Same, my neighbor had one when I was about 8, I had a strange obsession with the interior and shape of the seats. He crashed it and got a golf GTi and remember thinking how boring it was in comparison.
Here in North America these cars got a lot of bad reviews. Well I had mine 10 yrs or more. 2.2L I think it was a 1985. Bought it 2nd hand and it needed struts. Being maybe 18 yrs old I was quite tight on cash I bought the struts and cursed and panicked my way till they were in. Lucky for me Mr. Plaizer who ran a European car repair shop and had a kind heart let me use his special Renault spring compressor. it cost me a few hundred dollars and that was about all I ever did put into it save oil ect! I loved that car. One of the only cars I had a hard time seeing off. I have since had a number of much more prestigious brands since. The little burgundy Fuego stole my heart.
I've been waiting for this one. I was lucky enough to have a Fuego as my first car, a GTX with the 2.0 engine, and yes the seats are amazing! I still miss it.
I had that one too. Mine was black with light brown and cream interior. It was a real cockpit. A sloping towards you dash and aircraft like seats. Way ahead of it's time. A flyer!
This is absolutely awesome - I adore these as they are quite bonkers. I love R21 and R25 so much so this is like a nirvana. Brilliant video Ian, made my day 😎 with all that wiper action it should be locked away....
i actually own one of these with fuel injection in america. mines still slightly broken and this is the first modern review i've seen of one. gives me more of a push to fix it
@@guillermobrunstein2594 oh thats awesome. ill have to see once i get the tank cleaned out but its been sitting 30 years so it may need one. are you in the us?
@@julienbee3467 they were sold in the US along with the 5, 18 and 18i as the sportwagen of course we had the Renault 9&11 as the alliance and encore later we got the 21 in the form of the Renault Medallion, Eagle Premier / Medallion and Dodge Monaco.
@@k1ckyscotland988 Certain versions of the Fuego did like to get rather warm in normal driving, especially the 2.0 litre petrol versions. The turbo, however, just liked to catch fire every so often...
My first car was a 1988 Renault 11, which had the same remote central locking as the Fuego here. It was the most simple infrared based system you can think of, no rolling codes or anything in the way of security. In fact, we could teach the remote code to the learning infrared remote control of my friend's hifi system and then open and lock and unlock the doors with the hifi remote.
My primary school headmaster had one of these. He was a larger than life Welshman. He rolled it. But both he and it lived on thankfully. I can't remember the last time I saw one, pretty stylish motors to be fair. Enjoyable review, many thanks!
@@cesarpereyra3455 Acá no llego la Fuego turbo, o si ? El Renault 11 turbo si, pero la Fuego ? Se ven por todos lados pero turbo ? Creo que es solo francesa
Excellent! The Fuego is still a lovely looking car. The Irish Renault dealers ran an art competition when the Fuego came out. I won a radio cassette player and a Renault rally jacket for my entry!
Here in Argentina, in 1988 we redisigned the original Renault Fuego calling it Renault Fuego GTA, and GTA max, bouth powered by a 2.2 liter engine, and a very modern new looking! Unfortunately we never had the chance to see the renault fuego turbo in our country.
pops up on notifications just as i settle down to stuff my face with a smoked bacon sandwich, good timing ! and its the colour of my Rover Tourer so thumbs up
My dad had one of these and I loved it as a kid. Loved the turbo noise and it was same spec as this but black, it looked excellent - much better than a Cavalier or Cortina like everyone elses dad seemed to have .. RIP B259 TBU! Good times!
Made me travel back in time Ian, Was the best car by far I had had by then. Mine was resprayed nearly the exact same colour as that one but the sprayers took it upon themselves to spray all the plastics and bumpers the same colour, this was way back in the days of cellulose and I must say she looked amazing, I only have one faded pic of her left and was only looking at minutes before I turned on and saw you were testing that one and nearly blew my socks off, my daughter jumped when i swore and said I don't believe it :) Nice to see you taking it easy.
I've been in a Fuego a few years ago. Loved it. Feels like the best, or at least one of the best cars to do large distances at moderate speeds with. Beautiful green dashboard lighting, really comfy seats. Didn't get to drive it sadly, because the clutch was so far gone that with a bit of throttle you could let it slip. Sadly the owner first got the clutch fixed, and then traded it for a smart fortwo, IIRC. Unbelievable. But i think you've heard that story before.
A school caretaker had one when I was a young teen in the early 1980s. We were hugely impressed. I have to say that the styling has held up really well.
I remember seeing the Fuego in the James Bond movie “A View to a Kill” and my dad went to the local Renault Dealer to pick up his factory new R11. And there i saw the Fuego in the Showroom & thought by myself.. "Why ..why we had to pick up this R11..why couldn't it be this red Fuego instead (ok..the R11 was also red.. ;)
When I was a lad (which coincidentally happens to be in the early '80s) all the farmer's sons had an XR3 or Crapi 2.8i. But there was one lone maverick that drove around the town in a Fuego Turbo. No-one knew that stranger's name, or where he came from... But, enigmatically, he'd drive around the edges of the rural car scene, being simultaneously leader and follower... Sorry. Been awake too long!
Amazing, like a lot of your hub nutters I remember this car from my younger days. You made me laugh when you mentioned the indicator stalk being on the right hand side. My girlfriend drives a Kia Rio and I drive a fiat 500. The Rio has the indicator stalk on the right, same as the Fuego, and my Fiat indicator is on the left. I’ve lost count of the number of times I drive her car and turn on the windscreen wipers instead of indicators, then after a few days driving her car, get into mine and turn on my wipers instead of indicators. Best wishes, for Christmas and throughout the whole year,. We ALL love your videos and appreciate the hard production work you put into them for us, you are certainly very talented and very natural in front of the camera. Regards Brian .
1980/81. AC Williams Renault, Water Street, Stamford Lincolnshire. The first time I saw a Fuego. A non-turbo, in this colour illuminated by spitlsmps in the showroom window. A superb looking car with that Porsche 924-style tailgate. Great video Ian.
