The Renault 17, a distinctive French coupe from the 1970s, may not be a household name, but it’s one that invokes nostalgia for a generation of auto enthusiasts. Born from a decade defined by daring designs, disco, and social change, the Renault 17 has been revived as a modern restomod by French designer Ora Ïto. This sleek reinterpretation blends retro charm with contemporary automotive advancements, giving new life to a car that helped define an era.
Table of Contents
The Renault 17: A Snapshot of 1970s Style and Culture
Renault launched the 17 in 1971, aiming to carve a niche in the competitive European market for sporty coupes. The 1970s were a time when the auto industry was pivoting from pure muscle to cars that could balance performance with style and sophistication. While Renault had a reputation for building practical cars, the 17 was different. This car was about flair.
The car was a sporty, fastback coupé produced by Renault until 1979. It shared its underpinnings with the Renault 12 but distinguished itself with angular styling, a choice of 1.3L and 1.6L inline-four engines, and either four-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmissions.
The Renault 17 TS and Gordini models offered up to 108 horsepower, enhancing performance. Known for its distinctive headlight arrangement and comfortable ride, the Renault 17 carved a niche in European markets and saw limited success in motorsports and the U.S. market
The Renault 17 featured angular lines, a fastback roof, and wraparound rear glass, fitting right into the aesthetics of a decade that embraced bold shapes and experimental designs. For Renault, this car represented a shift toward more adventurous, sporty models.
The 1970s were also a period of immense cultural shifts. Disco ruled the airwaves, personal expression was at the forefront, and the youth were embracing freedom—whether that was on the dance floor or the open road. The Renault 17 captured this spirit with its fresh design and appeal to younger drivers.
Key Specs: A Look at the Renault 17
While the Renault 17 was a far cry from the high-powered American muscle cars of the same era, it had enough charm under the hood to make an impact. Initially available with a 1.6-liter inline-four engine, the 17 was modest by performance standards, offering between 90 and 108 horsepower, depending on the trim and engine variant.
It wasn’t the fastest on the road, but its lightweight build made it nimble and responsive, especially in European urban settings where agility was often more important than outright speed.
The Renault 17 Gordini, a performance-oriented version, brought extra excitement. Named after Renault’s celebrated racing tuner, Amédée Gordini, this model featured fuel injection and other upgrades to boost performance. With a five-speed manual transmission, the Gordini trim was aimed at driving enthusiasts, offering a more engaging experience behind the wheel.
Standard features in the 17 included front disc brakes, independent suspension, and a focus on driver comfort, traits that stood out in the 1970s and helped the car appeal to a broader market. The combination of modest power and lightweight construction gave the Renault 17 a lively, enjoyable drive.
Ora Ïto’s Restomod: Bridging Past and Present
Ora Ïto’s modern restomod of the Renault 17 isn’t just a homage to the past; it’s a visionary redesign that takes the car into the future. The restomod keeps the signature angular lines of the original but wraps them in futuristic curves and high-end materials. The result is a car that looks as though it has been plucked from a science fiction film—timeless yet forward-thinking.
Ïto’s take on the Renault 17 is minimalistic yet refined, with sleek LED lights replacing the dated halogen bulbs and an interior stripped down to its essentials. The restomod maintains the lightweight philosophy of the original, swapping out dated materials for carbon fiber and aluminum.
While Ora Ïto hasn’t revealed the full performance specs, the new Renault 17 is expected to offer electric power, embracing sustainability without losing the fun factor of the original.
The Cultural Revival of Restomods
This transformation of the Renault 17 is part of a broader cultural revival seen in the restomod scene. Cars from the 1970s and 80s are being rediscovered and revitalized for the modern era. Auto enthusiasts who grew up idolizing these vehicles are now in a position to bring them back to life, blending nostalgia with cutting-edge technology.
In particular, the Renault 17 holds a unique place in history, representing the post-oil crisis automotive landscape where efficiency, design, and innovation took precedence over sheer power.
As restomods gain popularity, they serve as bridges between generations—allowing classic cars like the Renault 17 to be appreciated by today’s drivers, who demand both style and environmental responsibility.
Ora Ïto’s restomod of the Renault 17 is a masterclass in reinterpreting an icon. It revives the bold, expressive spirit of the 1970s while looking firmly to the future.
The Renault 17, with its distinctive style and cultural significance, is no longer a forgotten relic of the past. Thanks to this modern reimagining, it’s once again turning heads on the road, bringing together automotive history and future-forward design in one sleek package.
Renault Group is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company currently produces a range of cars and vans. It has manufactured trucks, tractors, tanks, buses/coaches, aircraft and aircraft engines, as well as autorail vehicles. Renault is known for its role in motor sport, particularly rallying, Formula 1 and Formula E. Its early work on mathematical curve modeling for car bodies is significant in the history of computer graphics.
The multidisciplinary, transversal Ora ïto studio has since gone from telephone to architecture, from furniture to the hotel industry, from perfume to tramways and from flying saucers to restaurants, manipulating symbols to simplify them. A tenacious methodology for which he has invented a neologism: simplexity, decoding today’s DNA to conceptualise future mutations. His fluid vocabulary materialises movement reinventing streamlining in the digital era and giving shape to the desires of our contemporary society.
Article Last Updated: September 23, 2024.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Veteran writer, photographer, and content creator, Michael is the new publisher of The Weekly Driver. He has a passion for road trips off the beaten path, exploring the combination of technology and cars, and driving all over the world in search of good food.
