1982 Renault Fuego GTS *Sold £5,500*

Description

• UPDATED DESCRIPTION
• Believed to be only 14 left on the road 
• Present owner since 2013 
• Recent service and MOT 
• Five brand new Metric Alloys available 
• MOT, Tax and ULEZ Exempt. 
• Two Brand new tyres
• £500 literally just spent.

The Renault Fuego (meaning Fire in Spanish) is a sport hatchback that was manufactured and marketed by Renault from 1980 to 1986, replacing the Renault 15 and 17 coupés of the 1970s. According to Renault, 265,367 Fuegos were produced, 85% of those manufactured in France from February 1980 to October 1985. Spanish production for European markets continued into 1986. 

The Fuego’s exterior was styled by Michel Jardin, and the interior by Francois Lampreia. Automotive journalist L.J.K. Setright said the Fuego “is blessed with a body which is not only roomy and aerodynamically efficient but is also beautiful”. High praise indeed. The Fuego is also said to be the world’s first to use a remotely operated central locking system!

This lovely Renault Fuego is a higher spec GTS and has been in our vendor’s ownership for around ten years, used sparingly and stored for a few years whilst he was otherwise engaged with a family members illness. In that time less than 3 thousand miles have been added to the car hence our vendor parting ways with it. 

Supplied with the obligatory “Haynes book of Lies” as he calls it, the service books and brochure plus a handful of MOTs and receipts. There are also a handful of spares in a box that includes some external trim, a new brake balance valve, new water pump and thermostat, new central locking solenoids, exhaust centre section, some service items, and a new old stock passenger door mirror. 

With our vendor handy on the tools, he worked in a Renault Dealership in his former life, the car has been looked after by himself which explains the paltry documents pack. What this does suggest though is that whenever something needed doing – it got done, there was none of the dreaded “I’ll live with that” attitude here. 

Believed to be only fourteen left on the road, always garaged and never used in the rain these are of a lesser spotted variety these days. Considering how rare they are, we suspect this is the best kept one on the market at present. 

Outside

Wind tunnel testing was used to allow the Fuego to have sporty coupé lines while maximizing rear seat space. The resulting drag coefficient (Cd) factor ranges from 0.32 to 0.35. In October 1982, the turbocharged diesel Fuego model (this version is petrol) became the fastest diesel car in the world, with a top speed of 180 km/h (110 mph) – mainly down to the aerodynamics! 

Take a look at the image gallery and you will see that those said aerodynamic panels are in tremendous condition for a forty-one-year-old car.  With an extremely solid body and underneath you would be wondering how this example escaped the usual corrosive effects that so many, in fact virtually all, Renaults of this era succumbed to. The observant among you will notice the presence of the ‘Zeibart injection buttons’ around the door openings. Clearly these corrosion inhibiting systems do actually work! 

Our vendor explains that when he bought it all those years ago, he had searched for the very best example he could find and has subsequently gone on to make sure it has stayed that way. As previously mentioned, it did not leave the garage unless it was a dry day. 

Keep scanning the images and you will agree, it presents exceptionally well with no obvious damage jumping out at you – although our vendor shared that there is a slight bubble on the roof and on the bonnet, some at the bottom of the passenger door and some silicon, or a very slight paint reaction that our vendor describes as pimples, in the bonnet. Evidence that she has had a repaint at some point in her previous life. 

We’ll be honest, he is being very picky when you consider how hard they are to see in the images. A testament to the honesty of our vendor because you would definitely have missed them had he not shared that with us/you. 

The shut lines are all perfect and the common issue with corrosion in the ‘A’ posts and the doors dropping is nowhere in sight. 

The plastic trims and badges are all in great condition and again present extremely well, all consistent with a low mileage well looked after car in our opinion. 

The rear light clusters are in a lovely bright condition – a bonus as these can bleach out and were shared with TVR (i.e., both rare and pricey). The front turn signal lamps again look new and unfaded. The fog lamps were replaced recently but unfortunately have not yet been wired up, never an issue with the MOT, possibly due to its age. 

Peer underneath and you will see that the floor has been wax-oiled. Our vendor was quick to mention that he had the most recent MOT at the end of July done before it was undersealed with Tetroseal waxoil; he did this on purpose being as transparent about the underside as possible.    

Immediately after the MOT advisories were in, he had any surface rust cleaned up prior to the said underseal being applied. We suspect that will stand the car in good stead for another forty years. 

Those eagle-eyed of you may have noticed that the offside rear wheel is slightly different to the other three, this is because it is the spare, unfortunately the other wheel has a little too much rust on the rim so is being repaired as we speak and should be done before the auction ends.  Unfortunately, the tyres could probably do with being renewed in the not-so-distant future but as the car was used so sparingly there was never any real reason to get them done beforehand. 

NOTE: Our vendor has confirmed that the original and correct wheel has now been repaired and is back on the car, the spare has now been placed back in the wheel carrier, not only that but our vendor went to the trouble of fitting two brand new tyres to the front wheels with two best remaining fitted to the rear.  All as he was a little uncomfortable with the originals showing a little too much wear.  He also went to the trouble of getting the MOT renewed along with the underside being undersealed, all to the tune of £500.

Almost a moot point as our vendor went to the huge expense of buying five brand new Metric alloys whilst on holiday in France, should the car reach its reserve, these will be included in the sale.  If not, they can be purchased by negotiation at the end of the auction. 

Inside 

We must admit being a little taken aback when we saw the inside. If you haven’t already, take a look at the gallery.  

Without being restored the seat shape, format, foam and condition look good with only the smallest of blemishes where a clumsy passenger has dropped what we expect was some hot ash on the seat base and a couple of extra screw holes where there may have been some oversize speakers fitted in the rear quarter panel trims.  Don’t get us wrong, they are small blemishes on a very, very strong interior.   

The roof lining is great, the dash has no signs of brittle cracks, and the door pads are all in great nick. The carpets are also in fantastic condition with the only wear showing where the driver’s heel has been. The switches are a tiny bit worn but they look in keeping with the car and work as they should. 

The sunroof operates as it should and as far as our vendor is aware it doesn’t leak. To be honest it does not come out in the rain, so he is not 100% sure but there seems to be no water ingress when he washes the car.   

The boot area is in wonderful condition and the biggest surprise is that the retractable boot cover is still in place, works as it should and is in great condition, how rare is that! 

All in all, a lovely, lovely original eighties interior.  

Mechanicals 

The 1647ccs do the job perfectly and pull that wonderful body along as you would expect, with no rattles or knocks. In fact, receiving a very recent full service that included the usual fluids and filters, including a new K&N air filter, the plugs were also replaced along with a new distributor cap. On top of that it has even had a carb overhaul and new fuel pump. 

 In our vendors words “it is running sweet and strong“ 

The Renault Fuego was heavily based on the manufacturer’s 18 model, sharing its floor pan and drivetrain, with its front suspension developed from the larger Renault 20/30. Despite sharing no parts, the design kept the familiar double-wishbone layout common with the Renault 18, incorporating a negative scrub radius geometry that means it is a joy to drive 

Arguably it was pitched against the ford Capri, and we know how that ended in terms of sales, but we would argue it won the battle in the handling stakes; none of that loose back-end drama here.   

All in all, a very well sorted car with no issues with the suspension and brakes or that sweet and strong engine. Lovely. 

Our view 

This Renault Fuego GTS is a very rare beast indeed, the condition belies its 41 years, and it drives superbly due to being so well looked after. A very strong contender to be put in a museum or collection such is its condition but equally suited to be used on a regular basis, especially if you are near the many towns and cities that will be or have already introduced the ever-expanding ULEZ.