The VW Beetle gets blamed for almost everything that isn’t Pinto or Audi 5000-related. But, in a good way, not in an explode or surge-ahead-unintendedly way. This 1971 Renault 10, or R-10, is listed on eBay in Princeton, Illinois with a buy it now price of $3,950 and a current bid price of just over $1,500.
The Beetle was a car that other companies had an eye on due to it’s popularity and it certainly had one of the most (here it is) iconic shapes of all time. I would argue that it had perhaps thee most iconic and recognizable shape in all of car-dom.. The body on this R-10 is “good with some dings and dents, paint decent but flat.” The R-10 has a unique shape and space-wise the R-10 had it all over the Beetle. I mean, this thing has doors for the backseat passengers, what a concept! Hmm.. I wonder what a two-door R-10 might have looked like.. (scratching chin)..
I like it!
The blocky, schoolboy/girl drawing of a car profile is pretty interesting, but it’s the front and rear view of the R-10 that I like the best, personally. This car probably doesn’t look familiar to anyone unless they have an incredible memory, but this exact same car was written up by our own Jesse a handful of years ago. The seller provides a link in their listing back to the Barn Finds story from April 29, 2013. I don’t see the mileage listed on the older story about this car but it now has just under 60,000 miles.
The interior looks almost flawless and I say almost just so nobody spends several hours studying the photos with a microscope to find a flaw. This car had an automatic transmission which failed and a 4-speed was installed back in 2012/2013, according to the seller. The R-10 was the last of Renault’s rear-engine cars and they were, more or less, an R-8 but about eight inches longer. The seller mentions that the “Heater has been bypassed (control valve broken). Otherwise all items function correctly.”
There isn’t an overall engine photo which is strange considering that the “trunk”, I mean hood, or the rear hood, or boot – or would it be bonnet in this case because it’s where the engine is hidden? Whatever it’s called, it’s small and an overall photo should have been easy to get, but c’est ce que c’est. The seller has the engine listed as an 1,100, but in 1970 they were enlarged to a 1,289 cc four-cylinder so I’m not quite sure. Have any of you owned a Renault 10?
Haven’t actually owned a R10, Scotty, but have driven several and worked on a few. They’re really pretty nice little cars. In a French way: the ride is better than you’d expect, but the soft springing leads to lots of body lean around corners, and they’re not exactly speed demons.
What this one has is the 1108cc engine, which is bulletproof and easy to service. Frankly, your writeup was the first I’ve heard of the 1289cc engine being used in the R10, though it certainly would fit.
Aside from the parts difficulties that plague all Renaults these days (and, to an extent, when they were new) the only oddball thing I can remember was servicing the four-wheel disc brakes. They had strange “floating” calipers and were a pain. If I had rebuilt them more than once, I would have gotten used to them, I’m sure.
My first car a ’69. Loved it – great milage. Replaced the entire exhaust system for $18!
RayT, I have wanted one for a couple of years now, a manual for sure as it sounds like the automatics were troublesome.
From Hemmings: “The second major change in specification came in 1970, when displacement was increased to 1,289cc. This brought a 17 percent boost in power, from 48 horsepower to a heady 56.”
And, our friends at Wiki: “A larger unit, the 1289 cc engine from the new Renault 12, was fitted to the Renault 10 for the Motor Show in October 1970, giving birth to the Renault 10-1300.”
Not knowing how to tell them apart from the close-up photos I’m not sure but it sounds like it’s the bigger engine? That’s what Jesse listed in his write-up back in 2013 of this same car, too.
Telling the various engines apart is as easy as looking at the plate riveted to the block, Scotty, as shown in the engine photo above: a 1289cc is an “810,” while the 1108 is a “688.” There was also a later 1397cc version, used in late R5s and R5 Alpines. The latter were easy to tell apart, as the heads — aluminum, like all small Renault engines of the time — had hemispherical combustion chambers with angled valves.
