Renault 16 - The Motion Picture - Remake (p7)

[Joey spud]

Tax free in a couple of years too,double win in my book.

 

When i was a yts at a vx dealer in 1984 the mechanic i was seconded to got one these dirt cheap from the used sales dept  it was a part ex against a Nova saloon and too scuffy to go on the front..

It was a faded gold colour and had a 5 speed box and was way better than a bog standard one litre Nova any day.

 

He needed some bits for it so on our lunch break we went to ''mollys'' car breakers and i can still recall there was seven Ren16's piled up in there.

[Eric]

Very nice!!

Exact the same nice blue color we had new from 1977 till 1982....

[Eric]

And looking forward to the collection story!

[Skizzer]

Collection mission under way: on a tiny train that goes from Milford Haven to Manchester via lots of small places.

 

Have forgotten to bring any tools with me. Not even a roll of gaffer tape. Hope this doesn't turn out to be a serious mistake.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Collection mission under way: on a tiny train that goes from Milford Haven to Manchester via lots of small places.

 

Have forgotten to bring any tools with me. Not even a roll of gaffer tape. Hope this doesn't turn out to be a serious mistake.

 

You're collecting a 40-year-old Renault, WCPGW ?

[skattrd]

Good luck Skizzer!

 

Have you brought AA/RAC card?

Worst case there's always AS recovery (Pillock)

[Skizzer]

Compulsory train photo.

 

image by Skizzer, on Flickr

[Skizzer]

Good luck Skizzer!

 

Have you brought AA/RAC card?

Worst case there's always AS recovery (Pillock)

Thanks!

 

I'm fully Green Flagged up, in case Pillock is washing his hair.

[Skizzer]

Some assorted car bumpers and bits on a roof by Cardiff station. If you see anything you need, let me know and I'll try and shout over. But you'll have to be quick.

 

_2014_09_29_13:46:42 by Skizzer, on Flickr

[Skizzer]

Weird: somebody has left a log on the seat.

 

No, not like in that Solara story, an actual log, as in a bit of tree:

 

Train log by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Does this mean we're on a branch line?

[Pillock]

Thanks!

 

I'm fully Green Flagged up, in case Pillock is washing his hair.

Painting my nails, actually.

[Skizzer]

Car duly collected after chat, cup of tea, swappage of wodge of cash.

 

Drives beautifully. No nasty noises. Super comfy. Automaticness means sloooooow but v relaxing.

 

Photos when I'm in range of 3G - or possibly when I get home.

[Skizzer]

Right, made it.  I took the long and pretty way home, through Abergavenny and up to Brecon then over the beacons and down the Neath valley.

 

1976 Renault 16TL by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

1976 Renault 16TL by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

The car drives very well indeed.  Idles very smoothly, stays in the right part of the temperature gauge, still no clonks.  Seats are great: lots of back support and although the squab feels soft it didn't lead to any aches or pains after two and a half hours of driving.

 

It's not a fast car.  Acceleration is leisurely, though just about adequate for getting out of junctions and on to major roundabouts.  Comfortable cruising speed is about 55mph;  60 is ok;  70 is unpleasantly noisy.  A TS or TX with the crossflow head and another dozen or so horses would be a much better motorway proposition - but I don't really need to do motorways in this car, so I'm not bovvered.

 

The unassisted steering is very heavy at parking and manoeuvring speeds, fairly meaty on twisty back roads and beautifully weighted on fast sweeping curves.  It's very well connected to the front wheels though - much better than the Rover SD1 - and the car is very easy to place into corners.  Grip is also good, even on a damp road, and the brakes are excellent - firm but progressive and highly effective.

 

The ride is as good as the hype: cat's eyes, road patches and the ridges in concrete roads more or less vanish.  I expected a lot of body roll and a boat-like swaying motion, but actually it's a lot more stable that urban myth would have you believe about French cars d'un certain âge.

