Fraternal twins

It was 1952 when the American Willys Overland (Kaiser) company set foot on Brazilian soil to start up local production of Jeeps. The slow-growing passenger car market was developing around compact models mainly, while the manufacturer only had a large 6-cylinder saloon model - the Aero Willys - in development. But a warm relationship between Willys Overland do Brasil and Renault grew. Renault happened to be looking for a partner in Brazil also, with the idea to produce cars locally. That became the Dauphine of which some 75,000 were built between 1959 and 1968. During that very same period the car market developed drastically with growing figures every year. Willys Overland’s plan was to come up with an extra model, positioned between the Aero Willys and the Dauphine.

Lots of money was needed for the development of the new car and director William Max Pearce took the plunge by visiting the head office in Oakland (California) to ask for 7.5 million dollars in order to set up his ‘Project M’. However, he didn’t meet the board’s approval and, disillusioned, decided to fly back to Brazil. But then, on the night before his departure, he opened a fortune cookie in a Chinese restaurant, which would made him change his mind. The words read: ‘It’s easy to open a store, it’s the challenge to keep it opened’. Pierce cancelled his flight, went back to Kaiser on the next morning and eventually got what he wanted: approval to develop the new car.

It had to be an affordable car and that is why he contacted Renault of France. Renault had been developing a car in the mid-sixties, which had made it to the market in 1969 as the Renault 12. And it was that particular car, which fitted in perfectly with the wishes of the Brazilians. Engineer Marcos Mello from Willys Overland do Brasil left his native Brazil for more than a year to France to participate in the development of the Project M in France.

Above, a red four-door Ford Corcel of the first type. Below, a Renault 12 photographed at the same angle.

Over in São Paulo, Losange Magazine meets up with Sergio Minervini. Sergio is a mayor collector and connoisseur of the Ford Corcel - the car that became the result of this unlikely alliance. Ford took over Willys Overland do Brasil just before the Corcel made it to the market. And that was the reason why this car, developed by Renault and Willys Overland, never wore the names of either of these companies. Sergio: “My love for the Corcel started in 1978 when my father gave me a white Corcel coupé. This was a one-year old car with just 13,000kms on the clock, which was meant to keep me mobile during my studies. I cherished the car from the very start and only drove some 6,000kms in 40 years time with it.”

Not far from his house Sergio keeps his collection of several dozen Corcels of all sorts and styles, colours and years. He stores them in a number of stables. The first car we meet up with is a red four-door saloon of 1970-vintage, with its odometer reading out just 8,897kms. The dealer’s stickers are still on the body.

Sergio continues: "The Corcel was the first car in Brazil to have disc brakes on the front wheels as a standard. A collapsible steering column was another first, as was the closed cooling system. The chassis with its struts as well as the entire powertrain is virtually identical to those of the Renault 12, although they are adapted to the less developed road network in this big country.”

Corcel stands for ‘steed’, referring to a horse, and the name can be seen as a wink to Ford’s Mustang. In the first few years the 1,289cc Renault Cléon engine, built locally, is used to propel it. After the acquisition of Willys Overland, Ford did not yet have a model that was suitable for Brazil. Therefore, the project M was continued.

Sergio starts one of his cars. The sound is very recognizable, while at the same time it seems strange to come from a totally unknown car. In 1973 the engine’s capacity was enlarged to 1.4 litres. The familiar Renault engine has been produced until the 1990s and Ford even supplied them to Volkswagen.

On the left is the engine compartment of a Ford Corcel, on the right is the engine compartment of a Renault 12.

Walking around the red saloon with Sergio, we see lots of details that are recognizable from Renault. The overall proportions in the first place, but also the cowl with its air intake, the straight line on the wings and the recesses for doors and wheels. The front and the back are slightly more angular than those of the R12. The nose houses round headlights, which come with indicators directly on their sides. The V-shaped grille of the early cars seems to be Renault sourced also, but it actually is a detail that Willys Overland applied to several existing models. A line running over the bonnet’s centre looks much like that of the Renault 12, but this one widens out towards the windscreen, strengthening the V-shape.

Where the Renault 12 comes with wind down windows, the Corcel uses quarter lights in its front doors, while the rear doors have fixed triangular windows. The rear window is flat, unlike the concaved one of the Renault 12. Both cars’ bonnets open to the front.

Up to when production of the Corcel is brought to a halt in the 1980s, Ford used wheels with three wheelnuts for the cars. The wheels on the earliest examples look very similar to those used on Renaults. As with the R12, the spare wheel is placed upright in the boot, but now left instead of right. The wheel covers, with their four surfaces, seem to be inspired by those of the Renault 16, although these used three surfaces. The boot of the Renault 12 is known to be spacious, but the Corcel even has more boot space thanks to a less sloping boot lid.

The red saloon is equipped with plenty of accessories, such as corner bars on its bumpers and wind guards on its doors. The car’s paperwork indicates that these were all fitted two days after the car was delivered to its first owner. The round headlamps use sealed beams as most American cars did at the time. These were supplied by General Electric (GE). Enthusiasts of early models would love to learn that the windows mention a Willys Overland logo with large ‘W’ and ‘O’. Another lovely detail for the real Renault devotee is the sticker on the inside of the bonnet, which mentions the necessity of regular wheel changes – laid out in Renault’s signature font!

The Ford Corcel is launched officially on September 26, 1968 in Brazil, a year before the Renault 12. In the first year, Ford only built the four-door Corcel. This model, however, was not very successful with the Brazilian public. How come? Well, a four-door car, at the time, was seen as a taxi, which no Brazilian wanted to drive privately. It takes until January 5, 1969 before production of the luxury versions start, while in April of the same year the coupé is launched in both standard and luxury variants. Deliveries do not commence until August 1969.

