These days we are slowly trying to move away from the throwaway society. Fortunately, there are some people who have already got the hang of it. Yvon Parot is careful with his possessions. His Olympic-class sailing boat, which he bought in 1980, is proof of this. And that in turn is towed by the Renault 15 GTL, the dream car of his father, who retired in 1978.
This Renault 15 GTL was registered on 29 July 1977 at the Renault garage Viard in Langres. It remained there as a demonstration car until 25 May a year later. By then it had covered 9,700 km. It was Marcel Parot who gave himself the brown metallic coupé as a retirement gift. He had always dreamed of owning a coupé and now he had the chance to make that dream come true. Because of his large family with eight children, Marcel mainly drove during breaks. Now he saw his chance to buy a real car. It remained his proud possession until the day he died.
Then his wife offered the car to a grandchild, a son of Yvon Parot. "My son had just got his driving licence. Of course, my mother was very kind to give him the Renault 15. But he soon went off to study in Paris and having a car then became more of a burden than a pleasure. My brother wanted to take it to the scrap yard, but because my son had left the papers with his grandmother, the car was saved from the scrap yard. In short, the car came to me.
In 2007, Yvon began the project of restoring the Renault to its former glory. "I started with the mechanicals. For me, it had to drive well first, then the exterior. The car was now 30 years old and after my work on the brakes, cooling system and engine, it was running like a dream".
It was time for Yvon to tackle the body. He did all the work himself. Except for the repainting, which he left to a specialist. Any connoisseur knows that the upholstery of many Renaults of that era was not made to last. He bought new cushions and had the whole thing reupholstered. Yvon: "It was not easy to find an upholstery material that was close to the original. In the end it was velour, which is much better quality. The floor and door panels are still original".
Photo: The dashboard of the Renault 15 Phase II is completely different from that of the first edition.
The Renault 15 GTL now has around 140,000 km on the clock. That's 26,000 km since Yvon took care of the car. If you deduct the dealer's mileage, Marcel Parot has clocked up more than a hundred thousand kilometres.
Yvon is very proud to have saved his father's car. He loves driving it to events and outings with friends. His only regret is that it does not have a five-speed gearbox.
Photo: Yvon gave his father's car a thorough overhaul, first technically, then inside and out.
Not only the car, but also the trailer with the sailboat hanging behind it, prove that Yvon is careful with his things. It is a 470 racing boat, built in 1975 by the Roga company in Spain. This type of sailboat is still used in the Olympic class. Yvon took part in regional races and the Championnat de France. He bought the boat in 1980, so he has been frugal here too.
Does he think that the car and the boat will have a future in his own family? Yvon: "Yes, one grandson is crazy about the 470, while another grandson is a budding car enthusiast who loves nothing more than seeing old cars at events. So it's a good combination".
As this Renault 15 GTL was registered in May 1977, it is one of the later examples of the 1977 model year. On the outside, this is immediately apparent from the steel wheels with grey plastic hub caps. These came from the Renault 12 TS Phase II and were also used on the 15 GTL when the 15/17 facelift was introduced. The more basic 15 TL only has hub caps.
Another important clue is the beige metallic colour, which only appeared on the price list for the 1977 model year, combined with a chestnut fabric.
Phase II of the Renault 15 had even more unique features. For example, the grille and headlights were separated. Also, the chrome bumper with its wide edge was only at the bottom of the front, whereas on the first generation it went all the way round and had two bumper blocks. The headlights are larger than on the first generation.
The bonnet has lost the central groove and the front wings are different again, with the lower section behind the bumper removed.
At the rear, there are also several details that refer to the second edition. This starts with the boot lid. Where the window used to be recessed, it now sits at the same level as the bodywork. Furthermore, the flap ends at the bottom in a black rubber spoiler with the badge on it (not on the TL). To make the whole look harmonious, the rear lights are connected by a red reflector edge, making it look as if the lights run across the whole width.
