There’s a Renault 25 Baccara for sale on eBay – and you should buy it*
It’s there, writ large at the top of the description for the Renault 25 Baccara for sale ad.
“Divorce forces sale.”
I would give my one remaining kidney to own a Renault 25 Baccara, but I’d be risking a divorce of my own if I travelled up to Lancashire to trailer the old barge home. For the avoidance of doubt, that’s a reference to the car and not my wife…
The Renault 25 is an increasingly rare beast in the UK – and none more so than the Baccara. How Many Left would suggest there are no cars left on the road, with a further eight listed as SORN. If you own a tax and tested Renault 25 Baccara and can disprove these figures, get in touch.
As a 1991 car, this would have been one of the last Renault 25s sold in the UK before it made way for the Safrane. It’s a facelift model, so it lacks the avant-garde styling of the original Renault 25 styling, but in this day and age, beggars can’t be choosers.
Interior music
Besides, the Gandini-designed cabin is a haven of French flair and eccentricity. Stick Oxygène in the tape deck, perch a Gitanes on the ashtray and set the cruise control to 130km/h.
Only you can’t, because a separate advert on Car & Classic suggests the cruise control is the only thing that doesn’t work. At least that was the case when the Renault was last on the road in 2012.
The dashboard has more buttons than Jean-Michel Jarre’s synthesiser – and is marginally less complicated to repair when things go wrong – while the bodywork looks in remarkably good shape. The Baccara trim ensures it’s ready for the ambassador’s reception.
At the time of writing, the bidding has reached £560 – which is around a third of the price it’s listed for on Car & Classic.
Geometry of love
My heart says bid, but my head (and kidney) says stay away. Quite how I managed to secure the Camry and Safrane remains an unsolved mystery. Arriving home with another potentially troublesome Baccara could result in me spending the rest of the 2020 living in Elaine Beige.
If one of your new year’s resolutions was to buy and restore a faithful old barge, this is the car for you. Do it for the sake of the French car community. Do it for yourself. But above all else, do it for the sake of my marriage. Merci beaucoup.
*Probably
Hat tip to Ryan Patrick of Alt- Cars for the heads up.
2 Comments
That would be a lovely one to do, but has the wrong gearbox for me and hideously complicated. While we fixed the Volvo’s speedo on the 30th by snipping one incorrect earth, and it burst into life. However I believe the only time that would ever happen on a 25 is in a cruel dream (read nightmare) brought on by the Tat Gods to torment you for their pleasure. That being said, in the past few days I have been developing a craving for the 25, and it does look gorgeous in the Baccara spec, but unsure if I would prefer it over a really early one and/or turbo. However, it does bear a striking resemblance to the early Saab 9000 hatch, squint and you’ll see it:
25:
https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/gallery/RENAULT-25-2029_9.jpg
Saab:
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/wp-content/uploads//2011/07/Saab9000_05_700.jpg
The Renault 25 GTX 2.2 does look lovely though, if I ever move to France…
https://petrolblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/renault_25_4.jpg
I think the acquisition of this car is out of the question, my parents were in despair the other day when I got really excited at spotting a Citroen BX in Salisbury, and after trying to defend the reliability of that car, a 25 may just be pushing it…
That’s a wonderful picture of the R25.
Swoon.