Details of Cars

Renault NN: the 6CV small car of the 1920s

RENAULT

Renault NN
Renault NN. Photo by Walter Vermeir --Walter, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Renault NN, generally known to its contemporaries as the Renault 6 CV, is a compact car manufactured from 1924 until 1929. It was first presented at the 1924 Paris motor show as the successor to the Renault KJ and MT.

Renault NN at a glance

Renault NN key facts
Maker Renault, France
Production 1924–1929
Type compact / small family car
Engine 951 cc four-cylinder
Tax class 6CV
Based on Renault MT, lengthened by 200 mm
New features front-wheel brakes, diamond badge from 1925
Later versions NN1 (1927), NN2 (1928)

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Renault NN.

History of the Renault NN

A lengthened MT

The NN was presented at the 1924 Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris as the successor to the Renault KJ and MT. It was effectively a lengthened MT, with 200 mm more wheelbase and front-wheel brakes added. Power came from a 951 cc four-cylinder engine.

Renault Type NN from behind
The same Renault Type NN from the rear. Photo by Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Body and detail changes

The exterior was very simple and family-oriented. Renault still placed the radiator behind the engine, so the car had no front grille but prominent gills on the sides of the bonnet for cooling. During 1925 Renault replaced the earlier round logo of 1923 with the first of its long-running diamond designs. In January 1926 the bonnet became taller, in March the Normale and Luxe versions received more rounded front wings while the base model kept the original design, and a Torpedo commercial model joined the range during 1926.

NN1 and NN2

In 1927 the NN1 appeared with more rounded wings and, for the first time, bumpers; the wheelbase was unchanged but the car was slightly longer overall. In 1928 the heavier NN2 was introduced.

Design and features

  • Front-wheel brakes: a step up from the earlier MT.
  • 951 cc engine: in the 6CV tax class.
  • Diamond badge: the first of Renault’s long-running diamond logos, from 1925.
  • Radiator behind the engine: no front grille, cooling through bonnet gills.

Renault NN versions

  • NN (1924): the original model.
  • Torpedo commercial (1926): added to the range.
  • NN1 (1927): rounded wings and bumpers.
  • NN2 (1928): heavier version.

The NN was followed by the six-cylinder Renault Monasix, and its radiator-behind-engine layout is also described on the Renault Monastella page. More cars are in the Renault collection.

Sources

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