Renault 16 population of UK increases by 1

[mnde]

Here are the pictures my friend Chris sent me of his mission to France to repatriate a UK R16!

 

 

The story is that I spotted this car posted on the eBay Tat thread that was a RHD car being advertised for sale en France, and sent a message to Chris who's crazy about 16 TXs and has one already (and has had several 16s in the past). Then at some point he sent me a message saying he'd agreed to buy it and was going over to France to get it, and that it was all my fault! I did create him an account on here a while back because he'd had trouble joining, but he doesn't seem to log in... Anyway I asked him to take some pics of the trip back last weekend, and here they are:

 

 

Loaded on the trailer by the trusty John - they went over with his Xantia estate.

 

 

On the ferry.

 

 

About to be unloaded onto the drive. Gosh this driveway has housed some epic shite over the years.

 

 

In good company. His existing 16TX at the front, and behind that a 5 'Le Car'.

 

I must go over soon to be introduced to the new 16 and the 5 too

 

 

 

Mark.

[Shep Shepherd]

Très cool

 

I wonder how it ended up in France in the first place. Expat owners?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Nice work! He’s done well not to get a tug off VOSA with that rig, even though it looks (and no doubt is) perfectly safe. I understand the law now is that if you tow a trailer thats capable of taking more weight that your max towing weight, you’re up the creek, even if you put nothing, or something very light, on it. Mind boggling.

 

I remember this 16 off the eBay thread, do you know where he had to travel to, to collect it? Has it got a UK identity?

[dollywobbler]

Ah, nice work by Chris there! I knew he was planning the rescue - he sold his lovely Mk1 BX (with stunning beige interior) to make way for it.

[theorganist]

Great work and what an ace selection of cars on that driveway!!

[trigger]

Great shite saving mission!, Those TX's with the twin lights do look classy.

[Electric Leyland]

Living the dream!! You don't get better than a 16TX. The car matches the hosue in the first pic.

 

10/10.

[dieselnutjob]

and it's an automatic

[worldofceri]

I understand the law now is that if you tow a trailer thats capable of taking more weight that your max towing weight, you’re up the creek, even if you put nothing, or something very light, on it.

 

Shirley not! Are you sure you're not confusing with the license restrictions on newer car licenses which only take into account the max gross weight of the trailer?

 

Some twin axle trailers gross over 3 tons but you can surely pull them with a 3.5t Transit that has a train weight of 5.5t?

 

But, we digress. Excellent tat-recovering exploits. That driveway shot is excellent!

[boobydoo]

That is Save Of The Year! I'm suitably humbled.

 

I'm sure those body stripes were a dealer fit item from the 1970s Renault 'Boutique' range of accessories . You could have them on a 12 and a 16.

[nigel bickle]

I believe Sir Testes is correct- sadly. I dont believe they envisaged the law being used that way, but the current strict interpretation means that its a 4wd to tow anything bar a toy trailer, hereon.

[wuvvum]

Either that or buy an old and / or home made trailer which doesn't have a weight plate on it. Or tow with something that's so old that Plod have no clue what the permissible weight is. Anyone know the maximum towing weight of a 1974 Citroën DS23 pickup? 3,000kg I reckon - honest, Officer.

[peteh]

Fair play on Chris for bringing back a TX, id love one to keep my TL company, ive driven his other TX many moons ago and it is a lovely car without a shadow of a doubt. Chris if you ever want a babysitter for either of them you know my number

[DSdriver]

Gosh this driveway has housed some epic shite over the years.

I agree, here is a pic of when I visited

and on the road outside, our daily drivers

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Hey I've never noticed those funy little spoilers above the rear window before, how cool is that?

[michiel]

Great work! Those spoilers are nice, the 12 has a similar rear window/roof thingy I think.

[Lankytim]

Great work there. I have always liked those Reno 16's All this continental chod collecting has whet my appetite to do something similar. I'd love to just drive over with an A frame and 1k's worth of eurodollars and see what I can find.