I owned one back in the 80 great car for the money, new technology come to America,, we gone thur rain , snowing the mid west for 3 years, and all the way to Florida and to California....very smooth ride and comfortable.... I really missed it. paid almost 10K. its worth every Pennie of it.
I very nearly bought an 82 Fuego Turbo (in 1989). Red with black interior. It looked so cool, I was willing to overlook the appalling reputation French cars had in the USA. It was very comfortable, it looked like a Spaceship to me. I’d also never seen a car with a key-fob remote to unlock it, the car felt like 10 years ahead of anything I’d ever been in! Unfortunately during the test drive, the turbo spit it’s impeller out the downpipe😳 (and no, I wasn’t abusing it!) The owner told me “the price is still the same. Are you taking it, or not?” Needless to say, I passed on it... It then sat in the guy’s yard for the next 10 years with the “For Sale” sign in the window... It was fun watching this video, I haven’t seen a Fuego in the metal this century. Love your channel!
One of our customers had a base model Fuego, it had the performance of a fog bound snail and felt as though the engine was bolted directly to the chassis......I much preferred the quite, refined comfort of the 16TL I was running at the time.
My parents had a golden one with a full fleded philips hifi (3 units high). Goregeous sound. The party trick was the turbo kicking in. Even my mom enjoyed it.
Our Swiss French teacher had one of these back in the 1980s she got nicked for speeding in it. Very much enjoying all your adventures down under Ian I think you will enjoy Australia I have a older brother in Adelaide there’s plenty of old Japanese cars from the 70s and 80s still knocking about that have long since rusted away here in the Uk 👍👍👍👍
Regards to the engine, it has a long history. Its routes began in 1962 when Renault launched the new OHV unit as an evolution of the B-type (Billancourt/ Ventoux - launched in 1947) and this then new engine was the C-type or Sierra engine as it was called and later became the Cleon Fonte engine. Cleon named after the factory in Normandy where it was built which is now the assembly point for the Zoe's electric motor and fonte meaning cast iron in French as the block was cast iron. The C-type started as 956cc and gradually progressed to 1565cc. My Volvo and your Dacia has the 1397cc C-type as does the R5 turbo. Renault managed to bore the C-type to 1397cc for the likes of the Volvo 340 without any major modifications. To get the same block to accommodate 1565cc, Renault staggered each pair of cylinders to be vertically off-set. This engine design was in production until 2004 for the Dacia in Romania.
Must say I do like the 'epilogue' portions of your reviews, showing the light clusters etc. Very good. Nice car the Fuego and as rare as hen's teeth in the UK.
OMG! I had a 1.6GTS, black with gold coachstripe, full fabric electric roof, special alloys . Got it a year old as a company car (there were 2 of us, the boss and I) in about 84. I was only 24 and boy did I LOVE that car! Felt and looked like a million dollars - that fact it didn't go like a rocket mattered not. I had the best car by miles of all my friends. Then I had a terrible non-fault accident, and it was never the same. Fantastic to see one again. If I came across a mint GTS or GTX I'd be tempted.
The last time I saw one was yesterday when I looked at both of mine (both Turbos but one is really just spares for the other). The one that goes is still my daily driver. Here are some observations for you: They did come with a luggage blind - I have one - but it's a crap design. It attaches to the tailgate and the other end to the covers over the rear suspension either side of the back seats. When you lift the tailgate, it then detaches itself from the aforementioned covers. They get along quite nicely when you get the turbo spooling. Yes there is turbo lag, but it's a 1980s design and you had to get a Lotus Esprit Turbo to have a turbocharged car without lag. However, if you redline it in each gear, the turbo is on boost when you select the next gear - whoever selected the ratios in the transaxle did a great job. Turn in for corners is fantastic. Especially considering the entire engine sits ahead of the front axle line I run some very cheap tyres and not only do the fronts grip like crazy when cornering, they wear very slowly. Wheelspin is a bit of a problem at times though. The Fuego had a very low coefficient of drag for its time and it can be quite quiet inside compared to other cars of its time. It also has relatively soft suspension which is ideal for dealing with New Zealand's poor quality roads. The Fuego has some negatives though - for instance the tailgate can only be opened by pulling the release lever in the driver's b-pillar (so you have to open the door to reveal the lever), annoying things fail (fuel gauge, trip reset, headlamp wipers, seat squab so you end up being stabbed by the springs), synchro rings in the gearbox wear prematurely, the rear wiper doesn't have a washer function and possibly the worst fault is a diaphragm in the carb fails, allowing petrol to run out into the engine bay and run the risk of fire.
The same designer gave us the R25 GTX. Mine had a 2165cc engine also fitted to some Fuegos-must have really moved it along! I notched up a big mileage both sides of the Channel, those bigger 80s/90s Renaults being stylish, reliable, super-comfy mile-eaters. A certain motoring presenter on Top Smear (before he sloped off) accused Renault's deep seats of being "overstuffed armchairs" ... but on really long runs up the autoroute, they spelled relaxed comfort.
Hello from NZ. I bought one of these in about 91 and to this day it's one of the most comfortable cars I've been in and yes those seats are amazing; the back ones too! It's one of those cars that was much better than the sum of its parts. Mechanically crude with a pretty horrible gearbox but still effective. A mate at the time bought a Corolla GTi which was about neck and neck performance wise, but the Fuego would eat the GTi in comfort, handling, braking etc. It just had that certain je ne sais quoi that the French do so well.
The story of the replacement bonnet is correct. I have dealed with the same situation being a parts manager working at a renault dealership in the Netherlands.
Smashing car. I ran one of these in the UK back in the late 90's and it was a lovely place to be. More of a Capri/Manta competitor, it was fully loaded with kit and one of the nicest interiors I've ever sat in. Turbo boost would fall in like a hod of bricks around 3.5k and wouldn't last because they didn't really like to rev. I would have one again, if nothing else for the nostalgia. Oh, and l live in France now and you rarely if ever see them...
Be still my beating heart. I had a 2.0 GTX in the early ‘00s. In one year I did 14,000 miles from south London up to Nottingham and back each week. I dreaded traffic as I watched the temperature rise but those seats were a pure joy. A photo I took of it at Frensham Ponds still remains my best ever attempt at auto photography though where it is I don’t know. And you never mentioned the poor man’s Porsche line Ian.