 

Another surprise is how well engineered it is.  The doors fit perfectly with no sagging hinges, and clunk solidly shut.  There are no trim rattles, either:  none.  Just a bit of a squeak from the top of the steering column.  The sun visor hinges are chunky metal things, nothing is warped or wobbly, and the switches all have a positive click to them (once you've figured out which combination of pull/twist/tweak/shove/yank the designer intended).

 

1976 Renault 16TL dashboard by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

The inside is in great nick, from carpets (beige) to seats (very beige) to headlining (likewise - it seems to be made of the same stuff as the tights armed robbers used to wear over their faces).  The door cards are made of yummy Caramac and the dashboard looks like an allotment shed, being a random collection of approximately joined together bits of something else, but that's how it came out of the factory.  The ergonomics are equally eccentric but everything appears to work. The stereo is a 1980s Panasonic: on a 16 it's mounted vertically near your ankles, so good luck tuning that on a twisty road.  Fortunately it's already on Radio 4 so I'll have something to shout at while I drive.

 

1976 Renault 16TL interior by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Outside, there are quite a few dings and scratches, which I'm not at all worried about, but the paint, good from 10 yards, has worn thin in various places and so a respray might be on the cards soon before surface rust sets in.  There's also evidence of filler and a paint brush around the front wings, which isn't surprising, but everywhere else appears solid. 

 

1976 Renault 16TL keys by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

There's a pretty good file of papers - owner's and workshop manuals, HBOL, old MOTs and recent receipts for a bunch of fettling.  The seller, a very nice gentleman, had done some research into its history and had been in touch with some of the previous four owners; the mileage, at 55,700, stands up.  Original dealer sticker is a great bonus:

 

1976 Renault 16TL Goscote Services by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

I like this car a lot.  I'll stick some better photos up later in the week.

 

 

 

Oh, by the way - no petrol station shot because it came with two thirds of a tank on board.  Told you he was a nice gentleman.  Also, it has tax until February because I bought it today instead of Wednesday.

[Cavcraft]

Brilliant stuff.

[Sudsprint]

Christ alive that thing is lovely!

[Pillock]

Goscote Services is ten minutes down the road from here, and still a Renault dealer!

[EssDeeWon]

Saw the train pics on Flikr earlier, just thought you enjoyed taking pics of train logs! LOL! Now I have caught up with the collection fred. The car looks great, I had a toy one of these in blue when I was a kid IIRC.

[junkyarddog]

What a gorgeous car,

Love it

[Skizzer]

 

Goscote Services is ten minutes down the road from here, and still a Renault dealer!

Excellent! Maybe one day I'll take it there for a service.

[Inspector Morose]

You are assembling my dream garage there. It's not fair. I want to be you.

[Skizzer]

You are assembling my dream garage there. It's not fair. I want to be you.

I'm not sure I'd recommend actually being me... Meanwhile, borrowage is always up for discussion as demonstrated with the Breadman a while back

 

Also, only two of the five cars in my sig are actually road legal.

[dollywobbler]

Wonderful. I had a drive of Ratdat's early 16 a few years back and was utterly won over. Exceedingly pleasant. It really is like Renault took a look at the DS and said 'we can do this better, with far less complication.' Sadly, in some ways, I think they copied hideous access to some parts, but that's the French for you.

[Pillock]

 

Excellent! Maybe one day I'll take it there for a service.

Even better, it's a proper dealer. None of your plate glass and sweeping roofed multi level showrooms here.... I bet this has had little more than a coat of paint since your car came out of it.

 

[skattrd]

That sounds like a bit of a result there Skizzer. It sounds like the car is better than you expected in a few ways.

[skattrd]

That sounds like a bit of a result there Skizzer. It sounds like the car is better than you expected in a few ways.

[cms206]

Hnnnnnng!

[Noel Tidybeard]

the dealer needs a fone call to ask for a replacement key ring as the original has worn out

[Fabergé Greggs]

Please get bored of it and sell it to me.

[Eric]

Great story!

Typical 76 model, this combination the blue exterior with beige interior,

[wuvvum]

I am so fucking jealous I can't even