Buying guide
Renault Vivastella Overview: Generations, Specs and Which One to Buy
The Renault Vivastella is a sedan produced from 1929 to 1939 with 52 hp across its range. This overview covers its single generation and the version worth choosing.
The Renault Vivastella is a sedan produced from 1929 to 1939, offered with 52 hp across the entire range. It suits collectors of pre-war French automobiles who want a large classic Renault sedan with a simple manual transmission and rear-wheel drive, rather than a car for regular modern driving.
Renault Vivastella generations
1 generation (1929–1939)
The 1 generation Renault Vivastella was built from 1929 to 1939 as a sedan with rear-wheel drive and a manual gearbox. The power output is 52 hp across the generation, and the data lists a single modification. The notable version is the Renault Vivastella 3.2 MT (1 generation), which pairs a 3180 cc engine with 52 hp, a manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. The power range of the generation runs from 52 hp to 52 hp — the minimum and maximum figures coincide, confirming a single engine tune. With one body style, one gearbox type and one drivetrain layout, the Vivastella line stayed mechanically uniform over its full ten-year production run — a buyer comparing cars from 1929 and 1939 is looking at the same 52 hp sedan formula.
Which Renault Vivastella to buy
- 3.2 MT (1 generation): the mass-market version and the only modification in the data, with a 3180 cc engine producing 52 hp through a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive.
Buying used here means buying a pre-war car: every Renault Vivastella is from 1929–1939, so the choice comes down to the condition and completeness of the individual example rather than picking between versions. The single-modification lineup simplifies the search — the 3.2 MT specification with 52 hp is the same regardless of production year, so a later car from the 1929–1939 window differs by age and history, not by drivetrain.
The Renault Vivastella 3.2 MT (1 generation) represents the whole model: one sedan body, one 3180 cc engine, one manual transmission, one rear-wheel-drive layout. There is no dominated version to avoid, because there is nothing in the range to compare the 3.2 MT against — the 52 hp figure marks both the bottom and the top of the Vivastella's power range, and the sedan body is the only configuration listed for the model.