This highly original Dauphine R 1090 was produced in 1956 and delivered on the 24th of December 1956. More than sixty years later we found it in France and it was love at first sight. We did major work to get it running well in order to drive the Mille Miglia and rallied it ourselves in The Netherlands first. In 2022, in the hands of the new caretaker, it finished the Italian event under the warmest circumstances we’ve ever experienced in Tuscany. Below you can read its story.
The car was originally sold by a Renault dealer in Departement Yonne. In 1961 the car was sold to Mr Gilbert Momot.
Mr. Momot used the car very little. To go to church on Sunday and once a week grocery shopping in the nearby village. 1978 was the last year Mr Momot used the car and until he passed away in 2011, the car was stored in his garage at home. All dusty and tired, the car was left to his niece and her husband the same year Mr Momot passed away. As Mr Momot had no children, Mr & Mrs Larrieu inherited the old Dauphine. The car was still in its original paint, its original interior was still left in the car and it was conserved perfectly in the dry garage since ’78. Mr & Mrs Larrieu took the car in July 2011 from its original home. Getting her back to life meant rebuilding the engine, rebuilding the brakes, fitting new tyres and a new clutch and a good clean. The original ‘Vert Cendre’ paint of the car has a beautiful patina. The interior is used and old but it is the same cloth as when the car left the factory in 1956. This Dauphine is a moving time capsule. It has been preserved so well and at the same time you can see it has been used. It has a few dents and the body work shows signs of use as well as a beautiful patina.
The car was again fully recommissioned in 2018, also being prepared for Mille Miglia purposes. Again, the brakes were renewed as well as the tires and a full service to the engine was carried out. Resulting in a very reliable car, offering surprisingly good performance and road holding. The three speed gearbox shifts without a problem and the engine pulls strong. Needless to say is that the engine is the correct number and type for this car making it matching numbers throughout. The car is equipped with period correct bucket seats and a dubble six volt battery has been fitted. An A2 FIVA passport is with the car as well as an active registration within the Registro Mille Miglia. Needed to actually subscribe for the most beautiful race in the world. We were able to leave the car registered on its French registration. Of course the car can be registered anywhere in the world and service and advice regarding the Mille Miglia or any other event can be supplied by us.
