my first car after car license....1981.... unforgettable and amazing car ...very comfortable, fast and never problems.....glad to see a car in that condition....😁
I had a T reg 1979 late-era TL model I only kept it a couple of years and I very quickly regretted selling it on. The car in the video is a wonderful example of this ultra-rare classic, it is 40 years since I enjoy the R16 and your video had memories flooding back, thanks for this great post!
The original hatchback! a piece of automotive history. Interesting to see a couple modern hatches in that lot knowing they owe their existence to this car.
@H HOUR HOTEL a mate at the time who did a lot of work on my cars, refused to touch those french swear words, but then he didnt have to as realistically nothing went wrong till a timing belt broke, off to the wreckers
Nice car, I like the R16👍... In France I live near the R16's factory than made this car... Renault Sandouville France. Good video and a lot of souvenirs... My father worked in Renault.. 👍😉
I will never forget the first time I was shown this car with different length wheelbase each side. At the beginning of this video you can easily compare the dimension of the panel between the lower rear corner of the rear door and the wheel arch. Didn't stop it from driving superbly.
My dad had two of them in the early to mid 1970s. When he lost the second one in a crash in 1975, he decided against a third one as he thought the model was already so long in its tooth that it would soon be discontinued and residual values would plummet. And Renault went on with it for another 5 years - with sales decreasing so hard that more old R16 were scrapped than new ones sold. In fact, those cars started getting rarer while they were still being built (in my native Germany, that is). Brilliant as those were to drive and as family cars, they were awful rusters. Only few people decided to pamper them to classic status, so, unlike old Citroëns of that era, they are hugely rare yet widely unappreciated... Since I was a child back then, I've never driven one myself... and probably never will, though I'd surely like to try one...
With no short-cuts taken with servicing, the R10 was a long-lasting, bullet-proof car IF given good under sealing and rust inhibiting treatment of the panels. They gave excellent service to traveling salesmen, stock and station agents, farmers and fleet operators with an eye to efficiency and resale value. A New Zealand perspective.
