Before Chrysler purchased American Motors in 1987, Renault came to the rescue (for a while) in the late 1970s. Unlike Chrysler, which mainly wanted Jeep, Renault was looking for a manufacturing and sales footprint in the U.S. to grow market share. One of the cars you could buy at an AMC dealer was the Renault Fuego, a sports hatchback built in Europe and South America (but not in Kenosha). This 1983 example is a barn find in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, and is available here on Facebook Marketplace for the paltry sum of $1,000. Our thanks for the tip goes to Paul in MA.
Renault’s Fuego (which we’re told means “Fire” in Spanish) was in production from 1980 to 1986. More than 265,000 copies left the assembly with the lion’s share built in France (85%). The design of the car did well in the wind tunnel and was roomy for its size. Some firsts can be credited to the Fuego, like a remote-activated keyless entry system and steering-mounted radio controls.
Fuego’s were sold in the U.S. from 1982 to 1985, and many examples (like the seller’s car) came equipped with a 1.6-liter inline-4 (with or without turbocharging). Sales in the U.S. were slow, and AMC had to resort to offering rebates to clear out inventory. This car has a 5-speed manual transmission and has been residing in a barn for the past 35 years. As a result, the engine is stuck, and you might have to replace it.
This car traveled 116,000 miles before its mid-1990s hibernation. We’re told there is no rust, and it looks as though a detailing could do wonders. Especially with the pretty dirty interior. The seller’s low price may be due in part to there being no title – bill of sale only. Would the low acquisition price entice you to turn this orphan into a project?
I seriously looked at these when they were new. Beautiful design. If I was younger and had the space, I’d love to see this restored.
Woof!
My ex sister in law had one 30 years ago. Went to get her a new tire and they wanted 200 for one tire because it’s metric… Tire guy was a friend and he told me to go to the junkyard and grab standard rims. I forgot which car was compatible, but she was really surprised when I came back with 4 new tires and rims.
As they say, “Once you own a French car, nothing worse can happen to you”.
LOL, awesome Rex.
That was funny Rex!!! Thanks for the laugh.
My parents bought a new Le Car from an AMC dealer first thing that failed was Le brakes.
Beautiful design, but Rex is correct. Only sad people buy French cars. The French are like the Italians, they do so many things well, ,but cars a’int among them. Stick to producing great food and some of the worlds prettiest girls.
Mèrci Rex 👋 🇫🇷 🧀 🍷 🥐
I woulda waved, like you, but w/one finger…
Glad it was car related’n not on the commenter/person~
I lub me a ID, DS, CX, SM, XM, H van, C35 & some a da ‘30s. Peugeots too: 404, 202, 208 cant remember the wagon sold world wide, couldnt kill it…
Wow! The negativity on this car is unbelievable! Definitely not “car guys” posting here. Car guys love quirky cars.
At one time I worked at a Volvo/Renault dealership that sold these and later the Alliance and Encore. From the mechanics to the general manager, I never once heard any of these cars described as “quirky”, although I did hear many other colorful descriptions used.
Oh dear. Old enough to need work, new enough to be complicated. And where’s the right-rear alloy wheel?
I used to work in the South Bronx back in the day. I drove old cars that no one wanted. However in my travels I would see spotted across the landscape abandoned cars. They weren’t even “old” yet. Certainly newer than what I drove & in far better condition. Back then according to what I was told people would claim their car was “stolen”. They would drive someplace with it & take the plates off & walk away from it. Within minutes car vandals & thieves would descend on the hapless cars. One was a similar Fuego in particular. I had never seen one in the flesh? The first day I noticed the windows smashed. Next day it looked like someone danced on the hood smashing the sheet metal in. The day after that the front bumper missing & most of the inside gutted. The day after the wheels were gone. Then the city would place an abandoned sticker on side of the car for pick up by one of their vendors. The next day it was torched. The following day all that remained were ashes from where it sat.
I called those streets the mean streets of NY City. I took a job else where & never saw the multitudes of abandoned cars I once used to see!
Interesting story, John.
