Renault Floride S

Renault Floride S

The Renault Floride was designed to capture American hearts and dollars in the late 1950s. Renault was selling the Dauphine sedan successfully in the United States and wanted a sporty, stylish companion model — a French alternative to the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. The result was the Floride, a rear-engined convertible with Italian coachwork and French mechanical simplicity.

The name 'Floride' was chosen to evoke images of American sunshine and beaches — specifically Florida, where Renault hoped to sell many of them. The car was designed by Pietro Frua in Italy and built by French coachbuilder Brissonneau & Lotz. The styling was elegant and restrained, with clean lines, modest tailfins, and a wraparound rear window on the coupe variant.

Under the pretty skin, the Floride was mechanically identical to the Renault Dauphine sedan — rear-mounted 845cc four-cylinder engine (later enlarged to 956cc), swing-axle rear suspension, and a lightweight body. The Floride S, introduced in 1962, featured the more powerful 956cc engine producing 51 hp, which was just enough to make the lightweight convertible reasonably entertaining.

The Floride was renamed 'Caravelle' in most markets (including the US) after Renault discovered that the 'Floride' name was already trademarked by an American company. The Caravelle continued through 1968 with various updates, including disc brakes and a revised rear suspension.

Performance was modest — 87 mph top speed and 0-60 in nearly 19 seconds — but the Floride/Caravelle wasn't about speed. It was about stylish open-air motoring, affordable European flair, and looking good cruising along the coast. Over 117,000 were built, and today they're appreciated as charming period pieces — French interpretations of the American dream of affordable sports car ownership.