A little history
Fortune has been unfair to the Renault 14, the car everybody laughed at. Most of the popular disapproval came from the combination of a disastrous “La Poire” TV ads campaign and a then-disliked silhouette (ironically, it predated many similar designs that have been highly successful, most notably that of the Peugeot 205). Another problem seems to have been the reluctance with which the Renault network have received this car fitted with an engine provided by archrival Peugeot. Finally, the car proved prone to corrosion. A little less than a million have been built from 1976 to 1983: if only this small hatchback would have been appreciated to its real worth, the final tally could have been much higher.
The R14 was actually a cleverly designed mid-range compact, which offered a wide and comfortable passenger compartment despite its small size. The advanced engine was an all-aluminium block, placed transversally (a first for Renault), which drove the front wheels. The all-independent suspension was equally sophisticated. Unfortunately, the R14 history ended in sheer failure, and the model was gradually replaced by the R9 and R11 starting in 1981. Adding insult to injury, the new range sold much better than the old, despite being extremely orthodox… and virulently criticized as such.
(This car’s history will be expanded in due time, please be patient.)
About the model
Model: Renault 14 GTL
Year: 1980
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.83 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in June 2007, in Souillac, France
An effective representation of the Renault 14 by Ixo. A little detail: the stand indicates that this version is a GTS, though the tiny badge at the rear of the car says otherwise. My rating is 13/20.
Fortune has been unfair to the Renault 14, the car everybody laughed at. Most of the popular disapproval came from the combination of a disastrous “La Poire” TV ads campaign and a then-disliked silhouette (ironically, it predated many similar designs that have been highly successful, most notably that of the Peugeot 205). Another problem seems to have been the reluctance with which the Renault network have received this car fitted with an engine provided by archrival Peugeot. Finally, the car proved prone to corrosion. A little less than a million have been built from 1976 to 1983: if only this small hatchback would have been appreciated to its real worth, the final tally could have been much higher.
The R14 was actually a cleverly designed mid-range compact, which offered a wide and comfortable passenger compartment despite its small size. The advanced engine was an all-aluminium block, placed transversally (a first for Renault), which drove the front wheels. The all-independent suspension was equally sophisticated. Unfortunately, the R14 history ended in sheer failure, and the model was gradually replaced by the R9 and R11 starting in 1981. Adding insult to injury, the new range sold much better than the old, despite being extremely orthodox… and virulently criticized as such.
(This car’s history will be expanded in due time, please be patient.)
About the model
Model: Renault 14 GTL
Year: 1980
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.83 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in June 2007, in Souillac, France
An effective representation of the Renault 14 by Ixo. A little detail: the stand indicates that this version is a GTS, though the tiny badge at the rear of the car says otherwise. My rating is 13/20.
4 comments:
i love hatchbacks, i'm not sure why but i simply love em! :-)
JD, you're the very first person I know that says such a thing! :lol: I'm glad you appreciate!
hahaha! maybe because they are cute and compact :-)easy to tumble and twirl like those new rally cars hehe! :-)
:lol:
I've always preferred long, horizontal straight lines to curves for a car body, so compact hatchback necessarily aren't my favourites. Nonetheless I have to admit there are some nice designs.
Post a Comment