Whilst I was driving and capturing this French classic, I thought nothing off it. Actually I was sure this was another car I already knew from classic car meetings, a Renault R15 TS. Well, why not upload it here to share with the CC community?
But hold on; This is no R15. Any classic Renault lover will instantly recognize what I, in real time missed- The rear windows are totally different from the R15’s, and the front grill houses four round headlights instead of the R15’s two rectangular units:
As you can clearly see, sadly the left rear window is replaced with a clear plastic film. Hopefully it wasn’t a vandalizing victim.
This rather innocent looking R17 is quite a find; I can’t remember when I last saw one, if ever (well, at least here in Israel). As for the R15, see this TS I mentioned above:
One can understand why I wasn’t quick to tell the difference whilst driving, although in still photos, those differences are clear as day- despite the same color.
I was even lucky to come across a fully fledged Curbside Classic R15 TS some time ago. When was the last time you saw a three nut wheel on a modern car (and no, a Smart is not an option)?
From what I could ascertain reading about the R17, the subject of this post is a first generation TL produced sometime between 1971 to 1975. Face-lifted cars, produced between 1976 to 1979 had, well, a different fascia. See the difference in this photo from a Google Image search:
Nearest car is an R15 TS, middle one is like the one in this post, an R17 TL, and at the back is post-1976 R17 TS, or Gordini, as they were called then. Looking at these Renaults, I’m mostly reminded by the early Lotus Eclat and Excel which were essentially the same, saving a different rear design. But I guess the R17 and R15 cost less, much less than a Lotus…
And here is a post by Paul about another R17 find.
I realize the 15 was the “poor sister” of the pair, but in these pictures I see a new definition of “poverty spec”.
Of the 15 and 17 I preferred the 15. I always thought the 17 was a daring design, but it also looked a bit….OTT for such a small car.
I can’t say for certain I’ve ever seen a 15 or a 17, “in the metal”. I’ve only seen 1 or 2 of the newer Fuego (sp?), and not on the road but sitting in a used car lot.
In the US, you had a choice of automatic or manual in the 15, the 17 was manual only (a four speed, I think).
Love old small cars like these. Bring them on.
What a catch!
There was once evidently a time when I was a big Renault 17 fan, since in my childhood Matchbox collection, I have two identical 17 TL’s. They’re both very well used, indicating they were favorites of mine, and I even wrote an “E” on the roof of one – I guess so other kids who were French car enthusiasts couldn’t claim it as their own.
Of course, I can’t ever remember seeing a 17 TL in person.
Sheer, unbridled lust from the 70’s. You have no idea how badly I wanted one of those back then, but I knew it would cause a lot of trouble at home if I traded in my Vega GT (graduation gift) on one of those.
Gifts in my family were always “strings attached”. To me, still one of the sexiest cars of the 70’s.
In the US, we only got the first generation ones, to the best of my knowledge. I’ve ever seen one with the facelifted front end.
I like how it stands out in the sea of drab grey and silver in the first picture.
Yes. Bright colours are a major plus for road safety.
That’s one I’ve certainly never seen in person. Of course, I can’t recall the last time I saw any Renault on the road here, so… Neat-looking little cars.
I like those side turn signal repeaters in diamond shape of Renault logo…
My first landlord back in 1974 had a red R17 – I hope he looked after it better than he looked after the property he was renting.
Bringing back memories for me – in the early 80’s I had a 17TL that I kept for 3 years, a long time for me then. It was one of the best handling cars ever – CN36 Pirellis, lowered and on widened Renault rims …
KJ in Oz
Great find.
There can’t be much structural rigidity in that late 17/Gordini with that massive sunroof, surely.
I never quite understood Renault’s logic in having so many body styles for essentially the same car. They did handle well though.
I’m frequently fascinated by your posts, Yohai. Israel must be a wonderful place for car-spotting. I have to imagine with (to me) the very eclectic mix of brands and probably the perfect environment to keep metal from turning back into rust, if I were to visit, I’d fill multiple SD cards full of nothing but car pix…
… By the way, my sources in Israel tell me that car has just been the subject of a re-paint – it’s not neglected and the owner is looking for the missing glass.