[15] A 1951 survey conducted by Renault indicated design parameters of a car with a top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph), seating for four passengers and fuel consumption of less than 7 L/100 km (40 mpg‑imp; 34 mpg‑US).

[7] Having largely finalized the exterior design,[7] testing of the prototype began at Renault's facilities at Lardy, France[15] – by secrecy of night, on July 24, 1952.

[16] Using new laboratories[7] and new specially designed tracks,[7] engineers measured maximum speed, acceleration, braking and fuel consumption as well as handling, heating and ventilation, ride, noise levels and parts durability.

[7] By August 1953 head engineer Picard had an almond-green prototype delivered to Madrid for dry condition testing, ultimately experiencing only five flat tires and a generator failure after 2,200 km (1,400 mi).

He was killed in an automobile accident on February 11, 1955, when he lost control of his Renault Frégate on an icy road and was struck on the head by his unsecured luggage as the car rolled over.

The final name was attributed to a dinner conversation at l'auberge de Port-Royal, chaired by Fernand Picard, where either Jean-Richard Deshaies or Marcel Wiriath said "the 4CV is the Queen of the road, the new arrival can only be the Dauphine.

The new model followed the 4CV's rear-engine, four-door three-box sedan format, while providing greater room and power and pioneering a new focus for Renault on interior and exterior color and design.

Heavier and 12 in (300 mm) longer than its predecessor, the 4-door body featured monocoque construction with "a pair of perimeter-shaped longitudinal box sections and substantial cross-bracing",[20] but without the 4CV's rear-hinged suicide doors.

Overall, Dauphine styling was a scaled down version of the Renault Frégate,[23] itself a classic three-box design of the ponton genre.

Renault received styling assistance for the Dauphine at the request of Lefaucheux in June 1953 from Luigi Segre of Carrozzeria Ghia, especially with integrating the engine's air intake at the rear doors.

[28] In 1950, the president of General Motors (GM) had visited Renault, noting the cars' drab colors, inside and out.

[17] According to their own 1951 Survey, Renault's studies had shown that women held stronger opinions on the colors of a car than the actual choice of a particular model.

[17] Coincidentally, well-known Parisian textile artist Paule Marrot (1902–1987) had written to Renault's chairman, Lefaucheux,[16] giving her opinion that the cars of postwar Paris were a uniformly somber parade, and wondering whether an artist could not help find fresh, vibrant colors.

[16] Convinced of her value to the project, Pierre Lefaucheux made her a member of the Dauphine team — "to rid Renault of their stuffy image.

[16] Marrot and her team then developed complementary interior fabrics for the seats and door panels, turning to Paris' large textile houses.

[32] The 1093 was a factory racing model limited edition of 2,140 homologated, which were tuned to 55 hp (41 kW) and featured a twin-barrel carburettor, four-speed manual transmission and tachometer, had a top speed of 140 km/h (87 mph), and were produced in 1962 and 1963.

All were painted white with two thin blue stripes running front to back along the hood, roof and trunk.

97,209 IKA Dauphines and Gordinis were produced as follows: Argentinian regulations required the manufacturers to incorporate extra bumper bars as seen here in the photographs of an Argentine unit.

Among the aftermarket options for the Dauphine was a supercharger from United States company Judson Research & Mfg.

"[41] By 1958 Popular Science had both good and bad to report, saying "It has a host of exquisite touches, you can lock the steering wheel with the ignition key, an ideal frustration for thieves.

Too-liberal use of plastics cheapens an otherwise attractive interior and inclusion of two-toned horns for town and country is – for the U.S.A. – pure caprice.

In July 2010 Jonathan Burnette, a Texas mechanic, set out to drive his 1959 Dauphine to Alaska and back, saying "I've driven these cars all over the country, many, many times, and I've never had that much trouble at all.

"[44][45] In 1966 a Renault press statement said Dauphine production passed the million mark in just four years – more quickly than any other car manufactured in Europe.

So brisk is demand that Renault and the French Line have formed a new shipping company CAT (Compagnie d'Affrètement et de Transport).

[49] By that time it was second most popular imported car after Volkswagen, which apart from having only two doors, offered slightly worse economy and manoeuvrability.

[20] A 2008 retrospective article in The Independent said "as soon as the US market had come to grips with the Dauphine's swing-axle manners and useless acceleration, they were pole-axed by its abysmal corrosion record.

It would take only one New York winter of driving on salt-strewn roads to give a Dauphine front wings that resembled net curtains.

Less than a fair share of our dealers were equipped to deal with what went wrong," describing the Dauphine's replacement as "The Renault for people who swore they would never buy another one.

[22] The Dauphine achieved numerous motorsport victories, including taking the first four places in its class at the 1956 Mille Miglia with a factory team of five cars with five-speed gearboxes;[20] winning the 1956 Tour de Corse (Corsica Rally) with Belgian female drivers Gilberte Thirion and Nadege Ferrier; winning the 1958 Monte Carlo Rally and the Tour de Corse with drivers Guy Monraisse and Jacques Féret; winning the 1959 Rallye Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast Rally);[33] and in 1962 winning the Tour de Corse (Dauphine 1093 with drivers Pierre Orsini and Jean Canonicci).