Top five Renault cars to invest in

Renault’s first post-war car, the rear-engined 4CV, was partly inspired by Ferdinand Porsche’s Volkswagen.

While to some eyes the tiny four-door Renault was prettier than the Beetle, neither was a beauty. But both cars brought four-wheel motoring to many who had previously ridden motorcycles or even pushbikes.

A decade after World War II, France like Germany was only beginning to emerge from the doldrums and the elegant new Renault Dauphine brought a similar glamour to small cars that the revolutionary 1955 Citroën DS had brought to the European prestige market.

Renault was adhering to a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive configuration. Again, in some respects, the company was following Volkswagen’s example.

The Beetle was exported to the US in considerable volumes from the mid-1950s and Renault hoped there would be similar interest in its much more stylish four-door Dauphine. Beneath the new bodywork lay reheated 4CV mechanicals.

The Dauphine was an overnight success, Stateside, from 1956. But there was a fundamental difference from the Volkswagen: the Renault was fragile and had never been designed to be driven thousands of miles per year at cruising speeds close to its 70mph maximum.

It took some time for this fragility to emerge and meanwhile Ren-olt US (which is how Americans pronounced the name) asked the company to cash in on the Dauphine’s cachet with a sports coupe.

The Dauphine-based Floride (soon renamed Caravelle to broaden its appeal in states other than Florida) followed.

The more sophisticated R8 followed before Renault made the radical (permanent) switch to front engine, front-wheel drive, first with the R16 and then the R12. The R15 and R17 coupe versions were developed from these mechanicals.

Australians were keen on Renaults from the time the 4CV was sold here as the 750 and Wheels named the R8 its inaugural Car of the Year for 1963.

Fortunately, Australians did not drive their Dauphines as hard as their American counterparts. As a rule, the Dauphine was the family’s second car and spent most of its time travelling between home and the new supermarkets or on the school run.

With just 845cc and a three-speed floorshift gearbox, the Dauphine was no performance car, though quicker than some peers such as the Citroën 2CV and Austin A30.

The introduction of the hot Gordini version brought competition success to Renault with Gordinis winning their class in the 1961 and 1962 Armstrong 500 race for production cars; in those early days only class results counted with no outright winner acknowledged.

The Gordini had a four-speed gearbox and 40bhp (10 more than the standard version), mainly attributable to its new cylinder-head.

The Dauphine Gordini had a true top speed of 80mph, which gave it similar overall performance to a contemporaneous Holden. But this French pocket rocket was way more fun to drive.

The R8 retained the rear-engine configuration but was larger and more powerful than its predecessors. It had a four-speed gearbox with a notoriously stirring-porridge variety of gearchange.

But the steering was quick, the ride plush for a small car and there was the very rare feature in the class of all-wheel disc brakes. The seats were magnifique.

The R10 followed in 1966. It was assembled in Australia and offered excellent value for money. It had a longer boot (at the front of the car, of course!) and more features.

With its rectangular headlights (‘Look who’s got square eyes from watching the road’, declared one advertisement), the R10 looked distinctive and its overall styling was better balanced.

A hot 10S version arrived in 1970. This one was good for a true 90mph (about five more than a standard 10), but I can testify to its scary susceptibility to crosswinds when driven at anything more than about 70!

The 16 was not Renault’s first front-drive car and followed some three years after the little R4 wagon.

Arguably, it had no greater claims to elegance than the utilitarian R4. Another thing both cars had in common was remarkable practicality backed by a superb ride.

The first 16, European Car of the Year for 1965, was a hatchback before the term had been coined. But it was relatively underpowered, especially for Australians reared on the torque of six-cylinder Holdens, Falcons and Valiants.

Much more interesting was the high performance 16TS variant which arrived here in 1969 complete with full Jaeger instrumentation, rectangular driving lights, a top speed a nudge under 100mph and the ability to cruise all days in relative thrift at 90.

With its upright styling, the 16TS was the veritable wolf in sheep’s clothing. Its combination of sports sedan performance, hatchback body with multiple ways of arranging the seats and supreme comfort made for an appealing alternative to a Fiat 125 or Valiant Pacer.

Surprisingly, Renault produced not one but two coupe models which combined the floorpan and suspension of the Renault 12 with a more highly tuned version of the 16TS engine.

The 15TS and 17TL were introduced locally in 1973, the former having a larger glasshouse and the latter arguably the more sporting and rakish appearance.

Unlike the 16TL, 16TS and the Renault 12, these coupes were fully imported and priced correspondingly higher. But their combination of coupe bodywork, a 102-bhp engine and four-on-the-floor gearbox gave them greater overall appeal, if less practicality.

Despite Renault Australia’s promise of the hotter 17TS, it never materialised. These cars are quite rare and likely to be collectible to a wider audience; at present their appeal is essentially of the one-marque variety.

The Fuego was introduced locally in 1982 and essentially filled the same niche as the 15TS/ 17TL. With its SOHC 2.0-litre engine delivering 80kW, it was no firecracker. But, equally, it had a broader appeal than most other Renaults ever sold here.

As for the performance angle, it’s important to remember that in the seven or eight years following the introduction of anti-pollution legislation ADR27A in July 1976, few models went markedly harder than their predecessors.

The Fuego was barely quicker than a 15TS/17TL. But it did have a five-speed gearbox and its superior aerodynamics gave it a top speed upwards of 175km/h.

Most of its running gear was shared with 18 sedan. But beyond this humble beginning, the Fuego boasted a couple of firsts. It had a much lower coefficient of drag at 0.34Cd than any previous Renault and it was the world’s first car with remote keyless central locking.

By this stage, Renault engineers had done some work on reducing torque steer (that tugging of the steering wheel in your hands under acceleration or, worse, when climbing a steep hill on an unmade road).

Overall, the Fuego offers a superior driving experience than 80kW might lead you to expect. And, unlike all its predecessors, it was not highly susceptible to death by corrosion.