Spotted: a Renault 4 Frog

On vacation abroad, you sometimes come across cars that you would not easily encounter in the Netherlands.
For example, because it is an older model that has long since disappeared from the streets here, or a car that was never delivered here at all.
Sometimes there are also local versions of cars that we know in other forms.
Take this week’s unusual Renault 4.

The spotted specimen

In the Italian village of Trevignano Romano, near Rome, where we were for a test drive of the new Mitsubishi ASX, we saw this Renault 4.
You immediately see that it is no ordinary “four.
It turns out to be a Renault 4 Frog.
This example is registered in the province of Turin, which is quite a distance from the spot location.
A nice detail is the miniature version on the dashboard.

The Renault 4 Frog

There are other similar conversions based on the Renault 4, including Renault’s own Plein Air, but here we are talking about the Frog.
This is actually the same model as the more famous JP4 from the French Car Système, but supplied by an Italian division of that company.
With official support from Renault Italia.

Broadly speaking, the conversion involved replacing all but the front of the original body with a partially polyester, half-open “two-door” body.
The chassis was also shortened 270 mm.
Instead of a roof, the Frog had a tubular structure with a canvas roof over it.
The Frog was available in different color combinations.
However, bright red or dark green in combination with beige roof and seats seem to be the most common combinations.
The Alpine rims on the spotted example are not original.
Basically, the Frog was delivered with white steel rims.

The exact production number is not known, but about 500 units would have been (re)built.
This production took place from 1987 until the end of production of the Renault 4 itself, in 1992.
Nevertheless, we do see some examples for sale with earlier build years.
The Frog conversion probably took place after 1987, but with an older Renault 4 as a donor car.