Renault 15/17

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Renault 15 / 17

Manufacturer	Renault
Production	1971-1980
Predecessor	None
Successor	Renault Fuego
Body style	2-door coupé
Layout	FF layout

The Renault 15 and Renault 17 were two variations of the same coupé designed and built by French automaker Renault between 1971 and 1980. The R17 was sold as R177 in Italy, respecting a superstition.^{[citation needed]}

They were effectively coupé versions of the Renault 12. The main differences between the two cars were their headlight configuration (the 15 had two rectangular headlights whereas the 17 had four round headlights), and their rear side windows.

The Renault 15 and 17 were presented at the Paris Motor Show in October 1971.

The chassis and most of the running gear came from the Renault 12, while the 1565 cc 108 bhp engine in the more powerful R17 TS and R17 Gordini models was derived from the engine in the Renault 16 TS. Though the mechanicals of the cars were derived from other Renaults, the body was completely new.

The R15 and R17 remained in production until 1979 when they were both replaced by the Renault Fuego.

1 Global markets
- 1.1 Australia
2 Motorsport
3 Timeline
4 External links

[edit] Global markets

[edit] Australia

The vehicles finally reached Australia in May 1973. The 15TS and 17TL were initially available with the 17TS being promised later in the year. These 1973 model year vehicles contained several unique features, the stick-on mirror and sun visors from the Renault 12 to comply with regulations ("ADR"). The sun visor retaining catch on these models was never used and available only in Australia. The instrument panel "verandah" was fitted to reduce glare and was only fitted to Australian, North American and Scandinavian versions. Sales of these early models was slow in Australia due to their relatively high price, and continued through to late 1974.

In August 1974 the 17TS (R1317 with 1605cc) finally made it to Australia, along with the European 1974 model year 15TS and 17TL with the later type dashboard. In early 1975 the 17TS was replaced by the 17 Gordini. Available later were the 15TS and 17TL with Gordini front suspension, inertia reel seat belts, tinted windows, tombstone seats and evaporative emission control as required by ADR. This was identified by the carbon canister under the bonnet, and hinged fuel filler door in the LBR quarter panel. In 1976 a final shipment of 1975 model year 17s was made and stock piled prior to the introduction of ADR 27A emission controls, these vehicles, again due to their high price, sold slowly through until 1978.

[edit] Motorsport

Renault has abandoned plans to contest the World Rally Championship which it won so convincingly with it's Renault Alpine A110 in 1973. Instead, the factory has developed a high-performance version of the 17 coupé at the Alpine Competition Factory which used many of the A110 bits to compete in "selected" European events. The Gordini-developed engine has two twin-choke Webers, a hot cam, an 11.5 compression ratio, big valves and tuned extractor exhaust system. The body is very light, featuring fibreglass doors, boot and bonnet panels, plus plastic windows and a stripped interior. The factory said the car's weight was lowered by more than 25 percent.

Its most famous was the "Press on Regardless" WRC in the United States, in Michigan, 1974. The Rally was the USA section of the World Rally Championship. Various rally makes competed such as 124 Fiat Abath Spyders, Lanica Stratos's, Ford Mexicos and Alpine A 110s. The car that won the rally was a 17 Gordini driven by Jean Luc Therier and Christian Deiferrer, and the placings were as follows: 1st R17 Gordini, 2nd Alpine A110, 3rd R17 Gordini.

[edit] Timeline

October 1971: Introduction of the Renault 15 and Renault 17 two-door coupés. The R15 TL had the 1289cc engine from the Renault 12 (rated at 60bhp), whereas the R15 TS, R17 TL and R17 TS all had the 1565cc from the Renault 16 TS (rated at 90bhp for the R15 TS and R17 TL, and at 108bhp injection for the R17 TS). The R15 TL, R15 TS and R17 TL all had a 4-speed gearbox whereas the R17 TS had a 5-speed gearbox.
1973: Fabric sunroof available on R17 TL and TS.
1974: R17 TS engine upgraded to 1605cc.
1975: R17 TS renamed R17 Gordini.
March 1976: New R15 and R17 ranges introduced as follows: R15 TL, R15 GTL, R17 TS and R17 Gordini. The R15 TL/GTL were mechanically identical to the earlier R15 TL, while the R17 TS and Gordini had the 1647cc engine from the Renault 16 TX.
1979: R15/17 production ends.

[edit] External links

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Renault 15

	Renault car timeline, 1940s-1980s v • d • e																																								Next ->
Type	1940s					1950s										1960s										1970s										1980s
	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Economy car																	3 / 4
Supermini																												5 / 7													Super 5
Small family car		4CV										Dauphine						8/10						6								14						9/11
Large family car	Juvaquatre																							12										18								21
Executive car							Frégate														16										20 / 30								25

Coupé																											15/17									Fuego
Roadster														Caravelle
Off-roader																									Rodeo 4/6												Rodeo