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Renault 15 GTL - the cheeky and extravagant French coupé

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Created on November 27, 2016

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Bruno von Rotz

44

Renault/Werk

11

Archiv

28

Bruno von Rotz

44

Renault/Werk

11

Archiv

28

Renault 15 GTL (1977) - with sporty trim strip

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - a typical contemporary witness of the seventies

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - 4.26 meters long

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - generously dimensioned window areas

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - looks almost timeless

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - lots of black at the rear

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - clearly a model from the second series, as can be seen from the design of the front end

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - second series with enlarged rear window

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - immediately recognizable despite simple design language

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - 1.63 meters wide

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - continuous light strip at the rear, but without lamps in the middle

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - the beautiful aluminum wheels were available at an extra charge back then

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - the tailgate opens up to the light strip

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - the GTL was the better equipped version of the TL

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - when you still had really colorful upholstery

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - blue plush covers enhance the color effect even more

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - lots of plastic, but not at all unattractive

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - Dashboard in the style of the Renault 30

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - clearly drawn main instruments

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - the clock was standard in the GTL

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - still a real gearshift

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - the operation is no headache

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - Plush covers for the seats, but the color underneath is hardly any different

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - comfortable looking rear seats, but somewhat difficult to reach

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - Interior door panel

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - the engine is installed lengthwise and far forward

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - the in-line four-cylinder engine delivers 60 DIN hp

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - robust engine technology

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - twin carburetor

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - Chassis badge

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - Serial number

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - the trademark, the rhombus

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - the large rectangular headlights of the second series

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - during the transition from the first to the second series, the front headlights became significantly larger

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - clearly labeled

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - Power Dome

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - Air ducting in the hood

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - no door handles, but recessed grips

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - frameless windows in the front doors

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - Fuel filler cap left rear

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - matching adhesives

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - clearly labeled

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - enough space in the trunk

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Renault 15 TS (1971) - straightforward lines

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Renault 15 TL (1971) - the see-through drawing reveals the technical solutions

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Renault 15 TS (1971) - the coupé measures 4.2 meters in length

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Renault 15 TL (1971) - the four-cylinder engine in the coupé

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Renault 15 TL (1971) - pretty front-wheel drive coupé from France

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Renault 15 TL (1971) - the cheaper R15 version behind the classier R17 variant

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Renault 17 (1973) - 1973 model with minor changes

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Renault 17 (1971) - cutaway model, the structure was identical for R15 and R17

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Renault 17 (1971) - with large drop roof

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Renault 17 (1971) - beautifully staged

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Renault 17 (1971) - twin headlights for the more expensive version

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Renault 17 (1971) - sporty rear end

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Renault 17 TS (1971) - the design of the C-pillar was different on the R17 than on the R15

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Renault 17 (1971) - compact sports coupé

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Renault 17 (1971) - a coupé based on the large series

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Renault 17 TL (1971) - on the beach with company

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Renault 17 (1971) - the roll-up roof almost turns the coupé into a convertible

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Renault 17 (1971) - silhouette representation

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Renault 17 TS (1971) - Cockpit of the sportiest version

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Renault 17 (1971) - in the background the Renault R15

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Renault 17 TL (1971) - good space, at least for children, in the rear

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Renault 17 TL (1971) - Transparency drawing

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Renault 15 (1971) - Front wheel suspension of the R15 TS, R17 TL and R17 TS models

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Renault 17 TS (1971) - on different views and with dimensions

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Renault 15 (1976) - new radiator face for the sporty coupés 15/17 - Geneva Motor Show 1976

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Renault 15 TS at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show - sporty front-wheel drive R15 and R17

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Renault 17 TL at the Geneva Motor Show 1972 - Side view of the Renault Coupé R17

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Renault 17 TL (1973) - on the Renault stand, the 5 TL, 12 TS and 17 TL models turn and open and close their doors - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Renault 15 TL (1973) - in the early version, the entire radiator grille was still chrome-rimmed

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Renault 15 TL (1973) - simplest version before the facelift

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Renault 15 TL (1976) - after the facelift, with larger headlights

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Renault 15 GTL (1979) - in the last year of construction, still with 60 hp

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Renault 15 GTL (1978) - with the practical rear hatch

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Renault 17 TS (1978) - sporty version with folding roof

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Renault 17 TS (1978) - can only be distinguished from the weaker variants by the lettering at the rear

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Renault Fuego GTL (1980) - elegant coupé based on the R18

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Renault Fuego GTS (1980) - bright red

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Renault Fuego Turbo (1982) - with more power thanks to turbocharging

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Renault Fuego Turbo (1983) - a 200 km/h car

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Renault 15 GTL (1977) - the square headlights and the shape of the bumpers give it character

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Summary

From 1971 to 1979, Renault built the coupé models 15 and 17. With its unconventional shape and many borrowings from the Group's modular system, the four-seater won the hearts of many Francophile sports car fans on a tight budget. The entry-level model produced just 60 hp, but hardly looked any less sporty than the 108 hp Gordini top version. What does it look like some 40 years later? Can the 1.3-liter coupé still impress? This driving report portrays a Renault 15 GTL and tells the story of the extravagant coupé, illustrated with current and historical pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

A GT from Renault
The Renault 12 as a basis
Unconventional design
Unequal siblings
Motorization made to measure
Train number?
Is the cheapest the best?
Eight years of construction
Fire as successor
At the wheel of an R1300
Further information

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Will they one day be as sought-after as the rare cars of the fifties and sixties are today? We are talking about the affordable cars of the seventies, which have long since disappeared from our roads and are now rarer than many a highly prized Ferrari. One example of this is the unmistakable Renault 15, which, together with the Renault 17, set out in 1971 to inherit the Renault Caravelle and face competition from the Opel Manta, Ford Capri and Fiat 128 Coupé. In July 1971, Renault presented the new sporty models 15 and 17 for the first time. The car manufacturer from Paris wanted to profit from the sporting laurels that were mainly due to the Alpine and Gordini entries on rally and race tracks. As a considerable niche had remained open in the Renault range since the end of Caravelle production in 1968, a four-seater, sporty and elegant vehicle concept was the obvious choice. It was probably due to American safety hysteria that a convertible was not included in the considerations.

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