diff --git a/pkgs/tools/networking/curl/configure-cxxcpp.patch b/pkgs/tools/networking/curl/configure-cxxcpp.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 5b8bc85cb15d..000000000000
--- a/pkgs/tools/networking/curl/configure-cxxcpp.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,21 +0,0 @@
-diff -ruN curl-7.12.2/configure curl-7.12.2-new/configure
---- curl-7.12.2/configure	2004-10-18 00:22:10.000000000 +0200
-+++ curl-7.12.2-new/configure	2004-12-09 13:58:57.670095179 +0100
-@@ -6835,11 +6835,12 @@
- if $ac_preproc_ok; then
-   :
- else
--  { { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: error: C++ preprocessor \"$CXXCPP\" fails sanity check
--See \`config.log' for more details." >&5
--echo "$as_me: error: C++ preprocessor \"$CXXCPP\" fails sanity check
--See \`config.log' for more details." >&2;}
--   { (exit 1); exit 1; }; }
-+  #{ { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: error: C++ preprocessor \"$CXXCPP\" fails sanity check
-+#See \`config.log' for more details." >&5
-+#echo "$as_me: error: C++ preprocessor \"$CXXCPP\" fails sanity check
-+#See \`config.log' for more details." >&2;}
-+   #{ (exit 1); exit 1; }; }
-+  :
- fi
- 
- ac_ext=cc
diff --git a/pkgs/tools/networking/curl/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/networking/curl/default.nix
index ec72529af5db..21866f02bc8a 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/networking/curl/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/networking/curl/default.nix
@@ -4,18 +4,19 @@ assert zlibSupport -> zlib != null;
 assert sslSupport -> openssl != null;
 
 stdenv.mkDerivation {
-  name = "curl-7.15.5";
+  name = "curl-7.16.2";
   src = fetchurl {
-    url = http://nix.cs.uu.nl/dist/tarballs/curl-7.15.5.tar.bz2;
-    md5 = "594142c7d53bbdd988e8cef6354eeeff";
+    url = http://curl.haxx.se/download/curl-7.16.2.tar.bz2;
+    sha256 = "18mzp56y8qhlvi27av7866mvsiyiigb7c5qdppjr8qizsj0kx0rf";
   };
   buildInputs =
-    (if zlibSupport then [zlib] else [])
-    ++ (if sslSupport then [openssl] else []);
-  patches = [./configure-cxxcpp.patch];
+    stdenv.lib.optional zlibSupport zlib ++
+    stdenv.lib.optional sslSupport openssl;
   configureFlags = "
     ${if sslSupport then "--with-ssl=${openssl}" else "--without-ssl"}
   ";
   CFLAGS = if stdenv ? isDietLibC then "-DHAVE_INET_NTOA_R_2_ARGS=1" else "";
+  CXX = "g++";
+  CXXCPP = "g++ -E";
   inherit sslSupport openssl;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}