The R16 was an amazing car. You could fold down the seats and sleep in it. People remember the Austin Maxi for that party trick but may not know that BMC actually bought a R16 to find out how it was done - the Renault got there first. It was in fact a superior car in every way, refinement and ride for example were in a different league. I had a friend at uni back in the early 80s who had a metallic blue example which really impressed. A hugely underrated car and looking at this amazing white example I had no idea how well spec'd the TX was. Way ahead of its time.
BMC bought a 16 to find out how to fold seats?? The seats of the 16 could be arranged in various ways. One variation was with the backrests of the front seats fully reclined so that they met the cushions of the rear seats but the backrests of the rear seat remained upright, so a short 'bed'. Another variation had the backrests of the front seats partially reclined then forming an incline with the cushions and backrests of the rear seat suspended to form an inclined 'bed' (quite ingenious). And there were various other combinations and positions to facilitate luggage and loads. But the seats of the Maxi could be arranged so that all of the cushions and backrests were horizontal thus forming a full-length 'bed' (plus luggage positions).
My dad had two 16's, a TS in silver and a blue TX both autos before trading up to two Renault 30's, a Red TS and a silver TX. All were great cars and so comfortable. My first girlfriend loved the 16TX, many good trips out. The memories!!
Brought back good memories, purchased one in 1983,a TX,it was a 1979,T reg model,metallic grey,beautiful bodywork,5 speed column change,first car that I done 100mph in,had problems with the central locking,if I remember there was a safety feature that if you were in a collision a ball bearing rolled off and opened the doors,only problem if you went over a bump it would set off the ball bearing and it was a pain to reset,took it for its 2nd MOT the testing guy told me that the rear box section was badly corroded,he told me it was a common fault with the R16s,so I got it repaired for the MOT,then sold it for half what I had paid for it,
The R16 was a very good car, very reliable, extremely comfortable, and a great performer compared with its direct rivals. Congratulations on this fine model ! 🙂
We had 2 16s back in the day, a TL followed by a TS great cars and extremely comfy compared to any of the competition at the time. Column change gave plenty of space in the front , being a proper hatch back extremely practical. Biggest problem I recall is a starter motor replacement absolute nightmare. It looks to me that this 16 has had the cills repainted, I could see paint drips under the driver's door.
Lovely. We had a TX in 1978 -great car, very versatile, comfortable and fairly quick, with a twin-choke carb I believe. I think they were 5-speed too, not 4. Electric windows and deep velour seats (though this leather looks nicer) seemed the height of luxury.
Very very popular in its native country until the early 90's, made in Normandy (Sandouville Plant closed to Le Havre - 76 Seine-Maritime) from 1965 to 1980, the last car of the Renault Range to be fitted with a speed column change, 15 years of production and also the real first "hatchback" sedan compared to other french cars at that time (Citroën, Peugeot or even Simca), the "TX" unveiled in 1974 in my memories was the only one to have a 5-speed gearbox, I wonder how many left on the road here in France, however, I saw one of these 2 years ago closed to Paris, great shape, 1980 model year, metallic green colour with sunroof ! Last year of production, never restored, its owner was very proud ^^.
I always wanted one, but alas it never happened. My only trip in one was when my boss drove me home in his Renault 16, I had to leave my car at work as I was in so much stomach area pain. Turned out to be appendix trouble. I do remember thinking what a comfortable ride the 16 was. This was in 1976.
I had a R 16 TL 40 years ago, bought it for 2000,- DM, ich was a reliable car. On my advice my friend bought a second hand R 16 TX, they were cheap at the time but the double Weber Carburetor was a nightmare and it cost him a lot of money tot get this thing fixed regularly, otherwise he was happy if there hadn't been this problem. Good old times when the French, i.e. Peugeot & Renault were competing against the German manufactures in the upper middle class. They were popular at the tine and many Germans drove them - it was part of the adaption of the 'Savior Vivre' French lifestyle. Unfortunately we've lost that as a nation...........
Absolutely my favorite car of all time. I had many until they stopped importing them to the USA in 72’ I once transported a full sized refrigerator in the back….no problem. And used it for camping. The only problems were a terrible automatic transmission, torsion bar bushings would rot out and cause a terrible squeaking noise, and the ac compressor, after market, broke the camshaft pulley.
It was at least as clever as the Citroën DS, FWD, the first hatchback in its class, no grease points an enclosed cooling system and an electrical driven cooling fan and an altenator. It had integrated door handles and no rain gutters This was the car that changed the world, many manufacturers followed the hatchback concept ever since. And the introduction of this TX model, meant a renaissance for the model, tinted windows, a 5 speed gearbox, central locking and electric front windows. I never understand why its main rivals the DS and the 404 Peugeot are appreciated classic cars and you hardly see an R16 Its DNA is in almost every modern car!
