Rusty But Trusty

It’s been a while since I’ve exposed anybody guilty of selling a French car to the unknowing public, but here’s an opportunity that was just too good to pass up (and not in the ironic sense, either). As mentioned here in the past, Renault 5s, which got the goofy but memorable LeCar name in North America, were a sales success in many parts of the world, but didn’t do so well here. They packed a remarkable amount of room into a small footprint, and their front-drive hatchback format preceded the Golf/Rabbit by a couple of years. And just as with the Golf and other competing small cars, people found ways to turn them into little rockets. Today’s LeCar, which the owner refers to as an R5 GTL, is available in San Francisco, CA for the low, low price of $1700.

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Having grown up with a Saab 99 and two Saab 9000 turbos in the family, I’ve always had a fascination with the Renault 16. Before the Saab, and like the Saab, this car had a longitudinally mounted 4-cylinder with the engine behind the transaxle, front wheel drive, four doors and a hatch, and if you believe the Renault website, even a turbocharged engine. The TX even came with a 5-speed as of 1973, and you could get power front windows and locks. All models had an unequal wheelbase, and massive suspension travel for passenger comfort, as can be seen in this US-market TV advertisement:

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