History of the Renault 20 in Britain

[Guest Renault20tx]

Hi all.

 

My father owned a Renault 20 between 1992 - 1996. I remember that even when he bought it, it was extremely rare to see another R20 on the roads - maybe once a year at most. 

 

By all accounts, whilst never a huge seller on these shores, there were a fair few around when they were current. My father's example was absolutely spotless despite living on a seafront all of it's life. Only a jammed automatic transmission finally killed it at 14 years old. I therefore struggle to understand why they were all but extinct even by the early 1990s, when the newest models were still less than 10 years old. 

 

Anybody shed any light on this for me please?

[Junkman]

My father bought a new 20 TS in 1980. Despite it wasn't treated worse than any other car we had before, it failed the TÃœV at age three, due to structural rot. Basically it was less ingenious, needed more petrol, and was not as comfy as the rake of 16s we had before, thus was seen by my parents as a step down. It certainly scores high on the shite-O-meter, though.

[warren t claim]

My last journey in the UK before heading to Canada in my teenage years was in a Renault 20.

[Guest Renault20tx]

My father bought a new 20 TS in 1980. Despite it wasn't treated worse than any other car we had before, it failed the TÃœV at age three, due to structural rot. Basically it was less ingenious, needed more petrol, and was not as comfy as the rake of 16s we had before, thus was seen by my parents as a step down. It certainly scores high on the shite-O-meter, though.

Thanks, that is an interesting comment. Certainly the 20 was rather plain-jane compared to the preceeding 16 or the successor 25. 

But scores of people including my father describe it as the most comfortable car they ever drove bar none - and he also owned a 16 before I was born. 

 

Anyone else care to agree / disagree on this point?

[Dick Cheeseburger]

My Uncle Bish had a 20 back in the mid 1980s, so I guess it would have been nearly new at the time. I remember him parking it outside of my parents place when visiting, and my brother and I having a good poke around it. It was a handsome looking machine - solid looking, imposing, clean lines and generally a very good looking car. I always liked the look of them from then on. To my eye, it looked infinitely more impressive than my dad's mk3 Escort. I spotted one on eBay around 18 months back - it had just come out of long-term storage, looked ridiculously solid, and was up for around 2.5k iirc. Seemed a barg for something which is now such a rare car.

I reckoned the 20 paved the way for my admiration of the 25 - another decent looking Renault rep-mobile.

[barefoot]

The woman across the road, her father used to have a top whatsit R30 big engined auto.

It looked very nice, but he pulled out in front of a lorry and was killed in it.

His front seat passenger survived.

[Guest Renault20tx]

The woman across the road, her father used to have a top whatsit R30 big engined auto.

It looked very nice, but he pulled out in front of a lorry and was killed in it.

His front seat passenger survived.

Yep, that explains the demise of one example of the breed. 

[Fat_Pirate]

I saw one run over a cat in 1979.  The driver had no chance to avoid it, but still, for me the R20 remains the cat killing car.

 

I worked at a Renault dealer in 1987 and they were pretty much extinct even then.

[Guest Renault20tx]

I saw one run over a cat in 1979.  The driver had no chance to avoid it, but still, for me the R20 remains the cat killing car.

 

I worked at a Renault dealer in 1987 and they were pretty much extinct even then.

Interesting, a lot/majority of them really do seem to have had a 6-7 year life span. A crying shame, it was 10x the car a Rover SD1 ever was IMO

[carlo]

Hi all.

 

My father owned a Renault 20 between 1992 - 1996. I remember that even when he bought it, it was extremely rare to see another R20 on the roads - maybe once a year at most. 

 

By all accounts, whilst never a huge seller on these shores, there were a fair few around when they were current. My father's example was absolutely spotless despite living on a seafront all of it's life. Only a jammed automatic transmission finally killed it at 14 years old. I therefore struggle to understand why they were all but extinct even by the early 1990s, when the newest models were still less than 10 years old. 

 

Anybody shed any light on this for me please?