The Renault 16 is the first automobile in the world to be equipped with backlit dashboard buttons. This important innovation for the safety of drivers at night was generated by one of the daughters of Christian Beullac, at the time General Director of the Régie Nationale des Usines Renault, who drove her father's Renault 16 at night in very rainy weather. , upon returning from a weekend spent at his parents' country estate. The next day, Christian Beullac asked the Renault design office about the feasibility of this innovation. The Renault was the first car to be equipped with it.
When would that have been ? I know I was very impressed with the Rover P6 and its lit controls on the dashboard. It was like driving in a spaceship. My father's cars at the time were Rootes Arrows, which presumably didn't have such things, but even our R16TL didn't impress me much, so I don't know if it would have had them then. Even so, it was much more luxurious than poor old Hillman Minx. I went out and bought 2 rovers.
Had a 16TS, it was one of the most reliable and hard working cars. Used it for Cash & Carry for the hotel. However, the Renault dealer f***ed it up at every service. British mechanics are hopeless with French cars.
Bellissima macchina all'avanguardia confort tenuta di strada e motore brillante quante battaglie ci ho fatto la mia era rossa stupenda introvabile in Italia ❤
I had a '74 16TL, baby poo yellow with same coloured interior. I think Renault called it mustard. Not exactly the prettiest car around, but I loved it anyway. Fantastic car, very comfortable ride & seats. It did lean & understeer a fair bit when cornering enthusiastically, but roadholding was good. The R16 had some innovative features; it was one of the first hatchbacks with a multi-positionable rear seat (I think the E-type was the first hatchback, although Jaguar didn't market it as such. Not even Renault marketed the R16 as a hatchback as the word was not in use at that time). It had long travel, but well damped torsion bar suspension all round (which was also adjustable, but only from underneath; very fiddly) making for a great bump & pothole absorbing ride. The engine was placed longitudinally behind the transmission, Citroen DS style which helped reduce understeer & improved the front-to-rear weight distribution (which incidentally left plenty of space for the spare wheel, freeing up space in the boot). It had built-in roll bars in the roof from the A-pillar at the windscreen to the C-pillar at the rear which gave it an unusual roof profile giving added protection in the event of a rollover. It had a lockable bonnet. For 16s with central locking, there was an inertial deceleration switch which automatically unlocked the doors in the event of a crash. Because it had transverse torsion bar suspension with trailing arms in the rear, it was the only car to have the wheelbase longer on one side than the other by about 7cm. Not exactly an innovation, but more like an unusual quirk. Unfortunately, like so many cars of the '60s & '70s, it rusted badly (or very well, depending on your point of view). Interestingly, Lotus used the R16 engine & transmission combination in their mid-engined Europa. Renault's motorsport arm, Alpine also used the R16TS engine & transmission in their world-beating rear engined A110 rally car. With its hemispherical combustion chambers, special tune & twin Weber DCOE sidedraft carburetors, it produced about 135hp in a lightweight fibreglass bodied car.
My memory's a little vague now but I think the front torsion bars could be adjusted inside the car - I remember two bolt heads under the front seats on a crossmember.
@@joehemmens8127 1647cc on the TX, 1565cc on the TL and the TS but the TS was a crossflow engine and way more powerful than the TL. Early 16s were 1470cc.
The R16 was an amazing car. You could fold down the seats and sleep in it. People remember the Austin Maxi for that party trick but may not know that BMC actually bought a R16 to find out how it was done - the Renault got there first. It was in fact a superior car in every way, refinement and ride for example were in a different league. I had a friend at uni back in the early 80s who had a metallic blue example which really impressed. A hugely underrated car and looking at this amazing white example I had no idea how well spec'd the TX was. Way ahead of its time.
BMC bought a 16 to find out how to fold seats?? The seats of the 16 could be arranged in various ways. One variation was with the backrests of the front seats fully reclined so that they met the cushions of the rear seats but the backrests of the rear seat remained upright, so a short 'bed'. Another variation had the backrests of the front seats partially reclined then forming an incline with the cushions and backrests of the rear seat suspended to form an inclined 'bed' (quite ingenious). And there were various other combinations and positions to facilitate luggage and loads. But the seats of the Maxi could be arranged so that all of the cushions and backrests were horizontal thus forming a full-length 'bed' (plus luggage positions).