An extremely rare vehicle, especially here in the US! The time they were sold here, Renault bought controlling interest in AMC and sold the Fuego, and the 18i, in the US 🇺🇸 through AMC dealers. I do remember these vehicles had fuel injection, centrol remote locking, and power windows. That blanking plate in the centre console was for power windows, at least here in the US. I also remember it could be had with a fabric sunroof, it was quite large! And no lenses over the headlamps, not legal at that time. And I believe the steering wheel is a newer version, but still fits the Fuego. As for the turbo, you had to spool up the engine before the turbo kicks in, and then it REALLY KICKS IN, which is typical for turbo engines of the 80's. But the styling feels relevant, not dated. A great find! Well done!
Renault are truly the masters of ride comfort. Love the velour upholstery. I would guess that the blanking plug next to the trip computer is for optional Air conditioning perhaps? Hope you are doing well, Ian. The current pace of your videos is absolutely fine imo.
Wonderful! Great trivia there, and I'm so glad someone is re-reviewing this as it was the brunt of many a joke back in the day. I don't often disagree with you, Ian, but why SHOULDN'T a sports car be practical? I really enjoy very versatile cars as they have the whiff of the everyman, since we can't afford specialised, pure-purpose cars for every mood. But that's just my opinion, let others have theirs and hooray for diversity
Not seen one since the 90's and never really gave it a second look, but all these years later it has grown on me and you can appreciate its unique stance and styling esp compared to the modern mass produced stuff these days. Ps. Really liked the squareness of some of the dash switchgear and controls, plus the simple dash binnacle ergonomics. Thanks Ian, great review.
I purchased my Fuego from a fellow employee. It had belonged to his grandmother(!) and after a time he realized it did not fit his needs. It is among the top five in my list of favorites I've owned. Alas, for want of parts, it was abandoned. The local Jeep dealer here in Northern Nevada had one sitting in the back of their lot, covered with weeds and spiders, that had been abandoned years before, and they waved me on, "take whatever you need, just don't leave a mess". It was impossible to find tires for those custom rims.
The Fuego Turbo was basically an 18 Turbo so shared most components. The engine is an ohv but has a high up in the block cam driving short pushrods at splayed angles to operate a hemi valve layout, yes it's a hemi. It is basically a turbo version of the Alpine A110 motor so can produce some beans, these didnt run an intercooler as stock and blew through a single choke carb so upping the boost caused lean running and with only an ignition and basic knock control it's easy to melt spark plugs
What a rare find in kiwi-country Ian. They have become rare as hen's teeth in The Netherlands. Last time I saw one was more than 10 years ago. Trivia about surviving Renault Fuego in The Netherlands: - 149 valid registrations, of which 7 are Fuego Turbo or GTS Turbo - 56 have an APK (MOT) expiry date over 20 years ago or no APK at all, either the owner forgot to cancel the registration after scrapping the car, or they are sitting somewhere in a barn or in a museum - 38 have valid APK (MOT) and insurance so they are technically road legal - of those 38, only 2 are Fuego Turbo...
Successor to the very cool 17 coupe. A Renault specialist in Perth had loads of these,17s and Fueogos lined up in various states, his son was running an immaculate non-turbo 5 gordini. Not bad for a 17 year old.
I had an ‘82 Turbo. Fun to drive on wet roads: short shift into 2nd, floor it and the wheels broke loose at 3000 RPM. Dad later got an ‘83 Turbo after buying an ‘82 non turbo. Here in the US, turbos stopped in ‘84. Just the 2.2 for ‘85, its final year. Agree with the comfy seats! Loved the oil level gauge. Hated the TRX tires-they were virtually unique to the Fuego Turbo. Very hard to find in later years.
Great memories - I had a Fuego turbo from new in 1986, unfortunately I couldn't afford to keep it at the time. I remember the turbo lag kicking in, it felt like the seat was sliding from underneath you, Still a stunning looking car all these years later
Lovely Jubbly, now I do remember these. The Renault dealership in my town at the time was Allen Pond on Nantwich Road, sadly they disappeared like the rest of them at the time, recession hit the UK hard back then in the early 1980's and the fact Renault's disintegrated before your eyes.
Nice video & review. I remember my dads boss having a bright red fuego turbo when they first came out. It was just so different at the time to his previous car which was a old rolls. He ran them both for a while. I can still remember him showing me the fuego & him being quite exited about it. It stuck in my mind as he wasn't normally like that about anything.
I loved that engine - my Dad had 18 Turbos in the '80s and I got to practice in one at weekends when I was learning to drive. The instruction was "ignore fifth gear and take it easy" and he could tell if I was cheating because of the boost gauge. The vacuum cleaner noise and the way that the car literally picked itself up when the boost came on - it was addictive. My 2007 Clio diesel is every bit as quick as the 18 Turbo was (0-60 in 10 secs, top speed 120-ish) and twice as economical, but the noise of that old turbine was much better. Happy days. The earlier versions of 18 and Fuego Turbo had a better alloy wheel design, I think.
I had 2 of these way back in the day first one was a 1.6 TS and the second was a 2.0l GTX which was beautiful and powerful. Could never afford the insurance for the Fuego Turbo but i did have an 11 Turbo. Great cars. I loved them.
Cool Review now that's the next model on my feugo List, Been a Renault Nut raced R8 Gordini in Sth Africa, n then move to NZ, Saw a Feugo Targo/Race car on trademe bought it , if only for the twin side draughts Weber's it had was worth the price , Raced it in ERC & 2k cup in NI won highest points scoring French car in season 2106/17 ERC , have since bought 3 more all from Chch , 1 was imported from France the other 2 NZ new , the latest been a 1 owner car with only 90K Km on it, waiting for it to be shipped up top me now. Drove my 3rd purchase from Nelson SI pick up to Chch , had clutch cable snap 178km outside Chch but managed to still drive it bump starting at each stop. had that fixed in Chch and sorted minor things out then Road tripped back to NI Pokeno in 2 days only stopping for ferry crossing . It a 2l GTX model n still got a lot of up n go , picked up a Ford XR6 Turbo just outside Amberly and kept up with him until Blenheim. We reach speeds close to 170kph+, I think the XR6 drive must have got a shock that he couldn't shake me., Other side Kaikoura had a Ford Explore Ute, kept up with him until he got away in the hills with his Turbo so slowed back to 100. The trip was good and Seats were as usual comfortable that you could still enjoy the trip and walk @ the end . So I hoping to increase my Collection of Feugos in NZ stay turned maybe when my Race car back up and in Touring Car trim ATC spec you may like to test drive it Ian ?
