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Spot the difference

The art of retouching existed years before 'Photoshopping' became a noun, as the examples below show. Not all are retouched versions, sometimes different versions of the same session were used for different purposes. Not only were photos being retouched, some were entirely redrawn by hand, as is shown in the booklet 'La R4 de papa'. A separate page is devoted to manipulations of the French and English 1968 brochures.

For a start, shown below from left to right, some photos from a single shoot using one of the pre-series, from French and Italian advertisements of 1961, and a relatively unknown German 4-page brochure from the same year. Note the slight position changes of some of the people). All three license plates are different, too.

On the next row a drawing after the photo, used on the flipside of the newspaper thing and also in a Dutch advertisement. The girl on the left is remarkably different from the original photo. In the middle the same drawing in a 1963 advertisement: the tubular bumper is changed to a flat one, and the ribble on the bonnet is added. On the right, a photo which appeared in 'L'Auto Journal' 354, from 1964. Finally, the license plate is visible (it is the 5883 W 75, well known from Renault Magazine 44 and Ballade en Camargue).

beach_fr beach_it beach_de
beach_nl1 beach_nl2 beach_aj

In Denmark, a completely different photo was used, with local Danish models. Lastly, a drawing after the first poster, published in Norway as matchbox label. The dress and haircut of the girl in front were changed, and the roof is closed (but they forgot to add the roof ribble).

beach_dk beach_no
fourgonnette_black fourgonnette_white
fourgonnette_black_bumper fourgonnette_white_bumper
fourgonnette_black_rib fourgonnette_white_rib

Two different versions exist of this 1961 Fourgonnette brochure. The background is clearly the same (one can identify every individual twig on both images), but the fourgonnettes appear to be different cars, used for the same photo shoot (or were photoshopped?). At least, the photos are different given the angle of the cars, well visible from the curbstone behind the cars. Especially obvious are the central rib on the hood (absent on the left, barely visible on the right), the left and right rearview mirrors, the license plate and the front part just behind the bumper. Details from the bumper show the support for the swingle facing to the right and left sides respectively.

1962_fr 1962_uk

From the red introduction brochure and the UK 'Space' brochure. In both the original French and UK red introduction brochures the drawings were still identical. For the 'Space' update, the original French picture on the left was redrawn to allow for right steering of the right hand UK version, but, surprisingly, one of the sheep has vanished, probably through the right rear door. The background building on the right looks much more like the Louareux farm than the original!

1962_fr 1962_uk

From the same red introduction brochure and the UK 'Space' brochure. Some considerable redrawing has taken place.

1961_fr 1961_uk

From the Édition Speciale. On the right, the steering wheel has been moved, the license plate is British and the 'F' sticker was removed. The tripod hubcabs on the left were changed to normal ones on the British car.

1962_remarkable 1963_remarkable

From the English 1962 and 1963 'Remarkable' brochures. Note the front bumper and wheelcaps.

schneider advertisement with 2cv schneider advertisement with 4l

Pictures from some contest organised by Renault and Schneider. On the left a magazine advertisement, showing a 2CV on the right, clearly a competitor. On the right the poster version of the same publication, where a 4L has been chipped in. Apparently, the 2CV was too prominent.

1963_fr 1963_it

From the French (left) and Italian (right) 1963 magazines. Clearly the same car (the same plaid is in the back), but an Italian license plate on the right side.

1964_madame

The picture from the French 1963 brochure on the right was imitated for a Dutch 1964 advertisement. Different lady, basket and bread, same cauliflower.

1963_madame
1962_uk 1962_uk

From the 1962 British 'Ici Renault' magazine (UL), the 1962 UK brochure (UR) and the 1963 UK brochure. The upper left photo is probably original. The upper right photo was mirrored to move the steering wheel to the right - if only they hadn't forgotten to add the fuel pipe entrance... Finally, the lower right picture from the 1963 brochure had its steering wheel retouched to the right.

1962_uk
1964_fr_box 1964_fr_driver
1964_fr_painting
1964_ar_box 1964_ar_driver
1964_ar_painting

Photos from the French 1964 (and 1962, 1963, 1965 and 1966 ones), redrawn for the 1964 Argentian brochure. Note that the rearview mirror in the French version is on the dashboard, whereas in Argentina it was mounted on the roof.

