The Renault TRM 500 was the unfortunate competitor of the Peugeot P4 to become the small off-roader of the French army at the end of the 1970s. Only a few prototypes were manufactured, and one of them is offered for sale in France.
You may know that the French army replaced in 1982 its venerable Jeep whose design dated back to the Second World War by the Peugeot P4, which was only replaced in 2019 by the Acmat VT4 based on Ford Everest . But did you know that “the” iconic car of our soldiers could have been adorned with a diamond instead of a lion? Renault also responded to the general staff’s call for tenders with an all-terrain vehicle called the TRM 500. One of these rare prototypes is currently for sale.
A Fiat-based Renault
When France went in search of its new small military 4×4, in 1976, no French manufacturer offered a vehicle capable of serving as a technical basis. Renault, via SAVIEM*, then called on Fiat to base its vehicle on the Italian manufacturer’s Campagnola. This was already available in a military machine called AR76 on the other side of the Alps.
The main element modified by the Régie was the engine, a homemade 2.0 four-cylinder. Thus was born in 1978 the TRM 500, for “All Wheel Drive” and 500 kg payload. Its raised front bonnet, its round lights, and its side-hinged rear door are reminiscent of the old Land Rover Defenders.
Little reliable information is still available on this vehicle, and in particular on its power. Figures of 80 hp, 90 hp and 110 hp are circulating.
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A prototype for sale for restoration
The Peugeot P4 eventually won favor with the military, and only a handful of Renault TRM 500 prototypes were produced. One of them, dating from 1979, is offered for sale on The good corner. This blue copy with a white hood is located in Montcourt-Fromonville in Seine-et-Marne, it is to be restored and its odometer shows 27,689 km according to the description. It is displayed at the price of 3,500 €.
*Anonymous company for industrial vehicles and mechanical equipment bringing together Renault heavy goods vehicles, Latil and Somua, which became Renault Industrial Vehicles in 1980 following the integration of Berliet, then Renault Trucks, which now belongs to the Volvo AB group.