What a fantastic looking coupe. I love 70s and 80s coupes and this is one of my favourites. So rare now though but the example in the video looks to be in great shape.
Nice test drive, thanks. I also recall seeing Fuegos on the road a fair bit in the UK back in the day, but not seen one for decades. A very nice looking car helped by nice paintwork. Definitely one to look after, with an eye for long term preservation, I'd have thought.
@Hubnut Another great video and thanks Ian for this one, I'm slowly getting through a lot of your "classic" vid's. I owned the predessesor of this a Renault 15 which was basically a sporty looking "12". By no means a bad thing because the 12 was a fantastic car of which I have had the pleasure to own many through the years. I always wanted a 17 but sadly they are as rare as hens teeth nowadays.
Hallo witty tester , this my first time i watch your video and i liked it positively , althought as a foreigner i have a slow understanding of English. Just telling : the R.Fuego was also built in Argentina until late 1996, lattest farewell version was the 2.2 Litres GTA . For its days proved to be quite popular, sold very well being a coupe . Engine always good , the other items were below the average . Weirdest thing they were heavily marketed and just affordable for the upper class budgets . Rare today in 2021 these Renault Fuegos are incredibly underrated , they neither have the category of collectible cars . Nobody gives 5 pfennigs in the used market's offers .
Merry Christmas! Having spent Christmas's abroad I know it can be a strange time plus... nothing better than a Boxing day fiddle in the garage. I hate going away at Christmas, have to sit and talk to people when I want to be on my back under a car... I start to day dream about the projects. Pig in poo at the moment, finally picked up an early manual 850 t5... its a hoot to drive! Starting to favour it over my L322. New Beetle is a work in progress for quiet period before New Year, replaced the thermostate and then just kept going with injectors, breathers and throttle body refresh! Merry Chritmas Hubnut.
This was my dream car. When I got my first real job in 2001. I waited for my 2nd paycheck to arrive. Same day payment arrived, I took everything from my bank account and went for my very first own car. It was 1987 Renault 18 with 1.4 engine, fleet vehicle (translated to no equipment). Interior style was similar (dash and gauges) but i had two right seats. On first you couldn't notice, however it was pain in the ass to shift it in reverse - seat was in the way because seats were offset'd in rails to the doors compared to each other. At that point I was heavily proud on my car but to be truth - Fuego was dream never came true. Today, I cannot buy it anymore nor it would be any joy neither, but it's nice piece of my memory though.
Loved the styling of the Fuego. It was one of the first cars I 'noticed' as a kid.
Same, my neighbor had one when I was about 8, I had a strange obsession with the interior and shape of the seats. He crashed it and got a golf GTi and remember thinking how boring it was in comparison.
Same here. When I was a kid in the early 90's you used to see them quite frequently.
Here in North America these cars got a lot of bad reviews. Well I had mine 10 yrs or more. 2.2L I think it was a 1985. Bought it 2nd hand and it needed struts. Being maybe 18 yrs old I was quite tight on cash I bought the struts and cursed and panicked my way till they were in. Lucky for me Mr. Plaizer who ran a European car repair shop and had a kind heart let me use his special Renault spring compressor. it cost me a few hundred dollars and that was about all I ever did put into it save oil ect! I loved that car. One of the only cars I had a hard time seeing off. I have since had a number of much more prestigious brands since. The little burgundy Fuego stole my heart.
The Fuego was the first car ever to feature remote central locking, and even marketed itself as pioneering that tech
Still one of the best names for a car, the design hasn't aged too badly either.
top work mr hubnut!
If you see the GTA Max Fuego (Argentinian market exclusive) it won't have aged a little
I've been waiting for this one. I was lucky enough to have a Fuego as my first car, a GTX with the 2.0 engine, and yes the seats are amazing! I still miss it.
I had that one too. Mine was black with light brown and cream interior. It was a real cockpit. A sloping towards you dash and aircraft like seats. Way ahead of it's time. A flyer!
My first car was a Fuego GTS 1647cc, I always wanted a GTX!
I've always loved the looks of the Fuego and in my opinion, it has aged well and still looks stunning when compared with today's vehicles.
This is absolutely awesome - I adore these as they are quite bonkers. I love R21 and R25 so much so this is like a nirvana. Brilliant video Ian, made my day 😎 with all that wiper action it should be locked away....
Wheel is out of an early Clio16v - lovely addition I have to say
I also love the utterly sleek and crisp styling of the 21. The best looking sedan of its day.
I thought I'd watched all the NZ videos
Must have missed this one!
Well happy!
i actually own one of these with fuel injection in america. mines still slightly broken and this is the first modern review i've seen of one. gives me more of a push to fix it
hey..i used to own one. I have a new turbo unit sitting there if u need it
@@guillermobrunstein2594 oh thats awesome. ill have to see once i get the tank cleaned out but its been sitting 30 years so it may need one. are you in the us?
Fix it!! 🙏
@@phantom3rdchannel it was sold in your country or you imported it ?
@@julienbee3467 they were sold in the US along with the 5, 18 and 18i as the sportwagen of course we had the Renault 9&11 as the alliance and encore later we got the 21 in the form of the Renault Medallion, Eagle Premier / Medallion and Dodge Monaco.
Ahead of its time and still a timeless shape, particularly in that colour. Seats looked very inviting.
I can't be the only person thinking: 'when did I last see one of these'?
completely forgot it ever existed...
It's first time I've ever seen one.... And I was born in the 80's. Maybe I was just too young to notice any.
