Renault’s 1957 Dauphine was not a fast car. Powered by a 845cc inline-4 producing a meagre 32bhp, the Dauphine took 32 seconds to reach 60mph and topped out at just 8mph more. But it looked so pretty whilst doing it.

Described by motoring journalists at the time as “The prettiest four-seater in the world” the Dauphine was an enormous success, being manufactured in twelve different countries and selling over two million units in its 10 year production run – a huge figure for the 50s and 60s. And to be honest it wasn’t even that slow when compared to rivals of the time.

However by modern standards Renault’s little family car is almost dangerously lethargic. French tuner Adrien Faure thought so too, and decided his little Dauphine could do with a bit more power. Four times as much in fact, thanks to a 1200cc Yamaha motorbike engine that he’s fitted beautifully in place of the original ‘Ventoux’ unit.

It’s this car that serial bloggee Senator Chinchilla has chosen to recreate, complete with scraped paint and rust, with this lovely Model Team creation. There’s more to see of the Senator’s replica on Flickr by clicking here, and you can read more about the Yamaha-powered Dauphine on which his model is based visiting the Speedhunters website. It may no longer be all that pretty, but this Dauphine is quick!