This one’s a “688.” These are all wet-sleeve engines, so it is possible the extra displacement comes from bored-out sleeves, while the crank remains the same.
It’s difficult to tell them apart by looking at them.
And yes, I’d stay away from the automatics. They’re finicky, and made a slow car even slower.
All of the above is probably far more than any rational person would need to know!
That’s great info, Ray! There is no such thing as too much information. I think we’re all detail nerds here and that’s a good thing to know. That goes to show that there are no absolutes when it comes to manufactured vehicles coming down an assembly line at any certain date. Things can and often do change. Thanks for the update, sir.
I have owned two of them and found them to be great, reliable, quiet and frugal cars if a bit low on performance. On one of them I made a big mistake by turning the engine over with the cylinder head off! Two of the cylinder liners promptly lifted up above the block level which meant that I now had to strip the engine to fit new seals at the bottom of the liners before I could replace the head etc.
I don’t see the A/C compressor…lol. My next door neighbor (a preacher) had one. Said it was the cheapest the congregation could find.
This is a cool little car. I like it… a lot! Just the sort of oddity I been lookin’ for. Was hopin’ to snag the ’73 Ambassador. Plum disappointed to find it gone! But heck, 3900.00 or less sounds reasonable here. Wonder if it would make it back to Michigan- 5 1/2 hours- on its own power? Anyone offer any insight?
I know a few people who would try that trip on back roads, Brian. It’s sure tempting to hit the buy it now button on this one, isn’t it?! The bypassed heater core has me a bit worried but other than that it sure looks like a nice example. If you grab it, let us know!
@BrianC.
Do yourself a big favour and buy it before someone else does. They are very reliable little cars and a 5 hour drive is no problem. I drove mine on a Classic Car Rally from Durban to Clarens up in the Drakensburg Mountains in South Africa, which took us through tons of snow, and took about 7 hours to do the 300 miles. The only thing to make very sure is up to scratch is the cooling system as they tend to overheat fairly easily. As for the heater coil being bypassed, that is most likely due to it having developed a leak, and it’s much easier to bypass it than fit another one.
Scotty being AMCFAN I have been in a lot of former AMC dealers that sold them. Several come to mind were large Renault dealers in the early 1960’s to the time Renault exited the US in the early 1970’s. I say large due to the enormous amount of NOS parts. The dealers that sold these were real believers. One dealer had enough parts to just about built a complete Dauphine. I bought the lot for the AMC parts only. I sold that Renault parts to an import parts dealer in the late 1980’s. His warehouse burned down some time later. That being said I too have had my eye on a nice R-8 or 10 to make like this! BTW I did have the hind sight to save NOS body panels for one! Nice find
AMCFAN, that would be a fun tribute project!
I had one just like this. In 1982~83, I was looking for a WV Beetle when I happened upon it. The price was only $300. The only issue it had was the car would not return to idle due to a broken return spring. I drove it home by reaching down and pulling the throttle pedal back up with my foot. At times it was a bit scary on the short drive but, one hardware store spring later and I had a great little daily driver.
Oh! And by the way Scotty… I really like the imaged two door version in your thought bubble. That’s a version that they should have made and I think it would have sold well.
My family had a Dauphine, an R8, an R10, R12, and I had an R16 Gordini. All were very good cars. Shame that Renault is no longer in the American Market.
I’ve had a Dauphine, an R8, two R10’s, an R12 Wedge, and a 16TS. Loved every one of them!
Never got to drive an R10. Did drive a Dauphine down Turnagain Arm from Anchorage and back one very blustery day, and while the wind tried hard to blow the car around I had a lot of fun counter-steering while holding about 55 mph, my girlfriend riding along with her legs under her on the seat. Asked her if she was nervous, and she said, “Oh, I figure you know what you’re doing.”
Did drive an R8 once, too, in the snow and over some ice, and was very much impressed by how easy that was. I was used to VWs, and this was not only a calmer experience, the ride was a whole lot nicer too … and I’ve been told the 10 is better yet.