I always got the Fuego and the Scirrocco mixed up,one was prone to overheating,can't remember which. Decades since I've seen either.
It’s a while, always loved these also. the 15 and 17 , great review from hubnut
@@k1ckyscotland988 Certain versions of the Fuego did like to get rather warm in normal driving, especially the 2.0 litre petrol versions. The turbo, however, just liked to catch fire every so often...
My first car was a 1988 Renault 11, which had the same remote central locking as the Fuego here. It was the most simple infrared based system you can think of, no rolling codes or anything in the way of security. In fact, we could teach the remote code to the learning infrared remote control of my friend's hifi system and then open and lock and unlock the doors with the hifi remote.
My primary school headmaster had one of these. He was a larger than life Welshman. He rolled it. But both he and it lived on thankfully. I can't remember the last time I saw one, pretty stylish motors to be fair. Enjoyable review, many thanks!
I used to have one in the 90's in Argentina, they are still a few around there!
Tenías una turbo? Si es así es una reliquia
@@cesarpereyra3455 Acá no llego la Fuego turbo, o si ? El Renault 11 turbo si, pero la Fuego ? Se ven por todos lados pero turbo ? Creo que es solo francesa
Excellent! The Fuego is still a lovely looking car. The Irish Renault dealers ran an art competition when the Fuego came out. I won a radio cassette player and a Renault rally jacket for my entry!
Here in Argentina, in 1988 we redisigned the original Renault Fuego calling it Renault Fuego GTA, and GTA max, bouth powered by a 2.2 liter engine, and a very modern new looking! Unfortunately we never had the chance to see the renault fuego turbo in our country.
A teacher of mine had a red one in 1985, I thought it was very cool!
You are going to have a lot of comments and views from Argentina, they love this car!
Reno flugo
Loved the Fuego. It’s been years since I’ve seen one and I’m amazed you found one! It’s such a gorgeous car and a great video Ian 👍👍👍
I always remember these when I was a young child, they definitely stand out, sadly it's one of those forgotten cars I don't know why I loved them.
pops up on notifications just as i settle down to stuff my face with a smoked bacon sandwich, good timing ! and its the colour of my Rover Tourer so thumbs up
I honestly can't remember the last time I saw a Fuego. Great review, Ian.
My dad had one of these and I loved it as a kid. Loved the turbo noise and it was same spec as this but black, it looked excellent - much better than a Cavalier or Cortina like everyone elses dad seemed to have .. RIP B259 TBU! Good times!
I remember one when I was a teenager that I walked past on my way to school. I thought it was cool then and do now.
Made me travel back in time Ian, Was the best car by far I had had by then. Mine was resprayed nearly the exact same colour as that one but the sprayers took it upon themselves to spray all the plastics and bumpers the same colour, this was way back in the days of cellulose and I must say she looked amazing, I only have one faded pic of her left and was only looking at minutes before I turned on and saw you were testing that one and nearly blew my socks off, my daughter jumped when i swore and said I don't believe it :) Nice to see you taking it easy.
I've been in a Fuego a few years ago. Loved it. Feels like the best, or at least one of the best cars to do large distances at moderate speeds with. Beautiful green dashboard lighting, really comfy seats. Didn't get to drive it sadly, because the clutch was so far gone that with a bit of throttle you could let it slip.
Sadly the owner first got the clutch fixed, and then traded it for a smart fortwo, IIRC. Unbelievable.
But i think you've heard that story before.
Someone had one of these on my street back in the 90's in British Columbia. I couldn't believe it even at the time.
A school caretaker had one when I was a young teen in the early 1980s.
We were hugely impressed.
I have to say that the styling has held up really well.
I remember seeing the Fuego in the James Bond movie “A View to a Kill” and my dad went to the local Renault Dealer to pick up his factory new R11. And there i saw the Fuego in the Showroom & thought by myself.. "Why ..why we had to pick up this R11..why couldn't it be this red Fuego instead (ok..the R11 was also red.. ;)
No other car channel pays such attention to wiper mechanisms, that's what we love about you.
What a beautiful car that is, so 80's in the detailing
Lovely to see a Fuego again ,and in such beautiful nick 👌
When I was a lad (which coincidentally happens to be in the early '80s) all the farmer's sons had an XR3 or Crapi 2.8i. But there was one lone maverick that drove around the town in a Fuego Turbo. No-one knew that stranger's name, or where he came from... But, enigmatically, he'd drive around the edges of the rural car scene, being simultaneously leader and follower...
Sorry. Been awake too long!
The Fuego is one of my all time top cars, especially in turbo form.I always thought of them being mini GT's than a sports car.Beautiful.
I just found your channel the other day and you are reviewing all the cars of my youth! Memories
Amazing, like a lot of your hub nutters I remember this car from my younger days. You made me laugh when you mentioned the indicator stalk being on the right hand side. My girlfriend drives a Kia Rio and I drive a fiat 500. The Rio has the indicator stalk on the right, same as the Fuego, and my Fiat indicator is on the left. I’ve lost count of the number of times I drive her car and turn on the windscreen wipers instead of indicators, then after a few days driving her car, get into mine and turn on my wipers instead of indicators. Best wishes, for Christmas and throughout the whole year,. We ALL love your videos and appreciate the hard production work you put into them for us, you are certainly very talented and very natural in front of the camera. Regards Brian .
1980/81. AC Williams Renault, Water Street, Stamford Lincolnshire. The first time I saw a Fuego. A non-turbo, in this colour illuminated by spitlsmps in the showroom window. A superb looking car with that Porsche 924-style tailgate. Great video Ian.
My grandfather used to have one painted yellow. Fell in love since I developed self consciousness. Definitely gonna buy one someday!
I absolutely love these!
I owned one back in the 80 great car for the money, new technology come to America,, we gone thur rain , snowing the mid west for 3 years, and all the way to Florida and to California....very smooth ride and comfortable.... I really missed it. paid almost 10K. its worth every Pennie of it.
The wiper and the glass dome at the rear are indeed extremely reminiscent of that era. It is nearly the same configuration on the Porsche 924 and 944.
Or the Interceptor.
@George Prime - I loved the look of those! I’ve only ever seen pictures though, they must be as rare as an honest politician!
