High level of ambition

Back in the 1960s, the world faced major changes. It also went for Renault, which was developing itself technically, strategically and economically under the leadership of Pierre Dreyfus in order to continue to play a mayor role in the automotive world. Technically the plan was to have all new models use platforms with front-wheel drive. Renault already started this development with the launch of the R4 in 1961. The Renault 16 of 1965 took this idea one step further. On a strategic level, Dreyfus was surrounded not just by designers and commercial men, but also by sociologists, urban planners and mathematicians.

It soon became clear that Renault aimed at the world market when it unfolded the plans for the R12. So not just on the European market (six countries!), but also in Eastern Europe, Africa and South-America, where demand for economic and reliable cars was rising rapidly. One new model was bound to tick all the required boxes.

The Renault 12 started its career under project number 117, meant to replace both the Renault 8 and 10. The new model was placed just under the Renault 16, which was a very progressive car for its time, thanks to its hatchback door. But it was also a car that would not apply to the more conservative customers. Project 117 was therefore to become a more traditional saloon car, albeit one with both front wheel drive as a modern body to appeal to a wide audience.

The reliability of the car was deemed very important and heavily influenced the technical choices made – mostly based on existing components, but also to implement assembly of the car at the various Renault plants across the world. The engine was placed at the front, with the gearbox right behind it. By placing the engine there, most of the weight came at the front axle. But it also made the Renault 12 slightly longer than the Renault 16. Renault decided to install ordinary drum brakes at the rear, while both the R8 as the R10 came with discs all round. This while the rear suspension was not independent either, unlike that of the R16. A simple beam axle made of sheet steel was used instead. These examples showed how Renault managed to be able to produce the R12 at an economic price. The same went for the engine. The Cléon unit of 1.108cc was taken and enlarged to a 1.289cc capacity. With the four-speed floor-shifted gearbox borrowed of the R16 and mated to it.

Photo: A model of the coupé prototype based on the 1963 Renault 4 next to the R12.

Renault’s stylists were now faced with the difficult task of translating the changes that took place in Europe into the car’s shape. It had to be shaped to appeal to many buyers, while it was not meant to be considered as a design object at the same time. Apart from that it had to accommodate five passengers while the body shell also didn’t have to be too complicated, as this would immediately increase its production costs.

Gaston Juchet, the man behind the Renault 16, led the design team. Their starting point was a styling concept of a small coupé based on the Renault 4 of 1963 by draughtsman Robert Broyer. This concept was named ‘Sabot’ (clog) and clearly used features that we now recognize from the Renault 12 at its front. The sharp front was there to give the car its sporty looks. While at the rear, Renault chose for a raked boot lid that synchronized with the front end. This was totally uncommon at the time. Customers, after all, wanted the largest possible load capacity. The design feature received the necessary opposition and criticism, but the success and durability of the model eventually proved that it was a good decision. Renault, however, also responded to customers who were held back by the limitations of the load volume by launching a break version soon after the saloon. In this way the design became definitive. In the first instance with a feature that ultimately failed though: a front with one headlight on the left and two on the right. The extra light on the right is a high-beam headlight. But troubles in all countries to homologate the car with these characteristics eventually brought Renault to a more traditional set-up with a symmetrical front. Up until 1969, however, prototypes with the three-headlights set-up could be seen driving around.

Soon after the final design had been determined, the first prototypes were built and used in the world’s most diverse places, from Africa to Brazil. Project 117 had to prove its reliability, especially on bad road surfaces. The development team was temporarily located at the Willys Overland do Brasil factory. Therefore it may not be too much of a surprise that a Brazilian variant, which would eventually be launched as the Ford Corcel, would be released a year earlier. Meanwhile, the Renault 12 was also being prepared for manufacture in Romania by Dacia.

In the year 1969 the first men famously set foot on the moon. And in that same atmosphere, the launch of the Renault 12 took place on the eve of the 1969 Paris motor show. Twelve copies of the brand new Renault 12 were presented to the press. The number twelve was also chosen to represent the twelve signs of zodiac, which were mounted on panels against the walls. By blowing smoke over the presentation floor, the cars appeared to float in space.

Renault’s President and CEO Pierre Dreyfus himself was the man to introduce the car to the press. The year 1969 was an important year for Renault. It is the first year in which the manufacturer reached a production figure of over one million vehicles, more than half of which were sold outside of France. This was mainly due to the expansion of production facilities in Colombia, Turkey and Yugoslavia, to name just a few. The Renault 12 fitted in perfectly into that framework. The level of ambition was high, the challenge was great, but the Renault 12 came with all the assets to reach these goals.

To place the Renault 12 in a time frame: the competition at the car’s launch in 1969 included the Fiat 124 and Ford Taunus 12M. Direct competitors from France were the Peugeot 304 and the Simca 1301, while from abroad came also the Ford Escort GT 1300, Triumph 1300 and the Lancia Fulvia. Most of them were more expensive.

It didn’t take long before the effect presented itself. The R12 was in production under the Renault banner from 1969 up to and including 2001. At Dacia in Romania, production of the 1300 and derivatives continued even longer. When Renault finally took over the Dacia plant in 1999, several variants of the R12 were still being manufactured in Pitesti. And it continued to be the case up until 2006, when after more than a quarter of a century the new Logan arrived and the Dacia 1300 finally had to make way for more modern products.