BaT Renault Fuego 2.2

If you haven’t seen this yet, pardon my shameless plug as I am curating this sale (I work PT for Auto Technic, mostly for fun

beyond selling it though, the insane originality and rust free example was just too fantastic to pass up. It is actually quite fun to drive and I was hoping many would have stories about someone who owned one, or owning one themselves and it appears that happened! So many people have come by the shop and asked “UM is that a Fuego!?!?!?!”

what do you all think? Cool? Awful? Maybe the best left in existence?

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1985-renault-fuego-2/

 

I think it’s cool and awful. Awfully cool? Lol. Agreed it must be the best one left.

What sort of work do you do for the dealer?

 

I do most of the vintage and fun car online auction sales

 

A true story.
Had great sex with an ex who owned one in the 80's.
At the moment of ascending the peak she heard me yell Fuego and was not amused.

This car along with the subaru SVX and Izuzu Vehicross are show cars that got built

Thats a really clean example you have, probably one of one, whats the backstory to how it survived.

 

A US spec Fuego is even more amusing than a regular European one... Since the Fuego is essentially a rebodied Renault 18 it's far from a transaxle (which I understand as a rear gearbox, as in Ferrari Daytona or Nissan GTR) though; the Fuego is front engine / front wheel drive so the gearbox is directly coupled to the engine(with the clutch in-between obviously).
The most interesting Fuego is the turbo, but I'm not sure it made it to the States.

 

Being French I can’t like it because it’s a non turbo but those things were cool growing up


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There were plenty of Turbo Fuegos in Canada initially sold in tandem with naturally aspirated 1.8s??(I think). The last of the breed like the car above had the tutu.. A terrific shame the op car doesn’t have the fabric sunroof (umm, let me think about that…). Had an R18 wagon loaner for three months and it had the usual terrific ride and leather seats but bottom rung plastic everywhere. Had to assume the paint, trim and weatherstripping was applied by criminals one day out from the prison break. Nothing gave the impression it was going to avoid the crusher for long. We had quite a few customers with Renaults (they were popular around here), they were good business .

 

I think those are really cool. After high school, when I was looking to buy a car, it came down to the Fuego or a VW GTI. I drove them back to back, and the GTI was simply a better car in every way, both from a practicality point of view and more fun to drive. The Fuego would have been interesting, though, and this must be one of the best ones left.

The big sunroof that some of them had was really cool, but as a 35 year old used car, I can see that a non-sunroof version would be better.

 

The USA also got the Turbo Fuegos (a friend had one), and like all the turbo era 1980's cars from Chrysler we have to give thanks for them to François J. Castaing.
In hindsight that was a very fun time, shortly after the 'malaise' era of Jimmy Carter sucky late 1970's US cars with their huge bumpers, cataclysmic perverters and under-200-horsepower 5.7L V8's!
We chose the Dodge Omni GLH Turbo as the antidote for those times, and eventually had the best variant of that breed...the 1986 Shelby GLH-S.

Thanks for the memories

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I thought all Fuegos in the US were turbo? Apparently not... it's been a long time!

I distinctly remember turbo lag in the one I drove.

 

If it was actually a non-turbo Fuego, the lag was......forever

Both versions were sold in the US.

 

I always liked that era Renault styling. I got my mother to buy a 18i for wich she never forgave me Honestly the 18I she had made it to over 200,000 miles before she sold it and used the same motor as the Fuego non turbo. The 2.2 motors they sold in the US later were horid and liked to blow out head gaskets every 50,000 miles or so.

 

Not a Fuego, but had an 87 Renault Alliance GTA.
Very fun. Neat styling. Called it the Appliance...https://images.app.goo.gl/rqpeMFghgkgw1N8b8