This was everything and more... Fantastically restrained road test, absolutely love that paint code, thoroughly enjoyable!
I very nearly bought an 82 Fuego Turbo (in 1989). Red with black interior. It looked so cool, I was willing to overlook the appalling reputation French cars had in the USA. It was very comfortable, it looked like a Spaceship to me. I’d also never seen a car with a key-fob remote to unlock it, the car felt like 10 years ahead of anything I’d ever been in! Unfortunately during the test drive, the turbo spit it’s impeller out the downpipe😳 (and no, I wasn’t abusing it!) The owner told me “the price is still the same. Are you taking it, or not?” Needless to say, I passed on it... It then sat in the guy’s yard for the next 10 years with the “For Sale” sign in the window...
It was fun watching this video, I haven’t seen a Fuego in the metal this century. Love your channel!
Nice colour, hope your well remember these cars as a child !!!!!😅😅😅😅😅😅😅☕☕☕☕☕🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧👍👍👍👍👍
I had the 2.0L GTX back in the day. Beautiful to drive and to look at. Had added some subtle styling touches and larger wheels.
32 years ago I remember the Fuego was something petrol heads in pubs all had an opinion on, mostly good from those that owned one.
Lovely looking car back in the day
One of our customers had a base model Fuego, it had the performance of a fog bound snail and felt as though the engine was bolted directly to the chassis......I much preferred the quite, refined comfort of the 16TL I was running at the time.
My parents had a golden one with a full fleded philips hifi (3 units high). Goregeous sound. The party trick was the turbo kicking in. Even my mom enjoyed it.
Found this channel thanks to this vid.. And of course subscribed. Greetings from a Fuego driver! ;)
I had one of the last renault fuego's here in the UK back in 1994 and to this day I can honestly say it was one of the best cars I have ever owned....
Definitely a mid 90's Renault sporty model 19/clio/21 steering wheel as it has the later smoothed off 3D Renault Diamond.
Exactly, the steering wheel is from '90s Renaults, my Clio Rsi had the same.
The Clio 1.8 16v phase 1 came with that steering wheel before they started putting airbags in them, early 90’s
Love this vlogg i remember my fuego, i had a renault 25 too the talking one Remember !
Our Swiss French teacher had one of these back in the 1980s she got nicked for speeding in it.
Very much enjoying all your adventures down under Ian I think you will enjoy Australia I have a older brother in Adelaide there’s plenty of old Japanese cars from the 70s and 80s still knocking about that have long since rusted away here in the Uk 👍👍👍👍
Regards to the engine, it has a long history. Its routes began in 1962 when Renault launched the new OHV unit as an evolution of the B-type (Billancourt/ Ventoux - launched in 1947) and this then new engine was the C-type or Sierra engine as it was called and later became the Cleon Fonte engine. Cleon named after the factory in Normandy where it was built which is now the assembly point for the Zoe's electric motor and fonte meaning cast iron in French as the block was cast iron. The C-type started as 956cc and gradually progressed to 1565cc. My Volvo and your Dacia has the 1397cc C-type as does the R5 turbo. Renault managed to bore the C-type to 1397cc for the likes of the Volvo 340 without any major modifications. To get the same block to accommodate 1565cc, Renault staggered each pair of cylinders to be vertically off-set. This engine design was in production until 2004 for the Dacia in Romania.
Must say I do like the 'epilogue' portions of your reviews, showing the light clusters etc. Very good. Nice car the Fuego and as rare as hen's teeth in the UK.
OMG! I had a 1.6GTS, black with gold coachstripe, full fabric electric roof, special alloys . Got it a year old as a company car (there were 2 of us, the boss and I) in about 84. I was only 24 and boy did I LOVE that car! Felt and looked like a million dollars - that fact it didn't go like a rocket mattered not. I had the best car by miles of all my friends. Then I had a terrible non-fault accident, and it was never the same. Fantastic to see one again. If I came across a mint GTS or GTX I'd be tempted.
The last time I saw one was yesterday when I looked at both of mine (both Turbos but one is really just spares for the other). The one that goes is still my daily driver.
Here are some observations for you:
They did come with a luggage blind - I have one - but it's a crap design. It attaches to the tailgate and the other end to the covers over the rear suspension either side of the back seats. When you lift the tailgate, it then detaches itself from the aforementioned covers.
They get along quite nicely when you get the turbo spooling. Yes there is turbo lag, but it's a 1980s design and you had to get a Lotus Esprit Turbo to have a turbocharged car without lag. However, if you redline it in each gear, the turbo is on boost when you select the next gear - whoever selected the ratios in the transaxle did a great job.
Turn in for corners is fantastic. Especially considering the entire engine sits ahead of the front axle line I run some very cheap tyres and not only do the fronts grip like crazy when cornering, they wear very slowly. Wheelspin is a bit of a problem at times though.
The Fuego had a very low coefficient of drag for its time and it can be quite quiet inside compared to other cars of its time. It also has relatively soft suspension which is ideal for dealing with New Zealand's poor quality roads.
The Fuego has some negatives though - for instance the tailgate can only be opened by pulling the release lever in the driver's b-pillar (so you have to open the door to reveal the lever), annoying things fail (fuel gauge, trip reset, headlamp wipers, seat squab so you end up being stabbed by the springs), synchro rings in the gearbox wear prematurely, the rear wiper doesn't have a washer function and possibly the worst fault is a diaphragm in the carb fails, allowing petrol to run out into the engine bay and run the risk of fire.
Remember Renault Turbos were dominating formula 1 at the time.
@@unclejoe6811 Yup, and some of that technology dribbled into the Fuego. It even has a factory fitted intercooler with an automatic fan!
The same designer gave us the R25 GTX. Mine had a 2165cc engine also fitted to some Fuegos-must have really moved it along! I notched up a big mileage both sides of the Channel, those bigger 80s/90s Renaults being stylish, reliable, super-comfy mile-eaters. A certain motoring presenter on Top Smear (before he sloped off) accused Renault's deep seats of being "overstuffed armchairs" ... but on really long runs up the autoroute, they spelled relaxed comfort.
