Renault 16: Pioneering hatchback that's almost as rare as the French royal family

摘要

This Renault is almost totally forgotten now, yet it's one of the main reasons why most of us drive cars with a tailgate rather than a boot. Before 1965, when this inventive and adventurous family hatch arrived, most cars possessed a classical three-box silhouette - engine up front, passenger compartment in the middle, boot at the rear. Or if the rear end was where the engine lurked, the powertrain and luggage bay merely swapped positions.