Renault produced its wallet-friendly RWD sedan Dauphine from 1956 to 1967, and no one would really call it an outstanding vehicle. Rewind to 2021, and an enthusiast from the USA had one fitted with a badass rally kit and a transaxle WV V6. Now that’s a different story altogether, right?
Justin’s goal was to build a one-off mid-engine sports car based on a European light passenger classic. He purchased a Dauphine stripped clean to its body and put a Volkswagen VR6 six-pot between the axles. He also designed a chassis and a tube frame for it from scratch working alone, so you could imagine how much effort went into this insane project.
He borrowed a six-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential from modern VW cars, ending up with a ride that has a distinct driver’s quality to it and burns tires like no other. And the sound, oh, the sound!
Watch the video to appreciate this truly remarkable and unique restoration effort.