The seller of this menagerie opens with, “I have six Renault R16 cars, Arizona cars with no rust or very little rust. They have been off the road for 35-45 years and they are not 100% complete…I don’t really need 6 of them, I am only keeping one and will sell the rest if somebody is interested“. Yeah, there’s a thought, why have six, and yes, I can’t imagine why one would think that they needed six – perhaps an attempt to build one good one. Who knows, but if you’re interested, they’re located in Phoenix, Arizona and available, here on craigslist for $1,000 to $2,000 apiece. Kyle K gets the nod for this most unusual find!
Offered between 1965 and 1980, the R16 dates to the days when people still pronounced the “T” in Renault (before they tried to go upscale in the ’80s and became known as Renau). A four-door hatchback body style was it and over 1.8 M were assembled, mostly in France but in some other countries too. The year 1969 is when the R16 first showed on U.S. shores but they were gone after 1971 and I guess that’s why I can’t remember ever seeing one of these.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but subjectively speaking, there’s not a lot of beauty going on with this design. The only halfway positive thing that I can think of is that the grille looks like something out of a Pontiac. Obviously, these have been sitting in the scorching Arizona sun for some time and two of them are wearing plates with 1987 validation stickers. The seller references the year 1970 but whether all five are from then, or there are other model years mixed in, is not disclosed.
It sounds like none of the five are complete but there is obviously some sound sheet metal present that could be used to save a damaged or rusted project car – assuming that there is someone else who has one of these that needs to be saved. The seller tells us that some of his collection were air-conditioned but the compressors are now missing.
As far as running and driving, not today – and there are no engine images included. Power should be in the form of a 61 HP, 1.6 liter, in-line four-cylinder engine, driving the front wheels via a four-speed manual transaxle. An inquiry would need to be made if one wanted to know more about the potential motoring qualities of any one of the five.
The seller concludes with, “They are almost as comfortable as a Citroen DS but at a fraction of the price!!” though one source claims that the underpinnings are more similar to the Citroen Traction Avant. Anyway, if you ever had a hankering for a Renault R16, here you go, five times the fun, right?
You would probably need all of them to make one good restored car. At that price it wouldn’t be worth the cost. Sadly, the best model of all to have, was the R16TX, never brought here (of course).
Front right looks like a 4×4 But guessing has no motor. What is that little yellow car?
Also saw a MK2 Cortina Estate in the mix.
I hope someone saves it.
They look better with flat tires:-)
I saw these cars in ads in my dad’s Car and Driver magazines. But never saw one on the road. These are ugly little suckers!
Rust, and a lot of it, would be the best thing that could happen to this “French Mistake”
My dad bought two new ones, a 69 and a 71, ugly as hell, but they were actually good little cars, great in snow. The two ribs running along the roof are built in rollbars, and the 4sp on the column was a little unusual. I never thought about it years ago, but that front end does resemble an early 60s Pontiac. Sorry Pontiac lol
Years ago, it was these (and the later R-12) that I remember seeing, whenever a Renault was seen at all. Always wondered if the R-16 was the inspiration for the Chevy Malibu MAXX–the styling is very similar.
At first I thought it was a distorted photo of a group of ’61 Pontiacs.
There definitely is a Pontiac look to the cars.
I had a 69 green one. Ugly car. Most comfortable seats in any car I have ever owned.
4 on the tree was fun also.
Part and service were expensive. Finding a qualified mechanic was a problem. It also liked the shop more than me.
Renault was known for its comfy seating. I also seem to remember the company won an award from an orthopedic association for the seating quality.
The Caravelle was actually a rather nice looking car. I had a 66 but parts were non existent
I sold it to a guy who never returned for the car’s removable hardtop.
I guess I liked the ugly cars. I had a R5 Le Car and a Renault Caravelle.
Thank you BarnFinds for giving Kyle K an outlet. I kinda feel he was a major reason BaT became so popular back before the corporate makeover.
I looked up Renault in the dictionary… Renault = ugly
Still not as bad as an Aztec
My parents owned one back in the early 70’s. I got to drive it on a trip and while quirky, it rode very nicely and the seats were super comfortable. One note worth mentioning is that it was the first hatchback design, which later became very popular. It DID have that going for it. They owned 2 R10s before that and an R17 after that. Fun, economical cars, but not the most solid choice, especially up here in Michigan.
The Freedom Fries group are active today.
The R16 is an icon of 1960s European industrial design. It is also brilliantly engineered.
Chacun à son goût….of those who have it.
(everyone to their liking)
Magnificent motor cars when they were new. I owned a three year old car and it was pretty rusty already. The seats were very comfortable having been designed by an orthopaedic surgeon I believe. They were also advertised as a 100 mph car when new and that I can believe.
I’m surprised we’ve gotten this far without anyone mentioning the Lotus Europa. This power plant was used by Mr. Chapman, of course in that machine, but R16s stand on their own merit, possessing comfort, enormous interior space and (for the time) excellent fuel economy. And looks only an owner could love!
Sorry, i don’t want even one.
Design is always subjective, i mean those worn out look not butifull, but if it has freshly paintwork in a good color you see the wing hood, and the lines beginning on the fenders and holding the door handles in aerodynamic place turning behind the 3rd window into the roof, the depply inlet rear window which never gets wet in rain if you drive! the totally flat bottom which is aerodinamic enhanced. Also Sterling Moss sayed “There is no doubt that the Renault 16 is the most intelligently engineered automobile I have ever encountered and I think that each British motorcar manufacturer would do well to purchase one just to see how it is put together” I would take all of them!