My dad had two 16's, a TS in silver and a blue TX both autos before trading up to two Renault 30's, a Red TS and a silver TX. All were great cars and so comfortable. My first girlfriend loved the 16TX, many good trips out. The memories!!
Brought back good memories, purchased one in 1983,a TX,it was a 1979,T reg model,metallic grey,beautiful bodywork,5 speed column change,first car that I done 100mph in,had problems with the central locking,if I remember there was a safety feature that if you were in a collision a ball bearing rolled off and opened the doors,only problem if you went over a bump it would set off the ball bearing and it was a pain to reset,took it for its 2nd MOT the testing guy told me that the rear box section was badly corroded,he told me it was a common fault with the R16s,so I got it repaired for the MOT,then sold it for half what I had paid for it,
The R16 was a very good car, very reliable, extremely comfortable, and a great performer compared with its direct rivals.
Congratulations on this fine model ! 🙂
We had 2 16s back in the day, a TL followed by a TS great cars and extremely comfy compared to any of the competition at the time. Column change gave plenty of space in the front , being a proper hatch back extremely practical. Biggest problem I recall is a starter motor replacement absolute nightmare. It looks to me that this 16 has had the cills repainted, I could see paint drips under the driver's door.
Lovely. We had a TX in 1978 -great car, very versatile, comfortable and fairly quick, with a twin-choke carb I believe. I think they were 5-speed too, not 4. Electric windows and deep velour seats (though this leather looks nicer) seemed the height of luxury.
My Dad had a beautiful green one back in the day. Loved that car.
Very very popular in its native country until the early 90's, made in Normandy (Sandouville Plant closed to Le Havre - 76 Seine-Maritime) from 1965 to 1980, the last car of the Renault Range to be fitted with a speed column change, 15 years of production and also the real first "hatchback" sedan compared to other french cars at that time (Citroën, Peugeot or even Simca), the "TX" unveiled in 1974 in my memories was the only one to have a 5-speed gearbox, I wonder how many left on the road here in France, however, I saw one of these 2 years ago closed to Paris, great shape, 1980 model year, metallic green colour with sunroof ! Last year of production, never restored, its owner was very proud ^^.
I always wanted one, but alas it never happened. My only trip in one was when my boss drove me home in his Renault 16, I had to leave my car at work as I was in so much stomach area pain. Turned out to be appendix trouble.
I do remember thinking what a comfortable ride the 16 was. This was in 1976.
I remember that car way back in 1976! Beautiful car that is!❤
I had a R 16 TL 40 years ago, bought it for 2000,- DM, ich was a reliable car. On my advice my friend bought a second hand R 16 TX, they were cheap at the time but the double Weber Carburetor was a nightmare and it cost him a lot of money tot get this thing fixed regularly, otherwise he was happy if there hadn't been this problem. Good old times when the French, i.e. Peugeot & Renault were competing against the German manufactures in the upper middle class. They were popular at the tine and many Germans drove them - it was part of the adaption of the 'Savior Vivre' French lifestyle. Unfortunately we've lost that as a nation...........
Absolutely my favorite car of all time. I had many until they stopped importing them to the USA in 72’ I once transported a full sized refrigerator in the back….no problem. And used it for camping. The only problems were a terrible automatic transmission, torsion bar bushings would rot out and cause a terrible squeaking noise, and the ac compressor, after market, broke the camshaft pulley.
So rare now... I remember the Renault 6 looked like a smaller 16.
Beautiful. Excellent condition ! I used to have one here in Cyprus !
My friend here in Cyprus still owns a rare 1973 R16TS automatic, they are lovely smooth comfortable cars.😎
It was at least as clever as the Citroën DS, FWD, the first hatchback in its class, no grease points an enclosed cooling system and an electrical driven cooling fan and an altenator. It had integrated door handles and no rain gutters
This was the car that changed the world, many manufacturers followed the hatchback concept ever since.
And the introduction of this TX model, meant a renaissance for the model, tinted windows, a 5 speed gearbox, central locking and electric front windows. I never understand why its main rivals the DS and the 404 Peugeot are appreciated classic cars and you hardly see an R16
Its DNA is in almost every modern car!
Lovely. 5-speed and steel wheels.
The Renault 16 is the first automobile in the world to be equipped with backlit dashboard buttons. This important innovation for the safety of drivers at night was generated by one of the daughters of Christian Beullac, at the time General Director of the Régie Nationale des Usines Renault, who drove her father's Renault 16 at night in very rainy weather. , upon returning from a weekend spent at his parents' country estate. The next day, Christian Beullac asked the Renault design office about the feasibility of this innovation. The Renault was the first car to be equipped with it.
