Renault Fuego

Renault Fuego at a glance

Built from the Renault 18 parts bin

Renault needed a successor to the 15 and 17 coupés and, to keep costs down, based it on the new Renault 18. The Fuego took over its floorpan and drivetrain, and front suspension parts came from the larger 20 and 30. Its name, Spanish for "fire", made it the first Renault since the Dauphine to carry a name instead of a number.

Wind-tunnel work shaped the body. Its drag coefficient of 0.34 was the best in Renault's range at the time, and the large glazed tailgate gave access to a boot of 338 litres, or 781 litres with the rear seat folded. The car measured 4,358 mm long and 1,315 mm high on a 2,443 mm wheelbase. Motoring writer Leonard Setright praised it as roomy, aerodynamically efficient and beautiful.

The car went on sale with the TL and GTL, using the 1,397 cc engine of the Renault 18, and the GTS with the 1,647 cc alloy unit. The TX and GTX with the 1,995 cc Douvrin engine from the Renault 20 followed in 1981.

PLIP locking and the fastest diesel

The Fuego is credited with the first infrared remote central locking on a production car, introduced in 1982 for the 1983 model year. The system was invented by Paul Lipschutz, whose name gave it the PLIP label still used in France.

The second record came from the diesel. The 2,068 cc turbo diesel, sold only in some left-hand-drive markets and never in Britain, produced 65 kW (88 PS) and 181 Nm. Renault advertised it as the fastest diesel coupé of its time; top speed is quoted at 175 km/h by Wikipedia FR and 180 km/h by Renault's heritage site, so figures vary. A bonnet bulge and "Turbo D" badges identify it.

Performance data come from Wikipedia FR. Auto Express and Car & Classic give the Turbo 9.3 s from 0-60 mph.

Phase 2 and the Fuego Turbo

The 1984 model year brought a softer nose, revised bumpers and a "visor" dashboard on left-hand-drive cars. The new top model was the Turbo, with a 1,565 cc engine producing 97 kW (132 PS), seven more than the same unit in the Renault 18 Turbo. It came with four-wheel disc brakes, BBS honeycomb alloy wheels, a trip computer, electric mirrors and "Turbo" side decals, and cost FF 89,500 in 1984, just below the Renault 5 Turbo 2 at FF 95,000. The range was then trimmed to the GTS and Turbo in Britain.

Sales had already passed their peak. The Fuego was the best-selling coupé in Europe from 1980 to 1982 and the top-selling coupé in Britain in 1981 and 1982. In the United States, AMC dealers sold it from 1982 to 1985 from a base price of USD 8,495, but by 1984 dealers needed rebates of up to USD 1,000.

Rivals and the Argentine afterlife

Auto Express lists the Opel Manta, Toyota Celica, Ford Capri and Volkswagen Scirocco as the Fuego's rivals. A Heuliez convertible was shown at the Paris Motor Show in October 1982 but did not reach production, and a Fuego II was cancelled.

French production at Maubeuge ended in October 1985, Spain built the car into 1986, and the last cars were sold in Europe in 1987. Renault offered no direct coupé successor until the Laguna Coupé of 2008, a version of the car covered in our Renault Laguna guide. Argentina kept going: Santa Isabel built 19,352 cars from March 1982 to 1992, ending with the GTA Max of 1990, whose 2.2-litre engine tuned by Berta produced 90 kW (123 PS). Argentine Fuegos won eight consecutive TC2000 championships from 1986 to 1993. The company's wider story is in our history of Renault.

Renault Fuego today: what to check when buying

Corrosion is the main risk. Check the sills, front and rear wheel arches and rear quarter panels, and the door bottoms, which rot from inside when the drain holes block. The paint on the leading edge of the bonnet and front wings chips easily. At the back, the plastic tailgate finisher suffers from the high loading lip, and the release lever in the driver's door jamb should work.

Mechanically the Fuego is simple. Blue exhaust smoke points to worn rings or bores, leaking dampers and tired bushes are common, and the power steering fitted to some GTS, GTX and Turbo models can leak. Engines and running gear are shared with the Renault 18, 20 and others, so they are easy to source, while Fuego-specific panels, trim and glass are hard to find. Car & Classic notes that some markets recalled the cars for a steering-wheel fault, and that French and Belgian cars are often in better condition than British survivors.

Values remain modest. Planète Renault (updated April 2024) puts restoration projects below EUR 2,000 and good cars at EUR 5,000 to EUR 7,500, and Classic.com records a 1982 GTL sold in Paris for EUR 6,160 in November 2025. The current range is in our Renault catalogue, and other coupés of the era are in the classic cars section.