Renault 12
Design
In January 1964, the Styling Center began the design of the 117 model. This was a new model to bridge the gap between the Renault 8 and the Renault 16. The demands for Project 117 were:Body
The Renault 12's design dates back to the genesis of the Renault 16; indeed, some initial R16 concept designs resemble the R12 more than the ultimate design of the R16. However, the R12 was technically quite different from either the R16 or the smaller Renault 4. Like all new Renaults at the time the car had front wheel drive, but the R12 had a very different layout from Renault's existing front wheel drive models. The engine was placed longitudinally ahead of the front wheels, while it was behind the wheels on the R4 and R16.At the time of its launch in October 1969 at the Paris Motor Show, the Renault 12 was only available as a 4-door saloon, in L and TL specifications. The more expensive TL featured two separate reclining front seats instead of one front bench seat, armrests on the doors, lights in the boot and glovebox, a heated rear window, and extra warning lights.
Engine
It would have been a simple matter to install the light weight engine from the Renault 16 in the Renault 12, and this was later done for some high-end versions. However Renault had successfully built European market share since 1945 by competing aggressively on price. In the closely contested 1300 cc category it was left to the new Peugeot 304 to attract customers willing to pay a premium price, while for the Renault 12, at launch, the aluminium block of the Renault 16 was rejected on cost grounds. Instead, Renault specified an enlarged version of the iron Cléon unit, used since 1962 in the Renault 8/10. The engine's size was increased to 1289 cc for use in the 12. Listed power output was SAE which provided for a respectable top speed of 145 km/h.The new version of the five-bearing engine initially fitted on the Renault 12 retained the removable cylinder liners that Renault had long favoured. It rejected the "oversquare" cylinder dimensions that had become fashionable with some European auto-makers during the 1960s. Many components, such as the oil pump and the distributor were unchanged, while others, including the cylinder head, the valve gear and the engine block itself were only minimally updated. The only completely reworked elements were the cylinder liners, the connecting rods, the pistons themselves and the crankshaft. In the 1962 version of the engine the cylinders had been unevenly spaced in two groups of two, but in this new application they were equidistant in order to allow for the cylinder diameter, here increased to 73 mm, to be combined with space for sufficient coolant to circulate around the cylinders.
The longitudinal placement of the engine, most of its mass positioned ahead of the front wheels, allowed the R12 to have a very simple design of the gear-selector that was placed on the floor of the car, and not on the dashboard as with the R4 or on the steering column as with the R16. On the early cars the handle to operate the handbrake was placed under the dashboard. The handbrake was later relocated to a position between the two front seats.
Suspension
The R12's suspension also differed from that of the R4 and R16, using a rigid rear axle as opposed to four-wheel independent suspension. The use of a rigid rear axle from a manufacturer that had championed all-round independent suspension for twenty-five years was seen by many commentators as a retrograde step.Later developments
In 1970, two new variants were introduced. The estate was launched with the same trim levels and engines as in the saloon and a high-performance Renault 12 Gordini model was introduced equipped with the all-aluminium 1565 cc block from the R16 TS fitted with two double-barrel Weber carburettors producing, a reinforced crankshaft, a five-speed gearbox, ventilated disc brakes on the front wheels and normal disc brakes on the rear wheels, as well as a tuned suspension. The Gordini was able to reach and was sold with paint schemes comprising a solid pastel colour with double white stripes added on, the most famous combination being French Blue with stripes. 2225 Renault 12 Gordinis were sold in 1971 but after that, sales began a freefall. Renault stopped production of the Gordini in 1974 after 5188 had been sold.In October 1972, the more upmarket R12 TS was introduced. It used the same 1289 cc engine as in other R12s, but was equipped with a single, double barrel Weber carburettor, which increased power to and raised the top speed to. Aesthetically, the car was distinguishable from other R12s by its special Gordini-style wheels, a chrome strip along the side of the car, and in some countries, two extra headlights. The TS also featured integrated headrests, a tachometer and a cooling-fluid temperature gauge. October 1972 was also when the hand brake lever was relocated from a position ahead of the driver to a floor-mounted location between the front seats. This became possible because now, even on the base "L" version of the car, after the front bench seat was replaced by two individual seats.
In October 1973, at the Paris Motor Show, the R12 TR appeared. This model slotted between the TL and TS, and had automatic transmission as standard. This three-speed, torque converter unit was developed by Renault themselves and was notable for being electronically controlled. It had already been available in the Renault 16 for a few years, and in the 15/17 coupés since several months earlier.
The whole range was facelifted in 1975 with a simplified grille, new rear lamps and dashboard. The Renault 12's successor, the Renault 18, was launched in 1978, but French production of the Renault 12 continued for two more years in spite of its successor's instant popularity.
Across the world
The 12 was a global car, built in at least a dozen countries and marketed across all continents. It was even the basis for the GNW Duiker, a stillborn sporting convertible with a fiberglass body intended as the beginning of a Rhodesian national car project. The bankers disagreed and the plug was pulled in late 1972. A few examples seem to have been built.Romania
acquired the tooling and basic designs of the Renault 12 and manufactured it in various body styles in Romania, as the Dacia 1300, between 1969 and 1979. Also, the successor of this car, named Dacia 1310, was based on Dacia 1300. The production of the 1310 started in 1979 and stopped in 2004.The 35 years of production saw the manufacturing of a total of 1,959,730 vehicles plus, between 1975 and 2006, a total of 318,969 vehicles belonging to the range that came to be known under the generic name of Dacia Pick-Up.
Turkey
A Renault 12-based car was made in Turkey by Oyak-Renault between 1971 and 2000. The earlier models were similar to the original R12, then the car underwent a facelift in 1989 and was marketed under the name Renault Toros until it was discontinued due to stricter European emissions standards coming into effect. The name "Toros" has a dual etymology: one is the Taurus Mountains, the other is the submodel designation TS. Sold as a sedan or a station wagon, it has a 1.4 litre carburetted C1J engine with and came with either a four- or a five-speed transmission.Renault 12 is the first Turkish-built automobile to be exported abroad and started to be exported to Lebanon in 1973. Turkish-built Renault 12s also exported to Algeria, Azerbaijan, Congo, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Northern Cyprus, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia and Upper Volta.
Australia
The Renault 12 won Australia's Wheels magazine's Car of the Year award in 1970. It was built at Renault Australia's assembly plant in the Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg from CKD kits. Various components such as seats were sourced locally.The Australian range generally followed the UK models, including the facelift but, from about 1971, when new Australian Design Rules were introduced, had to have a special local wiper mechanism with a conventional right hand drive pattern. This also affected locally assembled Peugeot 504 and Triumph 2.5 models. By the mid-1970s, local parts content had increased to represent about fifty percent.
In October 1976 the 1,289 cc engine was replaced by a larger capacity 1,397 cc version; the new model was marketed as the Renault 1.4 Litre, sometimes referred to simply as the "Renault 1.4". This model incorporated the same facelift introduced in France earlier in the year, with a new grille and dashboard. The 1.4 engine had hitherto been reserved for the Swedish and Canadian markets and was equipped with various emissions controls equipment, allowing it to meet the new ADR27A emissions requirements. While heavier than the 1.3-liter Renault 12XL, power also increased by about ten percent, with torque figures up 13 percent. It produced a modest at 5750 rpm, with a maximum speed of 150 km/h and returned around 9 litres / 100 km in mixed driving. The Renault 1.4 saloon weighed, while the station wagon was somewhat heavier.
In May 1978 it was renamed again and became the Renault Virage. This was identical to the 12, with no changes to the engine or performance, but incorporated twin round headlamps. Production in Australia ended in 1980.