Whatever happened to...........the Renault 21 Savanna???

[Split_Pin]

They are shite because they WERE popular, and now rare, and also French.

 

Ticks nearly all the boxes for me, bar the one that says 'Renault 25'.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Had two. Took my 1.7 to Germany. It got a dreadful misfire after 65mph which cleared up after 80 so just stuck at 90. Got pulled in Belgium and had to pay a £200 on the spot fine. Still bitter about it now... Nice car though. Got back to UK and checked it over. Was only the 8mm bolts on top of the carb that were loose! Drove fine after.

 

Several years later I bought a 2.1 diesel. So many irritating faults with that one, I didn't keep it long. It hadn't been well looked after before I had it. It had the potential to be a lovely car but I lost patience and bought an Espace...

 

 

I would definitely buy a nice one at the right price now

[forddeliveryboy]

I think they were; and the different front ends depending on whether the car had a transverse 1.7 or longways 2.0 meant the 21 could be had with four wheelbases.

 

Crazy, and yet so French.

Since the quadras had a different wheelbase too, strictly speaking it's more than four.

 

Without the 405, Peugeot at its finest hour, they'd have had much more prominence - everything about the 405 was just that bit better, except ride. For me there was the ghost if the 9/11 in there but flippineck they were comfy, tough and simple and the turbo very much a Q car.

[Matt]

I saw this one in 2015 but I'm pretty sure all the guys cars are gone now. I wanted it but he wanted £400+ for the heaps he had sitting in his garden for 10+ years. Here's the album full of all his cars.

 

1990 Renault 21 Savanna GTS (1/2) by Matt S, on Flickr

Renault 21 Savanna GTS (2/2) by Matt S, on Flickr

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Our Savanna , an E reg 2.0 petrol, was the first proper 7 seater I bought after the birth of my 4th daughter, prior to this we had a VdP Montego and a factory 7 seat Audi 100 Avant( never seen another). The kids loved it because they were all facing the same way. Mrs N loved it too and we kept it for about 3 years. I tried to replace it with a 505 family but she thought it was a tank, so it got sold to an exporter.

As work cars at this time I had a CDX Carlton auto then an Omega2.0 16v manual, the Savanna was faster than both , but only at night. The lights were some of the best I'd driven behind up till then. It went all over the UK and Europe loaded with kids and a roof box full of crap ( boot was quite small) without any major problems, it overheated a couple of times but that was cured* by by-passing the switch and having the fan on all the time for about 2 years.

In the end it took a V8 3 door Disco and a nearly new Ulysee to replace it, I called the same exporter who bought my 505 and he gave me what I paid for it 3 years before, this might answer the question as to where they all went.

 

My question is; why were they called Nevadas not Savannas in France?

[HMC]

IIRC Richard had one some years back...... paging Richard.....

[greengartside]

Sadly the only Savanna I remember was the one that was attached to the back of the Land Rover (D701SWL) that was in the Selby rail crash of 2001....

 

[Felly Magic]

Didn't Erasure sing about a blue one? Racing across the dessert at 100mph.....(I'll get me coat)

[Spottedlaurel]

Happily this one is still around, I see it every so often.

 

1991 Renault 21 Savanna 2.0 GTX by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

[fraser.innes.3]

I had a quadra back in 94. Turbo technics squeezed 235bhp out of it, which made it an interesting drive. Sold it to a mate of a mate shortly after the upgrade, as I knew that I would kill myself in it.

 

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[Split_Pin]

Fairly sure theres a house not too far from me with loads of old Renaults in the garden with one of them being a 21.

[cpjitservices]

Not bad these, father in law bought a 2.1 years back for about 200 quid, did him but it fell apart ... Boot struts failed which was annoying and literally all of the electrical, everyone of them failed. Shame cause it was very comfy and A decent drive.

 

Blue J reg I think it was, he saw it in a car park, fancied it, stuck a note on it saying he'd like to buy it and got a phone call that night. Magic.

