Why R16? Technical My sweet sixteen Interactive Links Home
What is so special at the Renault 16?
The R16 has a hatchback with variable interior space!
Nowadays practically every manufacturer has an adequate model in his range. In 1965 though, in this level there had been only conventional cars with boot, or estates. The R16 united the advantages of both: boot seperated from the passengers, yet variable. Compared with its competitors, the R16 was available with 4 doors only, folding seats were standard in most models, and the rear seat bench was moveable 15 cms forward. Therefore, the interior space had 7 different ways of arrangement. This made the R16 to the most flexible car in its class.
The R16 has a different wheelbase left and right!
The front and rear suspensions of the R16 works via torsion bars. Due to the fact that a soft "french" suspension was wished, the torsion bars had to be quite long. It wasn´t a problem in front, because the bars were arranged in longitudeal direction. At the rear, where they were arranged transverse, they reached from one side of the car to the other, and had to be arranged one behind the other. Therefore the wheelbase on the left hand side is 6 cms longer than on the right hand side.
The R16 tilts a lot in fast curves!
That is due to the soft suspension and the long wheel travel. But don´t worry, you won´t be able to overturn the R16 so easy. The road behavior is neutral to understeering. Due to the soft suspension, the body can swing a lot in fast curve combinations. But once one is used to the tilt in curves, he don´t want to miss the comfortable cruising anymore.
The R16 actually is a mid engined car!
Like on his "brothers" R4, R5 and R6, so is the engine on the R16 arranged behind the gearbox, and therefore as well behind the front axle. This construction has the advantage of good weight distribution and extraordinary much space in the front foot room. The front wheel is located practically on the front edge, and the hood can be designed flat. On the other hand, the engine is not easy accessable, room is given away in the interior, and on mountain roads traction problems can occur.
The R16 has a steering column gearshift!
The steering column gearshift was a consequence of the engine-gearbox arrangement. With a center gearshift, the gear linkage must be arranged complicated at the side of the engine (that it works, was shown on the later R5). On the R4 and R6, the linkage was located on top of the engine - this solution wasn´t suitable for the R16. The engines were too high, and a steering column gearshift was an elegant solution and widespread in the sixties. Additional space was given inbetween the front seats. The 16 kept this gearshift untill its end of production in 1980, on the model TX as well with 5-speeds!
Technical Innovations
At the introduction of the R16, a lot of technical innovations were presented, as well general and class-specific ones: hermetical closed cooling system, electric driven cooling fan, radial tyres as standard and a voltage regulated alternator. All these details, today obvious, were exemplary in its class.
What are cangaroo headlamps?
The R16 TS had halogen high beam headlamps, which were mounted on the bumper initially. From 1974, the additional high beam was integrated into the standard headlamp - a second reflector with a halogen lamp, arranged in front of the main reflector.