When would that have been ? I know I was very impressed with the Rover P6 and its lit controls on the dashboard. It was like driving in a spaceship. My father's cars at the time were Rootes Arrows, which presumably didn't have such things, but even our R16TL didn't impress me much, so I don't know if it would have had them then. Even so, it was much more luxurious than poor old Hillman Minx. I went out and bought 2 rovers.
What kind of backlighting? Light around the switch or light visible through the markings on the switch? And how did it work? Perhaps fibre-optic?
What a fantastic car. I had a green metallic TX with electric sunroof. I want one !!!
We had a 16 L in 1974, I was always frustrated that so many options (buttons) were not available on our model...
A 16 was my first car - I've never driven another column change that was as slick. It was a great car until I wrote it off!
Also my first car - a wonderful thing, I think my father preferred it to his Mk. IV Zodiac.
Had a 16TS, it was one of the most reliable and hard working cars. Used it for Cash & Carry for the hotel. However, the Renault dealer f***ed it up at every service. British mechanics are hopeless with French cars.
Bellissima macchina all'avanguardia confort tenuta di strada e motore brillante quante battaglie ci ho fatto la mia era rossa stupenda introvabile in Italia ❤
Adoro este modelo porque fue mi primer carro..
Beautifull car ,roadtested one in 78 ,coastal car 120k the rust holes were huge and they wanted all the money walked away.
I had a '74 16TL, baby poo yellow with same coloured interior. I think Renault called it mustard. Not exactly the prettiest car around, but I loved it anyway. Fantastic car, very comfortable ride & seats. It did lean & understeer a fair bit when cornering enthusiastically, but roadholding was good. The R16 had some innovative features; it was one of the first hatchbacks with a multi-positionable rear seat (I think the E-type was the first hatchback, although Jaguar didn't market it as such. Not even Renault marketed the R16 as a hatchback as the word was not in use at that time). It had long travel, but well damped torsion bar suspension all round (which was also adjustable, but only from underneath; very fiddly) making for a great bump & pothole absorbing ride. The engine was placed longitudinally behind the transmission, Citroen DS style which helped reduce understeer & improved the front-to-rear weight distribution (which incidentally left plenty of space for the spare wheel, freeing up space in the boot). It had built-in roll bars in the roof from the A-pillar at the windscreen to the C-pillar at the rear which gave it an unusual roof profile giving added protection in the event of a rollover. It had a lockable bonnet. For 16s with central locking, there was an inertial deceleration switch which automatically unlocked the doors in the event of a crash. Because it had transverse torsion bar suspension with trailing arms in the rear, it was the only car to have the wheelbase longer on one side than the other by about 7cm. Not exactly an innovation, but more like an unusual quirk.
Unfortunately, like so many cars of the '60s & '70s, it rusted badly (or very well, depending on your point of view). Interestingly, Lotus used the R16 engine & transmission combination in their mid-engined Europa. Renault's motorsport arm, Alpine also used the R16TS engine & transmission in their world-beating rear engined A110 rally car. With its hemispherical combustion chambers, special tune & twin Weber DCOE sidedraft carburetors, it produced about 135hp in a lightweight fibreglass bodied car.
My memory's a little vague now but I think the front torsion bars could be adjusted inside the car - I remember two bolt heads under the front seats on a crossmember.
@@HowardLeVert You are right - just checked the Haynes manual and the front torsion bar adjustment is under the front seats.
huge great big thick comfy seats
Such a good practical design with French flair. The French Maxi, but more interesting.
Thank you. Great auto
What a car
I think the engine is 1640cc. Had a 16TS. Best car I have owned.
I think the 16TX had a 1640 engine, my father's TS was definitely 1565
@@joehemmens8127 1647cc on the TX, 1565cc on the TL and the TS but the TS was a crossflow engine and way more powerful than the TL. Early 16s were 1470cc.
Nice!!
That's a pretty thing.
How much, cash sale??
I think you will find it is 5-speed and has a/c?
You are correct!
I think that was the TX, my father's TS was 4 speed. No a\c
ຄວາມຝັນຂອງຄົນຢາກໄດ້
180,000 miles when I had it... whats happened...if you want a polishes nail step this way..
الان السيارات الفرنسية صارت كالكارتون و خاصة ماركة بيجوا.
Left hand drive ……
No offence but your point being?
@@Grahame59 ….. UK registered car but LHD.
@@DMJ52 Yes, unusual for sure. Kind of suits it though, being French,
@@Grahame59that’s the French for you
And the Speedo is in miles. Were these sold new in the US as late as ‘76?
sorruy,,,,LH drive, not interested
best excuse I've heard in a long time - " I was off that day at school" 🙂