It reminds me of a Paul Newman movie I saw back in the 80’s named Fort Apache, The Bronx. As a teen, seeing that movie made me glad that I was never going to visit the Bronx.
There’s nothing wrong with French cars. The poor feedback comes only from the US – mostly from poor dealers who didn’t or didn’t want to know how to maintain them. They’re available in most countries worldwide and the French built some of the most innovative and rugged cars ever – Citroen with the 2CV, ID/DS, CX et al, Peugeot’s 504/505, 405/406, Renault’s Turbo range – 18/Fuego, 5 Turbo & Gordini – the list goes on.
Outside of the US, they are (generally) good quality and reliable vehicles .
From a Brit with plenty of personal experience.
In the early 60’s, Renault was the #2 selling import in the States, behind VW by thousands, but still ahead of the Brits, Germans, etc. 15 years later, they were basically gone from our shores. I think the problem was the growth of our interstate highways. People got sick and tired of sitting on the side of the road, waiting for the tow truck. They couldn’t hold together at those sustained speeds.
I think the problem was more basic.
Renault, like Fiat had generally excellent products, but many were not terribly well adapted to the US market, just as a wonderful 1955 Chevrolet would have been a nighmare to drive in Paris. I recently looked at a Renault Dauphine, as was impressed at how much better it was as a car than the antiquated VW Beetle. Running boards are nostalgic, but they represent a phenomal waste of space that could have been incorporated into the passenger compartment. In fact, VW blatantly copied the Dauphine, with the 1600L, which was only produced in Brazil
The other problem was that Renault did not understand how to create an adequate dealer network to sell and service their cars. Their purchase of AMC was specifically made to address this issue.
Big C,
In France the motorways speed limit has always been 130 km/h, which is slightly above 80 mph. I think on you side of the world max speed is 75 mph, right ?
Germany, who has always been an important export market for french cars has no speed limit on the motorways, Italy and Spain is 75, just as you. If what you write was true I would invest in a tow truck business !
All these jabronis are so smart they want to give me their Bugatti and Ferrari because they are not good cars.
push it back in the barn and leave it there
You nailed it, Ken!
I owned one, back in the day, new from the dealer. It lasted 13 months (1 month past warrantee, of course). The fuel filter was the size of a coffee can and placed behind the fuel tank. You had to drop the tant to do a tune up! Then at 13 months the stick shift snapped off in my hand when I was downshifting. Soon after that they disappeared from the road. This could be the only example left in the world.
I’m half nuts and woukd be willing to try it. I remember them new and liked em. But if the engine needs replacing …. Where the heck you going to find that ? Course as with most affordable cars , it’s heck and gone from me so no matter really
Chrysler wanted Jeep, but it desperately needed Renault’s brand new Brampton Ontario plant and the sedans it was designed to produce
Iacocca’s delusional purchase of Lamborghini, Maserati, etc blew a fortune and lest Chrysler not only with the unsellable TC, but an obsolete range of sedans based on the Aspen/Volare platform
The purchase provided a cheap way to fill in a serious gap in the Chrysler line up
I grew up liking Renaults. Dad had a Dauphine brand new and drove about 75,000 miles a year making office machine service calls. He really enjoyed making money on his mileage reimbursement. But at 60,000 miles on a hard stop, the windshield fell out onto to the hood. He got out his tape measure and found that the “windshield hole” was no longer the same left side to right side. Since the car was less than a year old. He drove it right back to the dealership. For $500 they took the car in trade and gave him a new one. 60k later he. Noticed that there were gaps in the windshield area and got rid of the car. The Dauphines were terrible cars. The 4CVs were rugged and reliable. I rolled one on two separate occasions with only minor scarring on the roof. (young driver learning about swing axle rear suspension) Until recently I owned an SCCA Spec Racer that used an Alliance engine and gear box. Very robust and reliable. Remember that this car on this thread IS AN INTETFERANCE ENGINE. So chances are that major engine damage is present!
Bought a really clean one years ago at an auction for $50.00. Only ran with starting fluid I never had enough interest to get it running
I think I’ll hold out for a Turbo Fuego.
I think that the owners of these all bought
Azteks,& then Jukes.