 

I don't think there's any particular mystery about it.  Large French executive car, not hugely popular and not many sold. Fairly expensive to buy, in depreciation and to keep on the road.  Hence die out pretty soon.

 

Ergo Peugeot 604, 605, 607, Safrane, Vel Satis, Citroen C6 etc etc.  I would guess the most popular big French car of recent times was the Renault 25, and they still seem to pop up even now.

[mercrocker]

The UK brochure shots for the 20TS were taken at the beach near where I grew up.   Parking Renaults in salt water is a long standing tradition in the area - imported Dauphines were infamously stored brake-drum deep in sea mud at Southampton docks in the Sixties.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SO45 1AD if you want to recreate it, although you wont be able to get a car there easily now....

 

 

Sorry that's all the 20 information I can add!

[Guest Renault20tx]

Thanks Mercrocker, all information/annecdotes about the 20, even if seemingly mundane is of interest to me!

[panhard65]

If you think back to the late 70's early 80' most new car buyers were still buying British particuarly fleet buyers. The 20 was in competion with the Granada etc so a limited market anyway. I don't think they died out any quicker than other makes of the same vintage it is just a case of there were far less of them around. Renault did do well in some areas due to the dealer network. They also had service points in little village garages which used to really help with brand loyalty, but most of their sales were small second cars for the wife and very rarely would they sell an executive car. I shouldn't think I have driven a 20 in over 25 years now, they were the last of the proper soft squishy Renaults with really good seats. I personally wouldn't have another (even though I very nearly bought a diesel one about 6 months ago) I found that going back to a car that you thought was the best car of ever back in the 80's turns out to be a real disappointment.

[Guest Renault20tx]

If you think back to the late 70's early 80' most new car buyers were still buying British particuarly fleet buyers. The 20 was in competion with the Granada etc so a limited market anyway. I don't think they died out any quicker than other makes of the same vintage it is just a case of there were far less of them around. Renault did do well in some areas due to the dealer network. They also had service points in little village garages which used to really help with brand loyalty, but most of their sales were small second cars for the wife and very rarely would they sell an executive car. I shouldn't think I have driven a 20 in over 25 years now, they were the last of the proper soft squishy Renaults with really good seats. I personally wouldn't have another (even though I very nearly bought a diesel one about 6 months ago) I found that going back to a car that you thought was the best car of ever back in the 80's turns out to be a real disappointment.

Sounds interesting - I've not heard of any diesel examples still on UK roads. Was it a RHD, roadworthy example? Still got any details of it/ know if its still for sale please?

[Station]

David Kelly/Legacy had a few in his yard in Wrexham, North Wales until early this year when he closed.

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/47966/scrapyard-fun-frolics-potentail-fail?page=1

[trigger]

I don't remember much of them other than someone in my village around 1991ish had one but upgraded to a Jag Sovereign instead.

 

There's been a one turn up for sale recently on the Renault owners facebook page, I believe that's currently being put back on the road again, I'll see if i can find some photos.

[Guest Renault20tx]

David Kelly/Legacy had a few in his yard in Wrexham, North Wales until early this year when he closed.

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/47966/scrapyard-fun-frolics-potentail-fail?page=1

Interestingly, I phoned him the other week and by what he said, still very much open! Said he hadn't seen a 20 come in for many a long year though

[trigger]

My mistake, It was a 30.

 

 

Hang on, I thought there was one. I think this ended up on ebay.

 

[Lacquer Peel]

Sounds interesting - I've not heard of any diesel examples still on UK roads. Was it a RHD, roadworthy example? Still got any details of it/ know if its still for sale please?

 

I have a UK-published book called "The Best Cars" that features a 20 Diesel, will dig it out for a scan.

[Guest Renault20tx]

I did consider that 30 when it came up - a diesel would be more economic, and it is a very early 1975 build too. 

 

I just find that the square headlights in the 20 make it a much more handsome machine

[Lord Sterling]

You've probably seen this already but here is one Vin had in 1992.

