Renault are celebrating half a century since the launch of their innovative 16 model, a design which made mainstream the mid-size family hatchback.
Unveiled 50 years ago in Geneva, the Renault 16 went on to be voted 1966 Car of the Year, and over 1.8 million of them rolled off the Sandouville assembly line in Normandy over its 15-year production run.
Designed by Gaston Juchet, the Renault 16 took the ingredients of the smaller 4 model such as a hatched-tailgate two-box design, but developed them into a stylish and roomy family car which offered unrivalled – at that time – versatility. The Renault 16 was designed to meet the challenge laid down by company CEO Pierre Dreyfus, who said, “Cars can’t just be four seats and a boot any longer. They must be viewed as a volume....... a car for families drawn by modern consumer society.” As a result the boot allowed for a variety of arrangement, with capacity rising dramatically after sliding, folding, and removing the rear bench of seats. The seats themselves were equally versatile, boasting such innovations for the era as the ability to accept child seats, or to be reclined for resting.
The Renault 16 bought other refinements which, while common today, were considered innovative for the mid-1960s. These included front-wheel drive and an aluminium die-cast gearbox and cylinder head. The TS spec, which came along in 1968, saw the introduction as standard of defrosting rear window, two-speed wipers, four-jet washers, and rear-view mirror with day/night settings, while the following year reversing lights, front power windows, and the option of electric sunroof and leather seats were added, all of which were class-leading features for the time. Other innovative features introduced during the Renault 16’s lifespan included central locking, and inertia reel seatbelts.
Although the unusual styling surprised many visitors to the 1965 Geneva Motor Show, the Renault 16 helped set the French carmakers reputation for quirky but practical family cars which has endured for half a century.
Click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter
Popular news stories
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
|
|
||||||
Related used car searches
Search used Renault
