are slid able backwards, they may be let opened during the run. Doors of the co-driver were also possible with slid able doors. These are exceptional.

During his live the Renault Estafette has competition of the Citroen HY, Fiat 238, Peugeot J5/J7, Volkswagen Transporter, Ford Transit and Barkas from the DDR.

In the USA the delivery was called “Petit Panel” and the one with the high roof as “ Hi boy”. The Pick-up as “Petit Wagon” and the Microcar as “Petit Wagon”. We don’t know if there are Renault Estafettes in the USA.

In 1980 was the end of the production of the Estafette. The Renault Traffic an Master where the successor of the Renault Estafette.*

*i pumped this from neatherlands estafette club site