 

http://autoshite.com/topic/20199-my-summer-with-a-renault-20/

[dollywobbler]

Even as a lover of French tin, I can't say these have ever appealed in the slightest. They're just not very interesting are they? 16s I adore, and I have a soft spot for the neatly-styled 25 but the 20/30 really have never fired up my imagination. I can still recall seeing a Renault 16TX parked outside the Birmingham Childrens Hospital when I went through a phase of regular visits there as a child. I have no childhood memories of the 20 or 30 at all.

[Eric]

We had a brandnew one in Britain in 1980...in the village where we lived the there were about three others..but all gone in 1987..

 

It had a typical green/gold color...and the phase1 dasch..

 

I imported one from France in the same color in 2008, and the guys the import-registration office had difficulties with what color to put on the paperwork...i had the original brochure with the color specs telling it was green...they made it yellow on the papers wich gave trouble at the MOT the next year..

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Interesting, a lot/majority of them really do seem to have had a 6-7 year life span. A crying shame, it was 10x the car a Rover SD1 ever was IMO

Now, I'm an easy going sort of chap . I've owned a 5, 15 GTL, 16TL, 17 Gordini, 21 Savanna, Espaces of all Generations. I've driven many miles in 25s ,Safrannes and even Lagunas. FFS I even once drove a 2.2 TX Renault 20 when it was only a year or so old.

BUT

Have you been at the Pastis?

10 x the car the SD1 was ?

Oh yeah I can see it now.

[cort1977]

A mate of my dad's who was a proud exponent of bangernomics had one in about 1995.   I got in it once on a sunny day and he opened the sunroof and drenched himself due to blocked drains.  

 

I quite liked it but nowhere near as desirable as a CX for me, comfortable yes but not fantastically futuristic and eccentric like the big Citroens.

[quicksilver]

A long-buried memory has just surfaced. Back in my childhood when I used to go horse riding, a chap who worked at the stables had a Renault 20, which I think was either black or dark blue. This would probably have been the early 90s and even then it was an unusual old banger. I haven't knowingly seen a 20 since but there's a mega-mileage gold 30 (A295TBP) that's well known on the show scene.

 

1983 Renault 30 TX by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

[panhard65]

Sounds interesting - I've not heard of any diesel examples still on UK roads. Was it a RHD, roadworthy example? Still got any details of it/ know if its still for sale please?

It was in Rouen so a left hand drive, by the description it was a nice example and was up for about 1200 euro

[Guest Renault20tx]

Now, I'm an easy going sort of chap . I've owned a 5, 15 GTL, 16TL, 17 Gordini, 21 Savanna, Espaces of all Generations. I've driven many miles in 25s ,Safrannes and even Lagunas. FFS I even once drove a 2.2 TX Renault 20 when it was only a year or so old.

BUT

Have you been at the Pastis?

10 x the car the SD1 was ?image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

Oh yeah I can see it now.

Well it is kind of ironic that you have used the one picture that would defeat your argument - A R20 winning the Paris Dakar rally! hahaha better luck next time sir 

[Skut]

My dad had either a 79 or 80 Renault 20 TX in the late 80s to early 90s.    JDU 9V if I recall in metallic blue.    One of the few cars my dad ever really liked and bonded with.  He used to rave about how comfortable it was. He also used to rave about the power as well but that was after an A-series Marina and a knackered b-series engine Princess may have been down to perspective.    

 

I remember him doing 100 in it so the first car I experienced 100 in.   It was rotten as a pear.   I remember the front wings where they meet the valance had huge holes in them that he stuffed full of newspaper zinc gauze and undersealed over.   Kwality 

 

The interior was a sea of blue plastic that had been heavily savaged by a previous owners dog and the power steering made a curious wheezing noise that I can still remember.    Oh and it had a persistent problem with the brakes binding on.  In retrospect a collapsed flexible hose but I remember my dad dismantling calipers and spraying the pistons in wd40 in a vain attempt to fix it.  

 

*Oh and I just remembered I lost control of its door in a gust of wind and put a massive dent in a brand new Range Rovers door.  

[pshome]

http://www.ebay.de/itm/272048157673

http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=173511132