I actually had one of these back in the day, same colour too. The styling was fantastic and It turned heads. The good old days of motoring.
My sister and her boyfriend had a red non turbo 1 in the late 80s and I miss seeing them on the road
Thank you very much for this Ian. This was my Mamars favourite car and sadly she passed last year. This review means a lot. Thank you :D
Hello from NZ. I bought one of these in about 91 and to this day it's one of the most comfortable cars I've been in and yes those seats are amazing; the back ones too! It's one of those cars that was much better than the sum of its parts. Mechanically crude with a pretty horrible gearbox but still effective. A mate at the time bought a Corolla GTi which was about neck and neck performance wise, but the Fuego would eat the GTi in comfort, handling, braking etc. It just had that certain je ne sais quoi that the French do so well.
My first car I bought was a black Fuego GTS 1.6, C Reg. Bought for 150 pounds in 1998
The story of the replacement bonnet is correct. I have dealed with the same situation being a parts manager working at a renault dealership in the Netherlands.
At least they knew that it would fit all models...
I was seriously worried about the reaction of the owner about the new bonnet on his repaired fuego. But he was excited!
People didn’t like them and thought them ugly back then.
Now they look ok. Weird that. Very nice to see one. Thanks for showing this.
Smashing car. I ran one of these in the UK back in the late 90's and it was a lovely place to be. More of a Capri/Manta competitor, it was fully loaded with kit and one of the nicest interiors I've ever sat in. Turbo boost would fall in like a hod of bricks around 3.5k and wouldn't last because they didn't really like to rev.
I would have one again, if nothing else for the nostalgia.
Oh, and l live in France now and you rarely if ever see them...
Be still my beating heart. I had a 2.0 GTX in the early ‘00s. In one year I did 14,000 miles from south London up to Nottingham and back each week. I dreaded traffic as I watched the temperature rise but those seats were a pure joy. A photo I took of it at Frensham Ponds still remains my best ever attempt at auto photography though where it is I don’t know.
And you never mentioned the poor man’s Porsche line Ian.
An extremely rare vehicle, especially here in the US!
The time they were sold here, Renault bought controlling interest in AMC and sold the Fuego, and the 18i, in the US 🇺🇸 through AMC dealers. I do remember these vehicles had fuel injection, centrol remote locking, and power windows. That blanking plate in the centre console was for power windows, at least here in the US. I also remember it could be had with a fabric sunroof, it was quite large! And no lenses over the headlamps, not legal at that time. And I believe the steering wheel is a newer version, but still fits the Fuego.
As for the turbo, you had to spool up the engine before the turbo kicks in, and then it REALLY KICKS IN, which is typical for turbo engines of the 80's. But the styling feels relevant, not dated.
A great find! Well done!
The poor mans Porsche 924, that was every bit as quick
Renault are truly the masters of ride comfort. Love the velour upholstery. I would guess that the blanking plug next to the trip computer is for optional Air conditioning perhaps?
Hope you are doing well, Ian. The current pace of your videos is absolutely fine imo.
Wonderful! Great trivia there, and I'm so glad someone is re-reviewing this as it was the brunt of many a joke back in the day.
I don't often disagree with you, Ian, but why SHOULDN'T a sports car be practical? I really enjoy very versatile cars as they have the whiff of the everyman, since we can't afford specialised, pure-purpose cars for every mood. But that's just my opinion, let others have theirs and hooray for diversity
What a lovely car. I remember as a kid seeing these and was impressed. Thanks for sharing.
Not seen one since the 90's and never really gave it a second look, but all these years later it has grown on me and you can appreciate its unique stance and styling esp compared to the modern mass produced stuff these days.
Ps. Really liked the squareness of some of the dash switchgear and controls, plus the simple dash binnacle ergonomics.
Thanks Ian, great review.
I purchased my Fuego from a fellow employee. It had belonged to his grandmother(!) and after a time he realized it did not fit his needs. It is among the top five in my list of favorites I've owned. Alas, for want of parts, it was abandoned. The local Jeep dealer here in Northern Nevada had one sitting in the back of their lot, covered with weeds and spiders, that had been abandoned years before, and they waved me on, "take whatever you need, just don't leave a mess". It was impossible to find tires for those custom rims.
The Fuego Turbo was basically an 18 Turbo so shared most components. The engine is an ohv but has a high up in the block cam driving short pushrods at splayed angles to operate a hemi valve layout, yes it's a hemi.
It is basically a turbo version of the Alpine A110 motor so can produce some beans, these didnt run an intercooler as stock and blew through a single choke carb so upping the boost caused lean running and with only an ignition and basic knock control it's easy to melt spark plugs
hello Ian might I take this moment to wish you and all your family a very happy Christmas. all my best to you sir.
What a rare find in kiwi-country Ian. They have become rare as hen's teeth in The Netherlands. Last time I saw one was more than 10 years ago.
Trivia about surviving Renault Fuego in The Netherlands:
- 149 valid registrations, of which 7 are Fuego Turbo or GTS Turbo
- 56 have an APK (MOT) expiry date over 20 years ago or no APK at all, either the owner forgot to cancel the registration after scrapping the car, or they are sitting somewhere in a barn or in a museum
- 38 have valid APK (MOT) and insurance so they are technically road legal
- of those 38, only 2 are Fuego Turbo...
Successor to the very cool 17 coupe. A Renault specialist in Perth had loads of these,17s and Fueogos lined up in various states, his son was running an immaculate non-turbo 5 gordini. Not bad for a 17 year old.
Yes, yes, YEEEESSSS! Used to be one of my favourites as a kid! It even has the huge TURBO decal!
Mr Hub Nut another excellent review. Loved your reviews of our cars in oz and NZ.
I had an ‘82 Turbo. Fun to drive on wet roads: short shift into 2nd, floor it and the wheels broke loose at 3000 RPM. Dad later got an ‘83 Turbo after buying an ‘82 non turbo. Here in the US, turbos stopped in ‘84. Just the 2.2 for ‘85, its final year. Agree with the comfy seats! Loved the oil level gauge. Hated the TRX tires-they were virtually unique to the Fuego Turbo. Very hard to find in later years.
