Details of Cars

Renault Vivasport: the Vivastella engine in a smaller body

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Renault Vivasport
A Renault Vivasport. Photo by Akela NDE, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr via Wikimedia Commons.

The Renault Vivasport was a six-cylinder executive car introduced by Renault in September 1933 and produced until April 1935, with a larger-engined version built between December 1934 and February 1938.

Renault Vivasport at a glance

Renault Vivasport key facts
Maker Renault, France
Production September 1933–April 1935
Larger-engined version December 1934–February 1938
Formula Vivastella engine in the shorter Primastella body
Top speed 125 km/h
First version YZ1, from July 1933
YZ1 engine 3,620 cc, later used in the Vivastella from July 1934
YZ1 production only 21 cars

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

History of the Renault Vivasport

The ‘sport’ formula

The word sport in the car’s name reflected a familiar Renault formula: the engine of a larger model, here the Renault Vivastella, combined with the body of the shorter Renault Primastella. Performance was correspondingly brisker than either car could manage alone, with a top speed of 125 km/h listed for a typically bodied version in 1933.

Renault at Retromobile 2020
A Renault of the Vivasport era at the Rétromobile exhibition. Photo by Yannick Leclercq©, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The YZ1

The initial YZ1 version appeared in July 1933, powered by a newly enlarged 3,620 cc engine that would only reach the larger Vivastella in July 1934. Records indicate that only 21 YZ1 Vivasports were produced by the time the last of them left the factory in October 1933.

Later years

The Vivasport was produced until April 1935 in its original form, while a larger-engined version was built between December 1934 and February 1938. As with many Renaults of the 1930s, type changes and small, often cosmetic facelifts and upgrades appeared frequently.

Design and features

  • Mixed parts: the Vivastella’s six in the shorter Primastella body.
  • 125 km/h: faster than either donor model.
  • 3,620 cc engine: first used in the YZ1 before reaching the Vivastella.
  • Rare first version: only 21 YZ1 cars were built.

Renault Vivasport versions

  • YZ1 (1933): the rare first version with the 3,620 cc engine.
  • Original Vivasport (to April 1935): the main production form.
  • Larger-engined version (1934–1938): built to the end of the model’s life.

The Vivasport combined the Renault Vivastella engine with the Renault Primastella body, and the same idea on a bigger scale produced the Renault Nervasport. More cars are in the Renault collection.

Sources

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