I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the automotive industry could use more whimsy. You know who understands that better than almost anyone? The French, of course. French cars have always been a bit out-there, a bit iconoclastic, and always with a heaping helping of cool. The relatively unknown Renault Rodéo is a prime example of this. A miniature SUV that was initially produced by French automaker ACL for Renault from 1970 to 1987, the Rodéo was meant to compete with the similar Citroën Méhari.
SUV is a generous term for this little oddball, as it lacked any real off-road capability and it was built on a front-wheel-drive van chassis, though it was optionally available with all-wheel drive. It was not powerful but it was very lightweight, more along the lines of a beach buggy than a proper off-roader. The Rodéo 5 is a later version of the earlier Rodéo that looks unlike any other production car ever made, in the quirkiest and best possible way.
The Renault Rodéo was introduced in 1970 as one of Renault’s first convertible models. It was built on the Renault 4 van platform, but was aimed at more outdoorsy folks and recreational uses than the van it was based on. Fast-forward to 1981, and Renault gave its kooky topless runabout a significant injection of plastic, and calle it the Rodéo 5. Normally I’m not a fan of cars with too much plastic cladding on the exterior, but other cars don’t look as conceptual as the Rodéo 5. According to Renault, the funky body on the Rodéo 5 was made of polyester and injected polyurethane, and they were only ever equipped with two seats. Some models had brown plastic body panels, which make it look extra chic.
It looks weirdly contemporary for a car from 1981 and has a timelessly chic minimalist look, especially from the front where its two round headlights bookend a simple two-slot grille and are recessed into a gray plastic bumper. The roll cage is also shrouded in gray plastic, as are the A-pillars and the entire length of the B- and C-pillars. Sure, this unique plastic work combines with its comically simplistic design and exposed screws and door hinges to make the Rodéo 5 look a bit like a Fisher-Price car, but that’s why it’s cool. The design of the interior gives away the ‘80s-ness of the otherwise futuristic-looking exterior with its spartan dash that looks more from the ‘70s.
The more I research the little Rodéo 5 the more I want one. Its effortless styling somehow manages to be nondescript, chic, funky, retro, futuristic, and most importantly, fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, like it was designed to look joyous and friendly. Modern cars are subject to a lot more regulation that would likely prevent such a lightweight and simplistic design to make it to market today. Renault takes risks with its designs, and the new electric Renault 5 is a perfect example of that. I think the Rodéo 5 design ethos would look great on a new electrified platform. Hint hint, Renault.
