Renault 10

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During the ‘50s and ‘60s, the formula of the three-box saloon with an engine in the rear was commonplace in Europe. No doubt influenced by the success of the VW Beetle, Renault had enjoyed a run of success with their diminutive Renault 750, Dauphine and subsequent updated 8 and 10 models.

The 845cc Renault 8 arrived in 1962, an upmarket 1,108cc model arriving three years later as the Renault 10, complete with faux wood, coat hooks and padded arm rests. True to form, they were softly sprung, had incredibly comfy seats and a fair turn of speed, over 85mph given a sufficiently long road.

A cavernous boot was included up front, which really could house any number of large cases and they were practical and reliable, if a little unconventional for conservative (note the small ‘c’) British tastes.

This superb 1965 10 shows an unsubstantiated, if entirely plausible 52,350 miles on the clock. The bodywork has survived remarkably well, an unusual state of affairs as they were known for their propensity to rust. We are told that this ‘round light’ model was only produced for one year, making this car rarer than rare and that it always draws crowds wherever it goes.

Packed full of idiosyncratic Renault features – anyone who has driven a Renault 4 of the period will understand – this super French odyssey comes with a V5C, brochure and two handbooks and has spent the last few years in a private collection where it has lived in a Carcoon. Its last MOT expired in March 2015 (which had no advisories), although it will require some recommissioning work before use once more, particularly in the area of the brakes which ceased to work when it was being loaded onto the transporter – better at that point we say. It has recently had a new battery fitted.

Renaults of this period are now very much 'on trend' and we suspect you won't find a better one, or indeed another one at all any time soon.