INTRODUCTION
Renault 16 Club Tilburg.

SPARE PARTS
Renault 16 in pieces.

REPAIR MANUALS

TESTS & TEC-SPEC'S
The facts.

HISTORY
Development and changes.

COLLECTORS' ITEMS

PICTURES

GALLERY

CONTEMPORARY RENAULTS
These were successful too

FORUM
Any questions?


LINKS
For relevant and updated info.


CONTACT

BUY PARTS
Mail Geert



 

 


History of the evolutionary Renault 16

In the early sixties Renault just had the smaller family sedans: Dauphine, Dauphine Gordini,
Floride, Floride S, Caravelle, Renault 8, Renault 8 Major. Renault lacked a real top car sine the production of the Fregate had seized in 1960.
After a few press photographs were released in autumn 1964 it was in March 1965 that the new Renault 16 (or Renault 1500, at first) was presented to the public. Both on styling and technique the new car was remarkable.
Philippe Charbonneaux is the designer of the car, a successful compromise between a very luxury family saloon and a middle size estate car. The design of four doors and an extra fifth door was the first of its kind in the middle class range. Apart from that the interior could be changed in seven ways.
CIE constructor Yves George applied a combination of remarkable techniques: torsion bars, independent wheel mounting, aluminium engine with cylinder liners, closed cooling system with automatic cooling fan.
All these technical innovation and progressive design combined in one car delivered to the Renault 16 the award ’Car of the Year 1965’.
Until the  ‘Salon de Geneve’ there were three versions: L, GL and GLS. All three had the 1470cc engine which delivered 55hp. In March 1968 marketed a sporting R16 with much more power and a totally new dashboard: the Renault 16 TS. The engine has a capacity of 1565 cc and delivers 83 hp. March 1969 Renault presented the first Renault with computer regulated automatic transmission: Renault 16 TA with the 1565 cc engine, now delivering 67 hp.

September 1970 appears the only distinctive change in the looks of the car: the typical shaped rear lights are being replaced by more ordinary rectangular types and the chrome striping on the fifth door is being replaced by an enlarged and black one. The versions GL and GLS no longer exist, hence they are now baptised L and TL and fitted with the engine same as in the TA.
The final ‘top of the bill’ car is being launched in September 1973: Renault 16 TX. The car has a 1647 cc engine that offers 93 hp, five gears, electric windows in front, central door locking, roof spoiler, rearwindscreenwiper and –washer, four square headlights, Gordini wheels and had as options: automatic gear change, tinted windows, air co, leather interior, slide roof, Dunlop wheels, metallic spray. 

After a decade of success Renault decided to diminish the variety of R16 versions little by little. The L and TS were no longer produced in 1977. The TL version (with 55 hp) had 1978 as its last year of production. End of 1979 the production of the TL (with 66 hp), TL automatic, TX and TX automatic had come to an end. A remarkable, evolutionary and up till now multi-copied vehicle had been spread throughout the world more than a 1,8 million times (and how little are left now a days).

Read on: 'All models from 1965 up to 1971'