Author: John-Joe Vollans
Photography: Renault
Unlike its smaller 4- or 5-badged siblings, spotting a Renault 16 in the wild today seems to be a very rare event. For me, sightings appear to be akin to visits from celestial bodies; about as sparse yet lacking the predictability of a Halley’s comet or Hale Bopp. Figures from the DVLA suggest that, as of Q2 2024, just 82 Renault 16s were ‘taxed’ on UK roads, with a further 18 on SORN. There are rarer classics out there for sure but, for some reason, the 16 never seems to emerge outside of a classified ad or car show display field. Perhaps it’s just that there aren’t any in my part of the country. Whatever the reason, I can’t recall seeing one on the road in recent years. All the more extraordinary when discovering that Renault made over 1.8-million of them between 1965 to 1980.
Due to its absence, I was a little shocked to rediscover that the 16 sold that well and represented a milestone for Renault and European family cars generally. The Renault 16’s full of innovation, design flourishes and neat engineering touches we’ve come to expect from fellow classic French makers like Citroën or Panhard, yet we rarely seem to associate with Renault, perhaps unfairly? I’m not alone in my 16 blindspot either, as the wider motoring public seems to have largely forgotten it as well, which is a shame, as the tale of its gestation and production are well worth revisiting, especially considering its rarity and the fact 2025 marks its diamond jubilee…
Penned by industrial stylist and aerodynamicist Gaston Juchet – and signed off by Renault CEO Pierre Dreyfus with the express intention that the 16 “do things differently” – this Renault was made specifically to stand out. Juchet had previewed some of his boxy body design upon joining the famous french firm back in 1958, but his work on a new Frégete, nicknamed project 114, ultimately didn’t come to fruition. Feeling he hadn’t pushed the envelope far enough, Dreyfus appointed Juchet and engineering lead Yves Georges to go back to the drawing board with project 115 (the 16) and come up with something far more radical. The new proposal was wild yet Dreyfus approved it and, in the space of just four years, the Renault 16 went from a failed design study to a production model that, in Dreyfus’ own words, would be “a car for families attracted by modern consumer society.” Whatever that means…
Modern and bold should certainly be considered 16 buzz words, the body design mixed the practicality and versatility of a light commercial vehicle with the space of a large family car. As such you could, with some justification, consider the 16 to not only be one of the first hatchbacks, but also an early crossover.
The small estate or shooting break isn’t an unusual design today, but in the mid-1960s, the Renault 16 was virtually unique. In a packaging touch that’s just as useful for small families and traders today – I can personally attest – the rear seating arrangement in this Renault allows for four different configurations via a sliding and tilting rear bench. The 16 could, with a few adjustments, convert from practically a people carrier to a van in mere moments. We take that kind of versatility and clever ergonomics as a matter of course today, yet it was something customers 60 years ago certainly weren’t used to.
It wasn’t just the packaging and styling that impressed buyers either, with the 16’s mechanical layout also deemed highly praiseworthy. Still deemed unconventional at the time was the 16’s front-wheel drive, but even more so was the transmission in front of its longitudinally-mounted motor. That unusual configuration, plus the pressure-die cast aluminium cylinder head and gearbox gave this unusual family machine excellent weight distribution and therefore great handling characteristics; it was effectively a mid-front engine layout after all. Not that it did your local mechanic any favours when it came time to carry out servicing or repairs! Incidentally, it was such a pain to work on that the layout was ditched after the Renault 16.
All this innovation, practicality and engineering cleverness didn’t go unnoticed by the judging panel of the Car of the Year award. The 16 managed to beat off stiff competition – most notably from the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow – to take the honour for 1966; incidentally, the first French car to win the prestigious accolade.
With sales booming and peoples’ cars either in production or on the drawing board, Renault decided to keep pushing the 16 further upmarket as its production run matured. By 1973, the TX arguably represented the model’s apogee. This sporty 93bhp 16, built on the great foundations laid by the TS of 1968. Not only did the TX manage to reach 109mph but it also featured luxury and modern appointments such as central locking, inertia reel seatbelts and powered front windows, as well as improved passive safety and driveability. With an automatic transmission available from 1972 across the range and a purpose-built factory in Sandouville, Normandy – ideally placed to export 16s to the rest of the world – this mid-sized Renault saw its firm expand into international territories where it would remain to this day.
The Renault 16 wasn’t only a quantum leap forward in family motoring, it was also a pivotal model for its maker, all of which makes its relative rarity – at least in the UK – something of a travesty. So, if you happen to spot a 16 in the wild, recognise it as the motoring milestone that it is, and If you own one or have fond memories of these interesting and important Renaults, why not tell us about it in the comments.
Do you own one of the last Renault 16s on the road? Maybe you have fond memories of driving one back in the day… We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Read More on Renault
Future Classic: Renault Sport Clio
The Full English: Renault 5
Unexceptional Classified: Renault Megane RN Paris
