The Renault 16 surprised visitors with its offbeat styling ever since it was unveiled in 1965 at the Geneva Motor Show

The seats were designed to suit all types of use, from fixing a child seat to a reclined position for resting, and even a couchette position for two. From the outset, the Renault 16 was thought through as a family car which was fundamentally different from anything produced by rival makes.

Technically avant-garde

The Renault 16 also marked its time thanks to its modern, avant-garde equipment specification. Front-wheel drive was still unusual in its class at the time, while the front-central engine ensured first class road manners. The engine, like the gearbox and cylinder head, were made of aluminium and produced using a pressure-die casting process.

From 1968, with the introduction of a TS version (‘Tourisme Sportif'), a range of innovative new features became standard, including a defrosting rear window, additional iode headlights, two-speed windscreen wipers with four-jet washers and an interior rear-view mirror with day/night settings.

In 1969, the Renault 16 gained reversing lights, along with front power windows, an electric sunroof and leather upholstery. This rich equipment list made the Renault 16 a prestige car, in perfect keeping with the day's consumer society trends, and represented a new way to go motoring.

Car of the Year 1966

Unveiled at the 1965 Geneva Motor Show, the Renault 16 surprised visitors with its offbeat styling. However, it quickly won the public over by meeting its demand for simplicity. The gamble was acclaimed by the industry, too: in 1966, the model was named Car of the Year, ahead of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, no less!

The range-topping Renault 16 TX

From 1973 until the end of the model's career in 1980, the Renault 16 was available with a 93hp 1,647cc engine for the TX version. Top speed round a circuit was 175kph, while equipment included central locking and inertia reel seatbelts, innovative features that contributed to improving the quality of Renault 16 owners' everyday lives.

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