Video: ‘Little Reggie’ Renault 4CV warms the cockles of our hearts

One of last year’s surprise stars, this Renault 4CV - nicknamed ‘Little Reggie’ - only has 90PS (66kW) pottering out from its rear-mounted 760cc inline-four. But sometimes, the best things come in small packages.

“It’s pretty much flat out everywhere”, says driver Pierre-Brice Mena of hustling the wonderfully cute 4CV around Goodwood, the car coming alive at every turn with oversteer-a-plenty on entry. It certainly looks fun, more than anything else. And the 4CV’s comical ‘lump of butter’ nickname (a reference to the clotted shape and the sand-yellow paint used on early road-going versions) befits the low-traction japes perfectly.

While the 4CV’s racing pedigree isn’t anything to write home about, this very car’s particular history comes footnoted with race finishes at the Mille Miglia and Tour De France, as well as a class win at Le Mans in 1950. And, perhaps most importantly for us, it entertained us all greatly during last year’s Sopwith Cup.