Update, 10/13/09: Here it is again. Seller (flipper?) is trying to double his money to $3500, which has to be all the money for one of these. He offers more detail, including that it’s got 38,000 miles, a sliding sunroof, and fuel injection. It was apparently dry-stored in a heated garage, and comes with all records.
Update, 10/5/09: Here’s a 1972 R17 for only $750 in Minneapolis, and in pretty decent shape too. Check out the sweet sport striping just above the rockers.
Here’s a car you don’t see every day, that might give my Lancia a run for its money in terms of rarity on a budget. The fact that Renault made (essentially) two versions of the same car, the 15 and the 17, under the same brand, is something you’ll probably only see a government-owned car company doing! Most in America have disappeared, and to be honest I can’t ever recall seeing one of these in person. Needless to say, that’s where some of the fascination lies for me – I suppose if I had one of these I could cover both sides of the annual French-Italian show in southern California.
This particular car is a 17 Gordini, listed on craigslist in St. Genevieve county, MO for $1800. It’s the top of the range with the 107hp (Euro power – I’m guessing less with smog controls) fuel-injected R1313 engine originally seen in the 16 TS, plus a 5-speed transmission. While this car is the last to carry the Gordini name, it’s not clear that he actually had anything to do with modifying the car. Most of the underneath of the car is shared with the more humble Renault 12.
Rusty But Trusty 