 

AFAIK its true about the trailer weight thing. Its so VOSA/PLOD can pull you and decide you're breaking the law by just looking at the max weight on the plates rather than having to take you to a weighbridge to prove that the combination is overweight. I think that in the past some people have "gotten away with it" because they got pulled on a Sunday and the bridge was closed. Not any more, apparently!

 

As has been mentioned their ploy goes straight out the window if the trailer plates are missing or disfigured.

[Andrew353w]

Love those R16's-beautiful! There's a lovely red one in Barnet, it's an "S" reg. I think, that's obviously well cared for! Glad to see the yellow headlights, too!!!

[scooters]

bloody hell - his drive is a SMORGASBORD of XXX AUTOPORN - makes my willy very stiff indeed

[mnde]

Oh, I've got more pics like that, and he's got pics going back years of all the French/BL rammle he's had over the years parked in that drive. Could be a whole thread in itself!

 

Talk of a smaugasbord of autoporn, check this out Rich:

 

 

 

Mark.

[chaseracer]

/\/\

 

Oh God... Chevronics... GS... 16TX... Renner 6...

 

<..>

 

[Father Ted]

AFAIK its true about the trailer weight thing. Its so VOSA/PLOD can pull you and decide you're breaking the law by just looking at the max weight on the plates rather than having to take you to a weighbridge to prove that the combination is overweight. I think that in the past some people have "gotten away with it" because they got pulled on a Sunday and the bridge was closed. Not any more, apparently!

I can't honestly see how that can stand up in court.

Thats like saying "im going to arrest you for having some Sabattier Knives in your kitchen because you might stab someone"

 

I bet they dont pull caravaners over who have mahoosivly overladen their vans ,because they cant see the several hundred kilos of kids bikes, microwave and awning tent on the van floor. IMHO much more dangerous than a properly matched unit that has the potential to be over laden. VOSA = Cnuts.

 

Sorry, rant over.

 

Lovelly TX there.

[alf892]

Lovely old renner........my only memory of these is when a mate had one and it seemed to go like the clappers and had the most comfy seats ever. There used to be loads about too.....although that goes for everything I suppose. Soon I will be one of those old farts who sidles up to you and says ' I (my mate/my dad/my cat)used to have one of them.......wish I'd kept it'.

 

VOSA are usually OK as they know the rules (they wrote them!) though they can be a bit up themselves..........its the PLOD you have to watch out for as they don't understand the rules. Have had loads of calls from drivers of white lining trucks who has been held by plod for having no licence/mot/tacho/o licence/running on cherry when liners were exempt the whole lot.......

[Guest]

I have never seen a stripe on an R16 that i like, except maybe running up the center or off center of the hood, then over the top.

Great save!! My orange TX Automatique was among my favorites!

Best Regards,

Matt Cotton

Lake Mohawk, NJ

1969 Renault R16

1969 Simca 1118

1965 Simca 1000

[Partridge]

Wow, that’s nice. Good news indeed. She looks pretty solid to boot.

I have a question: will the Frog spec yellow lights have to be changed to UK ones? I hope not, as I like them as they are.

[dollywobbler]

Wow, that’s nice. Good news indeed. She looks pretty solid to boot.

I have a question: will the Frog spec yellow lights have to be changed to UK ones? I hope not, as I like them as they are.

 

Cor, thread resurrection! Yellow headlights are entirely legal in the UK.

[Charlie Croker]

Great effort there. I would love to do the same. I have been looking on Leboncoin and some of the stuff on there is amazing. I'm feeling lots of French love at the mo.

[Partridge]

Just call me Alan The Resurrector

Thanks for that. They remind me of the old school rally cars, those lights. Adds that Je ne sais pas.

[michiel]

Erm, wasn't it njsimca who resurrected this thread... credit etc.

 

I suspect this is the same man, he's got some wonderful R16 & Simca 1000 shots: http://www.flickr.com/photos/njsimca/

[pandarus]

A guy I work with used to own one of those. He swears it is the best car he ever owned.

 

I'm not mad for French cars but can certainly understand the attraction to the R16. Nice looker.