I drove a R-10 thru high school that had an interesting history. It had been converted to full electric by a team of students at Cornell. My father bought it and converted it back to gas. It very well may have started my interest in peculiar or uncommon cars, but it was a great car to cruise around in. The one wacky thing I remember the most was the fact that the turn signal lever worked the opposite of every other cars, down was right and up was left. Not sure if they were all that way but it kept you on your toes! The one listed here is tempting!
Have to say $4K is a good price for this, and had I not already two cars too many for the space I have I would be considering it seriously. If it were in Burbank instead of NW Illinois I’d be in big trouble!
One of my teachers in high school had an R10 that he brought in for us to overhaul. We went to push start it and the rear wheels just locked up the ice. (January in northern Illinois) So we just pushed it into the shop and proceeded to pull the head off. Once off I was amazed (since I had never seen a wet sleeve engine before) to see 4 pistons and sleeves surrounded by a block of ice! The engine would not turn over because the water pump had also frozen and the fan belt was locking up the crank. I had been designated as the Renault expert because I had previously had a 4CV and my fahter had 2 Dauphines.
Cool little car.
I had a new 1971 R10 and our family has two other used ones and 2 Caravelles also. All were great little cars.
Engine in rear! Call Ralph Nader! These cars flip upside down all on their own!! LOL
@duaney. You obviously have never owned one.
Had a nice biege automatic around 1968. Great dependable car, and very comfortable seats. The electronic part which controlled the shifting of the 3 spd. manual transmission failed but a Biloxi, Ms. shop got one quickly. I think the bill was around $100 total. It had pushbuttons on the left end of the dash for it. Would love to have another one but I have too many cars.
Many years ago, my parents bought a brand new ’69 Renault 10. I was just 16 at the time. We made a trip from Michigan to Arizona and back in it. I got to do much of the driving. The crosswinds between mountain peaks nearly pushed us out of our lane each time. Of course, it got great gas mileage and it was a fun car to drive. A couple of years later, they traded it in for a ’70 R10 in a beautiful emerald green color. And later yet, they moved on to a Renault 16, later a Renault 17. Got to drive both of those however briefly, but good times for sure. :)
In Australia my Parents bought an R10 back in 1968 – it was a great car – it had the square headlights – but something all you guys have missed …and its Crucial……..the seats were fabulous because >>>> they folded down into a camping bed<<<< happy days for me and my GF at the time……. Great Memories …..After the R10 we got an R16 – also a great car …..but not as much fun …..
My second car was a R10, I drove it for 2 years and had the best time with it.
I was able to drive it everywhere on my part times steakhouse dishwasher pay with it’s great fuel economy.
I also called it the car of 4’s
4 cylinder, 4 door, 4 speed, 4 wheel disk brakes, and weirdly 3 lug nuts.
Every time one comes up for sale I really think about getting another.
I have not seen one since I sold mine in 1981
I just remembered the trap door spare tire compartment in the nose
Have any of you owned a Renault 10?
Yes.
Also Dauphen, Simca 1000s, & a Fiat 124 sedan.
All were the “2nd or family car’ while dad had a company car given 2 him. He’d ‘keep milage’ on it if driving on a non comute (which wuz home to Boston). All were great. One even had (probably the last of) the semiphore turn signals. (2 parents & 2 offspring w/in 4 yrs of each other, opposite genders).
Is this car still for sale? I have been looking for a R10 for some time now. Please email me at bcote@hudsonmeridian.com if anyone knows of one for sale in the US.
Rubbish. They were raced all over South Africa and for a short time I owned Jody Scheckter’s R8 race car.
Traded my Chevelle ss396 in for one in 1970. Learned a teacher’s salary could not afford the Chevy’s gas mileage, even in 1970. I drove this for almost 7 years. Great mileage, fairly comfortable, easy fixes. I wish I had kept it. I had no problems with it. I did my own clutch, brakes and oil changes. Great fun car, handled well and got such great mileage. Loved it.