Through Cameroon in a makeshift Renault 16
05/13/2026
The historical test report on the Renault 16 TX reminded me of a rather adventurous tour in Cameroon. I was there to visit a friend and found an R16 in the backyard of a workshop that had been abandoned due to severe corrosion on the underbody and other technical defects. It was a late R16 model with twin carburetors and the local mechanics were unable to adjust it.
Using angle sections from an old metal shelf and wooden boards, the underbody was "repaired" and the driver's seat reattached. Some work was also necessary on the technology, but then the R16 ran again.
After I had got it running again, the car carried me more than 1000 km through the north-west of Cameroon. The exact distance could only be estimated due to the lack of a speedometer. On the way, the carburetor had to be cleaned twice and the stuck front left brake had to be "immobilized".
However, a lot of dust got into the interior through the remaining gaps in the underbody and I looked like a mealworm. But we had a lot of fun.