Great memories - I had a Fuego turbo from new in 1986, unfortunately I couldn't afford to keep it at the time. I remember the turbo lag kicking in, it felt like the seat was sliding from underneath you, Still a stunning looking car all these years later
Lovely Jubbly, now I do remember these. The Renault dealership in my town at the time was Allen Pond on Nantwich Road, sadly they disappeared like the rest of them at the time, recession hit the UK hard back then in the early 1980's and the fact Renault's disintegrated before your eyes.
Nice video & review. I remember my dads boss having a bright red fuego turbo when they first came out. It was just so different at the time to his previous car which was a old rolls. He ran them both for a while. I can still remember him showing me the fuego & him being quite exited about it. It stuck in my mind as he wasn't normally like that about anything.
I loved that engine - my Dad had 18 Turbos in the '80s and I got to practice in one at weekends when I was learning to drive. The instruction was "ignore fifth gear and take it easy" and he could tell if I was cheating because of the boost gauge. The vacuum cleaner noise and the way that the car literally picked itself up when the boost came on - it was addictive. My 2007 Clio diesel is every bit as quick as the 18 Turbo was (0-60 in 10 secs, top speed 120-ish) and twice as economical, but the noise of that old turbine was much better. Happy days. The earlier versions of 18 and Fuego Turbo had a better alloy wheel design, I think.
I had 2 of these way back in the day first one was a 1.6 TS and the second was a 2.0l GTX which was beautiful and powerful. Could never afford the insurance for the Fuego Turbo but i did have an 11 Turbo. Great cars. I loved them.
Cool Review now that's the next model on my feugo List, Been a Renault Nut raced R8 Gordini in Sth Africa, n then move to NZ, Saw a Feugo Targo/Race car on trademe bought it , if only for the twin side draughts Weber's it had was worth the price , Raced it in ERC & 2k cup in NI won highest points scoring French car in season 2106/17 ERC , have since bought 3 more all from Chch , 1 was imported from France the other 2 NZ new , the latest been a 1 owner car with only 90K Km on it, waiting for it to be shipped up top me now. Drove my 3rd purchase from Nelson SI pick up to Chch , had clutch cable snap 178km outside Chch but managed to still drive it bump starting at each stop. had that fixed in Chch and sorted minor things out then Road tripped back to NI Pokeno in 2 days only stopping for ferry crossing . It a 2l GTX model n still got a lot of up n go , picked up a Ford XR6 Turbo just outside Amberly and kept up with him until Blenheim. We reach speeds close to 170kph+, I think the XR6 drive must have got a shock that he couldn't shake me., Other side Kaikoura had a Ford Explore Ute, kept up with him until he got away in the hills with his Turbo so slowed back to 100. The trip was good and Seats were as usual comfortable that you could still enjoy the trip and walk @ the end . So I hoping to increase my Collection of Feugos in NZ stay turned maybe when my Race car back up and in Touring Car trim ATC spec you may like to test drive it Ian ?
As a child I was always fascinated by the rear window and the extreme wrap around curve of the glass.
What a fantastic looking coupe. I love 70s and 80s coupes and this is one of my favourites. So rare now though but the example in the video looks to be in great shape.
Blast from the past Man Had 2 Fuegos in my youth always wanted a turbo one Nice
I'll never forget test driving one of these in the states in 1986 or 87. Always loved the oddball vehicles.
@Jurassic Coast Comics no it was a Renault.
Nice test drive, thanks. I also recall seeing Fuegos on the road a fair bit in the UK back in the day, but not seen one for decades. A very nice looking car helped by nice paintwork. Definitely one to look after, with an eye for long term preservation, I'd have thought.
Amazing car mate, thank you for the video never knew they were sold in NZ too and the europian version !
As of today, there's 67 Fuego's still registered in NZ, 10 of them turbo.
Smashed it again Mr Seabrook. Nostalgic excellence.
@Hubnut Another great video and thanks Ian for this one, I'm slowly getting through a lot of your "classic" vid's. I owned the predessesor of this a Renault 15 which was basically a sporty looking "12". By no means a bad thing because the 12 was a fantastic car of which I have had the pleasure to own many through the years. I always wanted a 17 but sadly they are as rare as hens teeth nowadays.
The 15 was beautiful!
We actually got the Fuego here in the USA, and I always thought the styling was quite nice. Thanks!
Hallo witty tester , this my first time i watch your video and i liked it positively , althought as a foreigner i have a slow understanding of English. Just telling : the R.Fuego was also built in Argentina until late 1996, lattest farewell version was the 2.2 Litres GTA .
For its days proved to be quite popular, sold very well being a coupe . Engine always good , the other items were below the average . Weirdest thing they were heavily marketed and just affordable for the upper class budgets . Rare today in 2021 these Renault Fuegos are incredibly underrated , they neither have the category of collectible cars . Nobody gives 5 pfennigs in the used market's offers .
French cars always had incredibly comfortable seats
They still do.
Merry Christmas! Having spent Christmas's abroad I know it can be a strange time plus... nothing better than a Boxing day fiddle in the garage. I hate going away at Christmas, have to sit and talk to people when I want to be on my back under a car... I start to day dream about the projects. Pig in poo at the moment, finally picked up an early manual 850 t5... its a hoot to drive! Starting to favour it over my L322. New Beetle is a work in progress for quiet period before New Year, replaced the thermostate and then just kept going with injectors, breathers and throttle body refresh! Merry Chritmas Hubnut.
This was my dream car. When I got my first real job in 2001. I waited for my 2nd paycheck to arrive. Same day payment arrived, I took everything from my bank account and went for my very first own car. It was 1987 Renault 18 with 1.4 engine, fleet vehicle (translated to no equipment). Interior style was similar (dash and gauges) but i had two right seats. On first you couldn't notice, however it was pain in the ass to shift it in reverse - seat was in the way because seats were offset'd in rails to the doors compared to each other. At that point I was heavily proud on my car but to be truth - Fuego was dream never came true. Today, I cannot buy it anymore nor it would be any joy neither, but it's nice piece of my memory though.