Meet The Owner – Graham Walker and his Renault 6 TL

Sometimes, when looking at used car advertisements, you encounter a vehicle that gives you an overwhelming rush of nostalgia - Classic car Renault 6 hatchback luxury 4 model ready to enjoy rare | eBay. A 1977 Renault 6TL seems to belong to a lost world of The Old Grey Whistle Test on BBC2 and Space 1999 iced-lollies from your local newsagent. It is also one of the rarest vehicles in the UK, with only two believed to be on the road - How many left?

Essentially, the 6 was an upmarket version of the 4. The two cars shared a platform, asymmetrical wheelbase, and dashboard-mounted gearchange. They also used the 845cc engine, but in a more potent form for the 6 – Renault wanted to keep its tax rating as low as possible. The main sales feature was the more refined bodywork, complete with winding windows.

The 6 debuted at the 1968 Paris Motor Show, with British sales beginning in late 1969. The Daily Telegraph found it “a sensible and civilised car”, and The UK advertisement promised, “It doesn’t have a lot of complicated controls”. However, the fascia still resembled a 1950s B-film spaceship, with its mysterious switches and strip speedometer.

Renault hoped the 6 would appeal to motorists who craved the 16 but lacked sufficient francs. In reality, its image was a more refined derivative of the 4, just as the Citroën Dyane occupied a niche above the 2CV. In 1970, Renault introduced the 1.1-litre TL with front disc brakes. Autocar regarded it as representing “Excellent value as a dual-purpose family car and load carrier”.

A similarly impressed Car magazine thought, “With its excellent economy, the R6 must make a lot of sense to the person who wants to keep his cost per mile as low as possible. Besides, the Renault had more character than any of its class mates”.

Renault facelifted the 6 in 1973 with a new grey plastic grille. Three years later, they tempted potential TL owners with the unimaginable luxuries of:

Reclining front seats, heated rear window, childproof locks on rear doors and a day/night driving mirror fitted as standard. But for those occasions in every car’s life when there’s a lot to carry, the Renault 6 saloon becomes a hardworking estate.

The 1977 model year saw a further upgrade, and at that time, a 6TL cost £2,120 compared to £1,769 for the 4TL. Regarding UK rivals, a Vauxhall Chevette L Estate was £2,244, a Ford Escort L Estate was £2,243, and an Austin Allegro 1300 Estate was £2,273 – but none had four side doors.

French production ended in May 1980, but manufacture continued in Spain until March 1986, with the last of 1,743,314 examples (this writer recalls seeing countless 6s in Mallorca in the early 1980s). The microcar expert Graham Walker - Microcar World | Facebook - is selling this example, which was privately imported from France.

The typical reaction to Graham’s 6 is, “I have not seen one of those in years!”. He finds driving it highly enjoyable and points out the luxury features compared with the 4 – such as “the two-speed heater fan!”. After all, when investing in “the family car you’ve been waiting for”, there is no point in not enjoying such creature comforts.

With thanks to: Graham Walker