1962_dk 1963_dk

From 1962/63 and 1966, from two Danish brochures (note the bumper, wheelcaps and side indicator light).

bagage bagage

Some clever manipulation was performed here: the Dutch photo on the right was mirrored for the 1965 'Renault Autopost' magazine. The fuelpipe and steering wheel were left unaltered, but an old rearview mirror was introduced. Further, the suitcases were also mirrored but moved a little bit to the side.

parisienne_antiquaire parisienne_antiquites

Remarkable: two versions of the same Parisienne advertisement, one in front of an Antiquaire, the other in front of an Antiquités shop.. BTW this house is located in Paris on the corner of Rue Bonaparte and Rue Jacob as can be seen in the Where Was It section.

paint_nl paint_it

Three 1966 Fourgonnette brochures from the Netherlands, Italy and France. Although basically the same brochure, three different photos were used.

paint_fr
1968_fr 1968_uk
1968_fi 1968_sw

The UK 1968 brochure shows a lot of differences with its French counterpart. On most photos the French car is blue, and the UK one red as shown on these two photos. The hatch contents are more or less similar, only the arrangement and the exact objects used are different. Check for instance the lawnmowers and the bottles - on first glance identical, but on closer look different! Note the (fake?) right hand steering for the UK car. In order to illustrate that not only different cars were used, some more manipulations are shown here. The same 1968 photos showing the lawnmower - and more from 1967 - were used for the booklet 'La R4 de papa'. On the lower row, photos from the Finnish and Swedish brochures, again re-arranged and with different lawnmower, bottle and flowers as in the other brochures.

1968_fr 1970_es

Two pictures from different years (1968 and 1970), emphasizing how the 4L was promoted as family car. Nearly the same ideal families in France (left) and Spain (right), although the Spanish dad sits a bit apart on the other side of the car... Also note the dented lower part of the Spanish grille.

1968_es 1969_es 1970_es

The covers of the Spanish Furgoneta brochures from 1966-1968 (which all had pretty much the same cover), 1969 and 1970 are remarkably similar. Note however the appearance of a second sun visor, and the disappearance of the text 'La furgoneta todo ventajas'.

1970_uk 1970_uk_wing

About 1970, both from the same UK Fourgon brochure. What happened to the shape of the rear wing? (I have never seen it 'live' in this shape, BTW)

1970_es_paint1

1970 and 1971, Spain. The table is the same, but the painting and chair were changed.

1970_es_paint2
1971_es_diferencia 1971_es_diferencia

1971, some remarkable differences between the Spanish brochure and the advertisement such as the mountains, the mataburros, the windscreen wipers and more. Viva la diferencia!

1971_fr_berline 1971_fr_fourgonnette

1971, from the Berline and Fourgonnette brochures. Either one of the cars must have been retouched into the photo, as the position of the bystanders is exactly the same.

1972_fr_efficace_dark 1972_fr_efficace_light

1972, just two different photos but nice anyway to note that the same guy was pictured once in the very early morning (from behind and facing left) and once a bit later with more light (from up front and facing right).

1972_fr_treport 1973_de_treport

A 1972 press photo in the harbour of Le Tréport, and an edited and coloured version from a German 1973 brochure, with added butoirs.

1973_fr_logo1 1974_fr_logo1

From 1973 to 1974 the Renault logo was changed. The 1973 brochures have already the new logo on the back page, but all photos still show the old one. These pictures are from the Fourgonnette brochures.

1973_es 1974_pt

The Spanish 1973 and 1974 Portuguese brochures are nearly identical, but of course in the latter the logos were changed or rather bluntly removed.

1973_fr_logo2 1974_fr_logo2

Same (grille logo)

1973_fr_logo3 1974_fr_logo3

Same (side wing logo)

1972_fr_continuez 1972_ar_continue

1972. Examples of coordinated advertisements are rare. Here is a nice one though, from France and Argentina, where one was certainly inspired by the other one.

1974_ca_n_arrive 1967_b_ar_arriba

1967/1974. These advertisements are clearly from very different years (the argentinian from 1967, the French 1974), but the inspiration was similar, perhaps from the photos shot on the Ponte Rialto in Venice in 1961.

1973_fr_beard 1975_es_beard

Beards in trunks, pipes, literature and fancy boots were fashionable in France (1973) and Spain (1975).

1975_fr_indicator 1975_de_indicator

1975 brochures, French and German versions (indicator light color)

1976_fr_indicator 1977_fr_indicator

1976 and 1977 brochures (right indicator light changed from round to rectangular)

1978_gtl_5.6_fr 1978_gtl_5.9_it

The 1978 French and Italian GTL brochures. The difference in consumption is remarkable.

1978_f_de_green 1978_f_de_yellow

The 1978 and 1979 German brochures. Probably the green colour was abandoned in 1979 in favour of the yellow.

1980_fr_roof 1980_uk_roof

1980 French and UK brochures: apart from the mirroring, the open roof wasn't available in the UK. The retouched UK roof looks a bit awkward, not?

1980_fr_apple 1980_uk_apple

Anyone likes an apple?

1983_es_child 1984_es_child

The Spanish 1983 and 1984 Furgoneta brochures are virtually indistinguisable except for a single detail.

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this page last changed on Dec 28 2020