[Hendry]

I owned this one twice. I think the second time I sold it the guy who bought it killed it, 2.1 turbo diesel

old pictures 522.jpg

old pictures 526.jpg

Is that late registration madness?

 

I’m assuming the 21 was replaced by the Laguna I which came out on L reg.

[Dirk Diggler]

Is that late registration madness?

I’m assuming the 21 was replaced by the Laguna I which came out on L reg.

No, the Savannah was still sold until the Laguna estate launched

[Broadsword]

This one (2.1 turbo diesel) was ours and it was fantastic. A strange blend of slightly flimsy, but quite solid at the same time. Bought in London for around £350 in 2008 and drove straight across Europe to Finland and back... twice. The alternator failed in Belgium once but somehow it fixed itself. It failed again a few thousand miles later, but the car kept running! Other than that one of the straps holding the fuel tank failed but it was an easy fix. Comfortable and it just had something that gave it character. Would have another of those tomorrow, but they are all gone. I bet a R25 would be also fantastic. There was another one just like this in blue for sale in London a couple of months back, but I couldn't get down quickly enough to look at it.

[doubleyeller]

I had the chance to buy an MOT'd, very early (1986?) Orange 21 saloon in Somerset for £120 back in 2008. If I'd passed my test then I would have loved to have bought it. I think the saloon was a rarity even then, although the hatchback was still plentiful

[brownnova]

Saw this saloon at Chumley this year.

 

 

There's also someone by one if my regular dog walks who seems to always have a couple of turbos out the front. I'll try and take a picture next time I'm that way.

 

But not seem a Savannah for a while. A friend of mine "borrowed his dad's Savannah the day after he passed his test. A copper pulled him over doing high 90s mph....

[Hertz]

Yes not seen any about for years. They were a firm favourite with families before the Picasso came in shitter money. Had 10 Turbo's and 4 Turbo Quadra's back in the day, they were fantastic. Would have another but can't find one that's not rotten or abused. They pissed all over the 405 MI16 in every respect as well (sold one of the 21's to get a 405 and went back after a month).

[sierraman]

My uncle had a Phase 1 2.0 GTX, the 2.0 was completely different in the running gear to the 1.7. One was transverse and the other longitudinal as per Audi 80.

[vulgalour]

Tried to talk Dad into getting an estate one in the late 90s.  Not sure of the exact reason he didn't go for it, nor what he went for in the end, might have been the Peugeot 305 estate.  It stuck in my mind as quite a modern looking car for the price, up until then everything we'd had was decidedly old-fashioned looking, and actually was old-fashioned really.  A Savannah looked pretty stylish next to a Morris Ital or a Datsun Sunny or even the MkIV (or was it a MKV?  It was free and rotten at any rate) Ford Cortina that were family cars at one point or another.

 

I don't think I'd seen another Savannah in the tin up until that point, or since for that matter, and it can't have been more than a handful of years old back then.

[doubleyeller]

Tried to talk Dad into getting an estate one in the late 90s.  Not sure of the exact reason he didn't go for it, nor what he went for in the end, might have been the Peugeot 305 estate.  It stuck in my mind as quite a modern looking car for the price, up until then everything we'd had was decidedly old-fashioned looking, and actually was old-fashioned really.  A Savannah looked pretty stylish next to a Morris Ital or a Datsun Sunny or even the MkIV (or was it a MKV?  It was free and rotten at any rate) Ford Cortina that were family cars at one point or another.

 

I don't think I'd seen another Savannah in the tin up until that point, or since for that matter, and it can't have been more than a handful of years old back then.

 

Everybody with a larger family had one back in the day it seemed, having said that the Montego Countryman seemed more popular in some areas, I guess it depends which firms was the local dealership...

[danthecapriman]

I've not seen one for years. The last one I did see was being banger raced! They were terrible choices for this, it was out on the first race in pristine condition, got spun out and when it was at a standstill trying to rejoin the race got rear ended very hard (grow up!) by a Capri which basically snapped the poor thing in half!

