France · R17 unveiled in 1971 · Renault heritage reference year 1972 · first-series body before the 1976 restyle

Renault 17 TL

The Renault 17 turned family-car mechanicals into a bold four-seat coupé with louvred rear quarters and four round headlamps.

Front-wheel-drive sport coupé

Exterior · Photo shows Representative 1973 Renault 17 TL, one model year later than the profiled 1972 first-series TL.. representative with explicit scope
Renault R17 TL (1073) pic-003.JPG · AlfvanBeem · CC0

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A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.

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A place in vehicle history

More than a set of wheels.

Renault unveiled the closely related 15 and 17 in 1971, both built from the Renault 12 platform but styled for different audiences. The 17 wore the more extroverted body: four round lamps, frameless doors, a visible central roll-over structure and louvres that shortened the rear-quarter windows. It was Renault’s first front-wheel-drive coupé. This profile fixes the early 1972 TL with the 1,565 cc carburetted engine; fuel injection, Gordini naming and the 1976 petal-shaped seats belong to other versions or years.

Look a little closer.

Renault renamed the 17 to 177 in Italy because 17 is considered unlucky there; in the United States, the family was sold under Sports Coupé naming.

Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.

Two coupés from one platform

The 15 and 17 were not simply trim levels. Gaston Juchet’s team gave the 15 a larger glass area and quieter character, while the 17 used louvres, four lamps and a bolder side treatment. Shared bones did not require identical personalities.

Source: The Originals Renault Museum · R17 TL ↗

The early dashboard is part of the identity

Early R17s used four individual visors above their instruments. Renault’s later 1976 cars added famous petal or wing seats, so using a later cabin image without a label would quietly merge two generations.

Source: The Originals Renault Museum · R17 TL ↗

Where these facts come from

Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.

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