10 of the best classic Renaults

When it comes to adventurous styling, the French marques – Peugeot, Citroen, Renault and others – have always been at the forefront of things. So let’s take a look at 10 classic designs from the Renault staple, all of which are great candidates for some specialist classic auto insurance.

Renault 4

As the 1960s dawned, Renault's rivals Citroen had already enjoyed a decade of success with the basic but affordable 2CV. France had got back on its feet after a ruinous war, and farmers, workers and families needed cheap motorised transport.

Renault soon realised that they needed a piece of this 'motoring for the masses' action. What's more, the 4 improved on the much-loved 2CV in a few key ways. The latter had been built for stability, not speed, in a country where many roads were rutted and poor.

However, by the late 1950s. France's road network was improving and Renault realised that drivers wanted a car that majored on speed and comfort rather than all-road ability. Enter the brilliant 4, which trumped the 2CV with more space, a more comfortable driving position, and a superbly practical wide-opening hatchback.

The 4 was a huge success for Renault, shifting over eight million units across three decades. You could get it in a range of engines from 603cc to 1108cc, all putting out somewhere between 23bhp and 34bhp. Little chance of a speeding ticket in one of these!

The hatchback form dominated, of course, but you could also get your 4 as a van, a 4x4 – and even a beach car, the Plein Air.

Renault 17

Wedgy coupés were all the rage as the 1960s gave way to the 1970s. And we probably shouldn't be surprised to know that those oh-so-stylish Italians were leading the way.

Wonderfully space-age flights of fancy such as the Alfa Romeo Carabo and Bizzarrini Manta may have been concepts only, never actually seeing production, while other iconic wedges like the Maserati Khamsin and Lamborghini Countach made it all the way into showrooms.
Happily, French car designers (a similarly stylish bunch) also got in on the act. The Citroen SM looked pretty otherworldly and angular, while Renault gave us the terrific 17.

Alongside the prevailing wedge ethos, the 17 was also a response to the huge popularity of Ford's new Capri. Keen to join the fray, the French marque gave us two new coupés – the 15 and 17 – based on their popular 12 family hatch. Of the two, the 17 captures our imagination more with its smart quad headlights and that distinctive louvred rear quarter window.

Adding to the car's already considerable attractions were front-wheel drive and the pick of Renault's excellent engine range – including the 1647cc engine used in the top-spec, 108bhp 17 TS. Now rare in the UK, any 17s still in good condition today will command high prices and should be protected with some classic car cover.

Renault 5

During the 1970s, Europe's car manufacturers were engaged in a race to produce a new type of car. The 1973 oil crisis had driven petrol prices up, and many mid-70s drivers wanted something more economical than what had come before. This meant a new wave of small, fuel-sipping but practical cars: the superminis, as they were later dubbed.

Vauxhall and Ford both got in on the act, with their Chevette and Fiesta models respectively; Austin laboured at their own supermini, but didn't manage to get the Metro out until 1980. Among the race leaders were Honda and Toyota, whose Civic and Starlet minis both began production in 1973. However, the winners here were Fiat, with the 127 – and Renault, who began production on the 5 in 1972.

Renault managed one of the very best cars in the class – so much so that the cute-looking, boxy 5 enjoyed a long production run, until 1985 in its first generation (a second instalment took the 5 all the way forward to 1996). For a decade and a half, the car was ubiquitous in its native France, and in many other countries as well. With models in original condition now commanding upwards of five figures, you’ll want to get specialist classic car insurance in place to help preserve it for the future.

Renault Clio

How did Renault follow up a success story like the 5? In fact, it could be argued that the brilliant Peugeot 205 took up the cute, brilliant supermini mantle where the first-generation 5 left off. The 5's own second generation, though another strong seller, had lost just a little of the original's charm.

Renault were right back on form, though, with the Clio, which – when it appeared in 1990 – revived the company's fortunes after a difficult few years. Here was more beautifully packaged supermini styling, evoking fond memories of both the original 5 and Peugeot's hugely popular 205 rival.

Also like the 205, the Clio earned quite a lot of its legendary status from its hot-hatch derivative – the Clio Williams, with its performance-tuned ride and handling, and those distinctive gold wheels.

The Clio also has the distinction of being (alongside the VW Golf) the only car to win European Car of the Year twice – for its first generation in 1991, and its third in 2006.

Renault Alpine GTA

In our blog post looking at 10 cars that epitomise French style, we selected the wonderfully sleek and angular Alpine A310 for inclusion in that list of Gallic gorgeousness. However, this time we are going for the 310's 1980s successor, the Alpine GTA.
That's partly because the GTA is a truer Renault than its predecessor. Alpine had been affiliated with Renault for many years, with its earlier models using many Renault parts, but the GTA was the first Alpine launched under Renault ownership, after the larger firm's takeover in 1973. And indeed, the car was known in UK markets simply as the Renault GTA.

The GTA was also a very effective update of the rakish A310. Wider, longer and taller, it made life for rear-seat passengers much more agreeable. It also featured some cutting-edge design features, such as body-coloured bumpers and a triangular C-pillar. Its use of polyester and fibreglass body panels, meanwhile, made the GTA something of a pocket rocket – it was lighter, and faster, than some of the performance big guns of its time such as the Porsche 944.