The Corcel series were completed in March 1970 when a station wagon version was launched. Known as the three-door Belina, it is immediately available in all variations including the Luxo Especial with wood finish on its wings and tailgate. Sergio owns one of these, too, in an unusual yellowy-orange paint finish. Like all the cars in his collection, this Corcel is like new also. Of all the Corcel models, the design of the Belina perhaps reflects most of the Renault 12, even though the 12 Break comes with five doors. The shape of the car’s rear side windows, its tailgate with the typical hinges and lighting units, however, reminds even more of the Renault 6, which appeared before the Renault 12. Sergio shows photos of a prototype of the five-door Belina that never saw the light of day as a production model. These pictures clearly show the rear lights of an R6 being used.

Clear Renault details on the Ford Corcel Belina.

And talking about prototypes: according to information found by Sergio, seven prototypes of the Corcel have been built. The first of them being a saloon, which was completed in November 1965 in France. This car was used to clock up 16,000kms in comparison tests with a Volkswagen. Prototype number 2 was also built in France, only to arrive at Willys’ in August 1967. Prototype number 3 is the first coupé, also from France, just like prototype number 4, which arrives at Willys’ headquarters on January 16, 1968. This car was being used for durability testing. The sixth and last prototype was the last one to be built in France and was used for tests in urban traffic from February 13, 1968-on. Protoypes number 5 and 7 were assembled in Brazil using French parts. In March that year, six pre-production vehicles were made for final testing, which partly took place at Ford’s in Detroit.

Walking along the mighty collection of Sergio we stumble upon a beautiful 1975 coupé. One look at the odometer shows an unlikely 8 kilometres only! Sergio: "This car was sold by the dealer on a Saturday in that year, and the customer paid cash without any hesitation. Sadly, he died a day later, leaving the coupé in the showroom, paid and all, for many years to come. Until the dealership went under, that is. When the estate was sold I was able to buy this car from it.” Ford produced the first generation Corcel between 1968 and 1977. The V-shaped grille, a real Willys Overland feature, graced the saloon, coupé and Belina in their first three years of production.

A view of Sergio's impressive collection.

The Brazilians mostly fell for the charms of the two-door coupé, which even came in a sporty GT variant. Yet it did cost Ford lots of advertising words to explain that GT merely stood for Gran Turismo rather than for a sports car. Round headlights remain in use until the end of production, but the car’s front and its radiator grille used four variants throughout the years. A second generation Ford Corcel model appeared in 1978 with totally new bodywork, now wearing Ford’s own signature. The car’s chassis’ and its mechanicals however, remained Renault 12. This can be deduced easily from the 2.44 metres wheelbase as well as the wheels with their three holes. The design is not perfectly proportioned and was available in two-door saloon and Belina variants, while two-and four-door Del Rey versions appear later, using the same base. Ford also launched a pick-up version, the Pampa. After a deal with Volkswagen was signed, Ford also used VW engines for some of the variants, while in return they ship the trusted Renault Cléon engine to the German manufacturer. According to Ford’s own calculations, a grand total of 1.4 million Corcels is eventually produced in Brazil.

Sergio: "The Corcel has now become a rare car, as fifteen years ago no one wanted one, which caused many of them now to have disappeared.” But Sergio had fallen for the model before that time and his collection now boasts several special examples. A red coupé for example, which once belonged to the husband of famous Brazilian singer Hebe Camargo. Another red coupé was bought by him from a farmer who drove no less than 280,000kms in it. Something you would not believe when you see it. As with all the cars in Sergio’s collection, it’s impeccable. After having spent several hours with Sergio and his cars it’s time to say goodbye to a special man with a very special collection.

Ford Corcel (berline, 1968)

Engine:
4-cylinder in line, 8 valves, capacity 1.289 cc, compression ratio 7,8:1. Max power 68 (DIN) hp at 5.200rpm, max torque 97 Nm at 3.200rpm.
Gearbox:
Manual with 4 synchronised forward gear and 1 backward. Ratios 1st - 3,61, 2nd - 2,27, 3rd - 1,48, 4th - 1,03, rear 3,06. Top speed 129 km/h, acceleration 0 to100 km/h in 23,6 seconds. Tyres 645 x 13 (Radial tyres as an option).
Suspension:
Independent suspension with coil springs in the front and anti-roll bar. Rear wheels supported by pressed steel suspension arms, coilsprings, anti-roll bar.
Dimensions/weight:

Length 4,400mm, width 1,610mm (without mirrors), height 1,420mm, wheelbase 2,440mm, ground clearance 0,170mm. Track front 1,310mm, rear 1,280mm. Weight: 930kg. Cargo space 458 litres. Fuel tank capacity 47 litres.

Above you can read extensively about the Brazilian Ford Corcel, which was based on the Renault 12. This photo of one of the prototypes was sent in last minute by Agnès Loubet-Daniel. She lived with her parents in Brazil in 1968 and 1969. Her father, André Daniel, worked on the Corcel as a development engineer for Renault and went to Brazil for final testing and launch of the car, even though this four-door saloon was launched under the Ford name.

Angès searched the old family album when she came across several photographs, including this one, showing one of the seven prototypes. Her dad is on the right hand side of the picture with a camera in her hand. Other photographs show the engineers discussing the cars. These pictures were taken in the premises, which serve as a backdrop on this photo. The team will undoubtedly have enjoyed lunch there.