It looked funny afterwards as everything forward of the front doors was straight and untouched, everything hehind the front doors was just annihilated.

I've not seen one since and that must have been about 2005. There's the very odd saloon around but the estate seems to have quietly vanished.

[vulgalour]

doubleyeller:  Much more Montegos in my part of the world back then.  Really crusty Montegoes, some with postal MoTs I'm sure.

[ProgRocker]

I used to pass a green one of these in someone's driveway every day on my way in to work up to about 2 years ago.  Then suddenly one day it was gone and replaced with a silver Galaxy.  I'm still kicking myself for not putting a note through the door.

 

Was it this one, by any chance?

 

Renault 21 Savanna by Matt, on Flickr

 

Another Savanna sharing a garden with another Renault:

 

Renault 21 &Renault Espace by Matt, on Flickr

 

I did see a white Savanna on the road a few weeks ago. It may be that very one above.

[Chris2cv]

Dad had an M reg Savanna 2.1 diesel for years and it took us on many holidays. A nice comfortable car (not so much the 3rd row as we got older!) and the fastest car that my dad had owned.  In 2002 having had barely a fault from new, the garage said the turbo was knackered and offered £600 for a trade in or similar for a turbo.  Dad sold it privately, and it was around the area for at least five years, but haven't seen it for a long time now.

[bramz7]

Oh yeah there is one local to me!

 

1994 Renault 21 Savanna RT. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

Just got through a tough MOT too. I am so leaving a note on this next Saturday!!

 

 

1995 Renault 21 Savanna RT Seven. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

This one got scrapped, what a shock..

 

1996 Renault 21 RT Savanna. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

Late reg madness. I am a bit sad this one also got scrapped.

 

1993 Renault 21 Savanna GTS. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1989 Renault 21 TXE Estate. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1994 Renault 21 Savanna RT Diesel Estate. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1992 Renault 21 Savanna GTD Estate. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1989 Renault 21 Savanna GTX. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1991 Renault 21 Savanna TXE, by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1993 Renault 21 Savanna GTX. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1995 Renault 21 Savanna RT Seven. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1990 Renault 21 Savanna GTS by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1989 Renault 21 2.0 Savanna GTX Estate. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1989 Renault 21 Savanna GTX Estate. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1995 Renault 21 RT Savanna Seven. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

I had no idea I had spotted so many?

 

I suspect, without looking, that the vast majority above are RIP now. 

 

[Datsuncog]

Funny, I was just thinking at the start of the month that it'd been years since I saw an R21 of any description on the road. I think the last one was a French-plated Savanna in the carpark of a local McDonalds, probably four years ago. They really do seem to have just vanished - great to see there's still some love from them on here!

 

[shameless_plug]

 

Should anyone wish to further nurture their love of the R21, please be advised that the following nostalgic and collectable catalogues and brochures can be yours for only the price of postage... many other marques still available on the Wanted/Offered/Shitecycle thread. £1 each, posted, or all of the below for £1.90. Ithankyou.

 

[/shameless_plug]

 

 

 

 

 

(Not a Savanna, but also big and multi-seated with a diamond on the front...)

[fordperv]

I used to love 21turbo's when wound up they would give the high and mighty cosworth a run for its money, a pal had one that he couldn't get rid of "airlocks" on, when I looked at it and told him that the hgf was gone he wouldn't believe me until it got taken on a boost session and returned with no water it still went very well, but that was the end of that it got fragged

[flat4alfa]

I thought this thread was about Savannas...

 

The lady from the DVLA, she says:

40 Savannas in total left on the UK roads.

[BorniteIdentity]

There was a Savannah for sale earlier this year near Ipswich. It had been driven into a scrapyard from memory, then promptly driven out again and sold for about £750.

 

I thought about it as it’d be nice have more of a Car based 7 seater for shorter journeys, but the boss was dead against it.