Df361: Renault

It is underpowered, slightly noisy, and utterly charming. It represents a time when cars were simple enough to be fixed with a hammer and a metric socket set. The Renault DF361 is not a famous engine like the BMW M30 or the Chevrolet Small-Block. It is a humble workhorse. It powered farmers, postmen, gendarmes, and bohemian surfers in Biarritz. It survived two decades of production because it simply worked.

Need parts? Check our sponsor links for DF361 gasket kits and wet liners. renault df361

If you want a highway cruiser, look for a later Renault 4 with the 1108cc engine (Type 688). But if you want ? The DF361 is the true soul of the early Renault 4. It is underpowered, slightly noisy, and utterly charming

And at the heart of every early-to-mid-production Renault 4 lies a tiny, robust, almost unkillable motor: the . It is a humble workhorse

Unlike modern engines where the cylinder walls are part of the block, the DF361 uses removable wet cylinder liners. If you wear out a cylinder, you don’t need to rebore the whole engine. You simply pull the liner out and slide a new one in. In the 1960s, this was a budget-saver.