The easiest way to talk about the R16 in this eBay ad would be to rave about how much confit de canard and wine that tastes like raspberry jam you can fit in the sizeable hatch area while you drove around town wearing a mime outfit on your way to a Jerry Lewis appreciation event at the Franco-American Cultural Center. But let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment – that asshole drives a 2CV.


You’d have to be way weirder than that Marcel Marceau-looking mofo in the 2CV to pull this R16 off. Simple French cliches just aren’t going to cut the Grey Poupon. First of all, you’ll need a lot of tweed in your wardrobe. Scratch that – everything in your closet needs to be tweed. This includes your underoos.

If you haven’t driven a French car from this vintage, I won’t mislead you by saying they’re quick or handle as well as even a Kia Rio, but they do have an unbelievable totality of the driving experience thing going on. The strangely plush suspension with gobs of body roll that somehow sticks to a corner harder than it has any right to. Throne-like seats. Quirky switchgear that is surprisingly entertaining to use. And with the R16, a very usable hatch area. But you already know this, and that’s why you’re not going to sour the experience by insisting on wearing a goddamn beret every time you’re driving it like it was some kind of medal you were awarded for being a cliched asshat. Using it to transport a case of Pernod home, however, is acceptable.
eBay Motors