These cars may be rare, but you'll be pleased to know that the Alpine family has its own dedicated UK owners' club, where you'll find a wealth of resources. As a member of some UK car clubs, you can even enjoy a discount on your classics insurance. Ask our team for details when you get a quote.

Renault 16

The handsome 16 was a deserving winner of the European Car of the Year in 1966, beating no less a car than the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow into second place.

Like the later 5 supermini, the 16 was a car that broke new ground. It was the first successful hatchback in a large car segment that, until then, had been dominated by square-jawed saloons and estates. The 16 did that innovative French thing so well, introducing a completely new shape into a previously conservative sector. Before the word 'hatchback' had entered the lexicon, journalists struggled to say what the 16 was – but they knew they liked it.

The car is also fondly remembered for an iconic chase sequence in The Sweeney, in which John Thaw's Ford Granada catches up with a dodgy car mechanic in his Renault. Handsome and practical it may have been, but on this evidence the 16 was prey to a fair amount of body roll at high speeds. Not a getaway car, then – but great in so many other ways.

Renault Twingo

Introduced in 1993, the Twingo slotted in underneath the already hugely popular Clio as Renault's base model – a city car to rival the likes of the Mini and Fiat Panda. And, like the 5 before it, the Twingo had that Gallic charm in spades.

For one thing, it was arresting to look at, with its bubble contours and frog-like face. It was designed on a 'monobox' platform, largely influenced by a car at the other end of the Renault family tree, the Espace MPV. That meant excellent use of space – for a car of its size, the Twingo was generous with its rear passenger room, thanks partly to an ingenious sliding rear bench.

The car kept things simple: at launch there was just the one model, with the 1.2-litre, 55bhp engine that had served the 5 so well. Colour choices were limited, as were options (basically, a folding canvas roof and climate control). To this day, the Twingo looks a very distinctive early ‘90s period piece – in the best possible way.

Renault Espace

It says a lot about the role Renault have played in automotive history that quite a few of the cars we're listing here broke genuinely new ground. The 5 was one of the very first superminis, while the 16 dared to smuggle a hatchback shape into the foursquare large family car sector. To this list of innovators and disruptors we must add the Renault Espace, which when it first appeared in 1984 looked like nothing else out there.

The Espace's origins are fascinating and quite complex. Essentially, when Peugeot acquired and then phased out the French marque Simca, it inherited the designs for the Espace. However, the company decided that the project would be too expensive and time-consuming. It returned the drawings to designers Matra (they of the unforgettable Rancho soft-roader), who took them to Renault instead.

Never ones to shy away from a challenge, Renault were interested – and the Espace duly appeared as the very first large multi-person vehicle (MPV) in 1984. To this day, its design – square and boxy, with brilliant use of space and plenty of light – has been much imitated but rarely bettered.

Renault Avantime

Words we would use to describe Renault's design philosophy down the decades would include 'bold', 'adventurous' and 'leftfield'. And nowhere is that seen better than in the company's futuristic, arresting, sector-merging and ultimately hugely unsuccessful Noughties model, the Avantime.

Another one-box design, like the Twingo and Espace, the Avantime is basically a pillarless, two-door MPV. But that doesn't quite do justice to its unique charms. It was conceived as something of a throwback to the original, boxy Espace. Chief designer Philippe Guédon believed that those 80s kids who had grown up in the back of an Espace, now parents themselves, remained loyal to the boxy MPV shape.

A host of clever features included rear seats that sat slightly higher than the front two, giving rear occupants 'theatre seating' for a fine view of the road ahead.

Well, the reality wasn't quite as inspiring as the car itself, as the Avantime sold poorly and was cancelled after just two years. It now survives, in small numbers, as testament to Renault's continuing adventurousness and willingness to push the envelope.

Renault Fuego

There were some fine-looking coupés doing the rounds in the late 1970s and 1980s. British buyers could get their way into the sexy coupé market at affordable prices thanks to cars like the Ford Capri and Opel Manta – beautiful, sinuous sports cars at family saloon prices.

Renault wanted to get in on this market (and the 17 was due for a replacement), so the Fuego entered the fray in 1980. Like the 17, the Fuego had some distinctive design touches – that vinyl line down the side, for example – and in those brash, confident 80s, it looked just the thing.

The fact that, apart from the top-range Turbos, the Fuego didn't actually shift all that fast wasn't especially important. Instead, here was yet another example of Renault's designers packing plenty of French fizz into a small, affordable package.

Revive your retro Renault with classic car insurance

These cars showcase French design at its absolute best. If you are lucky enough to own one of these icons, protect it for future generations with some specialist classic car insurance.

Insuring your classic through Lancaster can mean car club discounts of up to 25%, historic rally cover, laid-up cover and more.

Our 24-hour claims helpline and UK-based call centre is there when you need us.

Contact us today to arrange some classic car insurance for your vintage vehicle.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.