The Renault 11 was part of a two-pronged approach to replacing the ill-fated 14. While it was popular across Europe when it was new, it has been mass-destroyed over the past couple of years and early examples like the one pictured below are becoming harder and harder to find.
We photographed this 11 GTL outside of a disaffected repair shop in the Ardèche department of France. The registration stickers on the windshield indicate it’s been off the road since 2008. Both license plates are missing but one of the insurance stickers on the windshield reveals the car’s original registration number was issued in 1985.
The 11 is actually in fairly good shape inside and out all things considered. The odometer reads a little over 94,000 kilometers (58,000 miles) which is not a lot for an 11, especially considering the 1.4-liter engine is one of Renault’s most robust units. Early 11s are too old to be used as cheap transportation by students and the like and they’re only sought-after by true, dyed-in-the-wool Renault enthusiasts so we highly doubt this one will be put back on the road any time soon.
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All looks neat and tidy – the exhaust looks almost new. I always liked the 9/11 – Renault at their best