21 Views
Curbside Classic Outtake: Datsun F10 Doppleganger Discovered? Renault R 17
by
Paul Niedermeyer
(IC: employee)
Published: January 8th, 2010
Share
I knew the F-10 coupe was reminding me of something else in my CC repository. And then it hit me: the Renault R 17! Unfortunately, this one’s front end wasn’t available, but here’s a nice one:
The R 15 and R17 coupes were based on the R12 sedan, and it’s hard to say exactly why Renault chose to offer two coupe variants, with different roofs. But Renault sometimes worked in mysterious ways. Here’s an R 15:
And here’s the whole family, with an enthusiastic Renault owner:
Finally, my shot of the Eugene car’s interesting dash:
Paul Niedermeyer
More by Paul Niedermeyer
Published January 8th, 2010 5:25 PM
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- ToolGuy First picture: I realize that opinions vary on the height of modern trucks, but that entry door on the building is 80 inches tall and hits just below the headlights. Does anyone really believe this is reasonable?Second picture: I do not believe that is a good parking spot to be able to access the bed storage. More specifically, how do you plan to unload topsoil with the truck parked like that? Maybe you kids are taller than me.
- ToolGuy The other day I attempted to check the engine oil in one of my old embarrassing vehicles and I guess the red shop towel I used wasn't genuine Snap-on (lots of counterfeits floating around) plus my driveway isn't completely level and long story short, the engine seized 3 minutes later.No more used cars for me, and nothing but dealer service from here on in (the journalists were right).
- Doughboy Wow, Merc knocks it out of the park with their naming convention… again. /s
- Doughboy I’ve seen car bras before, but never car beards. ZZ Top would be proud.
- Bkojote Allright, actual person who knows trucks here, the article gets it a bit wrong.First off, the Maverick is not at all comparable to a Tacoma just because they're both Hybrids. Or lemme be blunt, the butch-est non-hybrid Maverick Tremor is suitable for 2/10 difficulty trails, a Trailhunter is for about 5/10 or maybe 6/10, just about the upper end of any stock vehicle you're buying from the factory. Aside from a Sasquatch Bronco or Rubicon Jeep Wrangler you're looking at something you're towing back if you want more capability (or perhaps something you /wish/ you were towing back.)Now, where the real world difference should play out is on the trail, where a lot of low speed crawling usually saps efficiency, especially when loaded to the gills. Real world MPG from a 4Runner is about 12-13mpg, So if this loaded-with-overlander-catalog Trailhunter is still pulling in the 20's - or even 18-19, that's a massive improvement.
Comments
Join the conversation
The Renault does it right. The Datsun does it ugly.
They're both interesting cars visually. While I knew people who owned Renaults in the 70s and always wound up hating them, the 17 I rarely saw when new but liked the style.I had a lot of experience driving a friend's F10 , bought new. At the time I was appalled that he bought it as it was universally panned in the car magazines as being cramped and ugly , unlike the 17 which while unique I wouldn't call it ugly. And it looks a lot more spacious. I recall that in the F10 I had like 2 inches of headroom and I'm only 5'5".But I agree, both have a ton of quirky personality, sorely missing on almost all cars today.