The Renault 16 marked the beginning of the philosophy “at the pace of life” at the French brand. A philosophy that is still present throughout the manufacturer's range. A week away from the 2015 edition of the Geneva Motor Show and the 50 years of the Renault 16, we are taking a journey through its history.
Since 1965, Renault has produced all its models in accordance with the philosophy “at the pace of life”. A philosophy that materializes in small ergonomic details and practical solutions that aim to help and make life easier for users on a daily basis.
The first car to debut this philosophy was the Renault 16, presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1965, with an absolutely innovative design: a hatchback with a rear door for access to the luggage compartment. Combining practicality with an elegant line, the Renault 16 was the first car “at the pace of life”.
The lines of the Renault 16 were a joint work by Philippe Charbonneaux and Gaston Juchet. As the latter, in addition to being a designer, he was also an aerodynamics engineer, the Renault P-DG at the time, Pierre Dreyfus, commissioned him to design the Renault 16's aesthetics.
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Thus was born project 115, led by Yves Georges on the engineering side and Gaston Juchet on design. For four years, the Renault teams conceived an unprecedented architecture, which incorporated numerous technical innovations under a functional design.
The luggage compartment had four different configurations, with a volume of 346 dm3 to 1200 dm3, thanks to the sliding, folding and detachable rear seat. The seats were adapted to all types of use: from installing a child seat, to a resting position and even a bed position. (Continued on page 2)
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