Finally, the rear bumper has chrome sides, but is otherwise all black, where the edge used to be light grey. The reflectors in the bumper have been moved to the light bar. All in all, quite a change, and we haven't even mentioned the interior.
Photo: The upholstery of the Renault 15 GTL has been completely renewed.
While the basic TL version of the Renault 15 still uses the first generation seats without headrests, both the 15 and the 17 get seats with fixed headrests from the GTL onwards. The seats look very attractive at first sight. The backrest is narrow and extends into the integrated headrests. Halfway down the sides there are separate lumbar supports. The seat follows suit, with two separate supports at the front. With the seat extended in this way, the seats provide excellent support even for tall people. No wonder the Alpine A310 V6 uses the same seats. On the back of the seats, against the headrests, is the lever for folding the backrest forward. The horizontal bars worked into the fabric are also found on the rear seats.
Some details have been retained, such as the retractable ashtray in the centre of the rear seat. On the GTL the door panels are a little more luxurious with chrome trim.
Photo: The familiar 1.3 litre Cléon engine is taken 1:1 from the Renault 12 TS.
Another important feature in the second generation of the Renault 15 (and 17) is the dashboard, which has been completely redesigned. Previously, these models had a dashboard with four clocks under separate covers. It looked very sporty. The dashboard body of a Phase II is much more angular, while the four clocks are fully integrated. Heating and ventilation controls were placed slightly higher and the centre console now ran flush with the front of the dashboard. It contains ventilation grilles and a recessed area for the radio. In between are the cigarette lighter and ashtray. The entire dashboard is black with chrome trim around the instrument cluster.
The gear lever is relatively long and it is easy to see that the 15 GTL is identical under the skin to a 12 TS. A sportier, shorter floor pan would not have been out of place.
Whereas in its first incarnation the Renault 15 was available with the 1.3-litre Cléon engine in the TL and the 1.6-litre in the TS, in Phase II the engine range is limited to the former. The familiar 1,289 cc four-cylinder with a twin choke carburettor produces 60 DIN hp and 91 Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm. Whether TL or GTL, the Renault 15's R-number remains R1300.
Although a coupé looks sporty, the 15 and 17 were never intended to be true sports cars. But with a modest weight of 965 kg, the car was still capable of reasonable performance, such as a top speed of 148 km/h.
In addition to the four-speed manual gearbox, a three-speed automatic was also available for the GTL version. The 13-inch wheels were always fitted with 145 R 13 tyres, very small by today's standards. The advantage is that these tyres have a relatively high profile which, together with the suspension and the chassis, makes for a comfortable ride.
Comfort and agility are the main characteristics of the Renault 15 GTL's handling. In the year 2023, the power and engine capacity seem very modest, but in the years when the car was available, it was considered to be something special that you didn't see every day on the road.
The driving position is remarkably low, which makes you feel short if you are of normal height. Nevertheless, from the driver's seat you have a good view of the bonnet, a bonnet with a bulge on the right-hand side that is really only needed for the Renault 17. But even such a detail gives the model a little extra cachet.
Unlike the Renault 17, the all-round visibility is generous. The window pillars are nice and narrow and the large rear side windows give plenty of visibility to all sides. These windows, one of the hallmarks of the Renault 15, can be opened from the inside for better ventilation.
In bends and on bumpy roads, the 15 GTL is mostly docile and certainly not sporty. The body tilts a little. Fortunately, the centre of gravity is lower than on the Renault 12.
With discs at the front and drums at the rear, the 15 GTL stops well, thanks to its modest weight and the standard servo assisted brakes.
Perhaps unintentionally, the 15 GTL can be counted among the brand's exotics. Production was discontinued in 1980.
Photo: Behind his Renault 15 GTL, Yvon Parot regularly hangs a trailer containing his Roga 470 racing sailboat. A well-matched combination that its owner cherishes.