In 2004 Denis Thomas accidentally came across a Renault 12 Camargue, a white Estate with large wood print stickers. At that time he was yet to discover that this car was quite unique and officially supplied by Renault.
Picture: The owner Denis Thomas.
Special series have always attracted the attention of enthusiasts but the Limited Edition is only a phenomenon that has appeared in the last thirty to forty years. Denis Thomas had never heard of a Renault 12 Estate Camargue when he was offered this car via an acquaintance quite a distance away. Denis lives in the North-East of France near Épinal and his intended purchase was based in the Carcassonne area in the South. We are talking about 2004.
Denis: "The owner wanted to sell the car because he had converted a SAVIEM TP3 into a motorhome and he wanted to undertake a grand tour through Europe with it. He made contact with the local Renault 12 club, the 'Amicale 12 dans le 13' but they didn't find any interest because they simply had no idea what a Renault 12 Estate Carmargue was. Then they contacted me and I was interested but I thought the price was way too high. I was actually joking that I would be willing to buy the car for 500 euros but the owner agreed to that. He just wanted to get away in his camper."
I set out to see if I could find anything about the Camargue. I sent a picture of my car to La Vie de l'Auto to see if readers knew anything about this model. Then I found a photo in l'Autojournal which made it clear to me that the Camargue was an original Renault option. Following reactions I received via various magazines, someone came up with a scan of a real leaflet that was published at the time by Renault and the sticker manufacturer France Applications. Each separate sticker appeared to have its own Renault part number.
Denis' car was a demo at a Renault dealer and behind the current number plate is still the originally painted garage registration number ending in WW34. Jean Hugon in Beziers became the owner on June 7, 1972 and it remained in his ownership until 2000. The second owner sold the car to Denis four years later. "In the meantime I have found a second example of this type of vehicle. The current owner retrieved the Renault 12 from his grandfather's barn.This one still has all the original stickers whereas on my car the front two have been replaced".
The France Applications stickers consist of two layers as a coat of varnish has been applied over the wood imprint for protection but over time (nearly 50 years) they separate. "I've been looking for some time for a company that could reproduce the stickers, preferably using the original process. If I manage to do that, I will remove and store the doors and tailgate with the original stickers and replace them with panels with the new stickers".
Contact was soon established between Denis and the first owner Jean. "He told me that at the end of 1971/early 1972 a total of 1,500 white and 1,500 beige examples of the Renault 12 Estate with Camargue stickers were distributed to dealers but I have never been able to find confirmation. In response to my first letter, Jean sent me a picture of my car from his family album. It was accompanied by various invoices, such as the replacement of the engine after a holiday in the Alps. I also have a copy of the order form of Occasion Or Renault and the corresponding invoice. The car was registered on 27 April 1972".
Of course, this friendly contact resulted in Denis visiting Jean in the summer of 2010 when Denis and his family went on holiday to the area where the car had been in use for a long time. Jean was a TV repair man at that time. "Initially Jean didn't want to get behind the wheel, let alone drive it but he was able to explain about most of the dents. Eventually I got him behind the wheel and the man shone with happiness. Of course, I took the opportunity to take a picture of him in the car with his wife".
A year later (2011) Denis went back to the south near Montpellier with his Renault 12 Camargue where he visited a classic event. After a tour of the fair ground, he found a note under the windscreen wiper informing him that he had won a prize with his car.
Over the past sixteen years, Denis has modified the car here and there. He has fitted a Renault 18 GTX leather steering wheel and a Spanish Renault 12S grille with twin headlamps plus 12S front bumper quarters. He has been looking for a matching rear bumper for some time now. "I have roof rails from Argentina that I would like to fit. I was involved in the organisation of 50 years of Renault 12 in September 2019 and a participant from Argentina brought these parts for me".
In order to enhance the interior of the car, he used 12TS floor covering and boot trim including the rear seat back.
The Renault 12 Camargue can be regarded both as a limited edition and as a standard 12 Estate with stickers. In any case, the car has extra visual impact and in that spirit Denis wants to go a little further. "The car deserves to be resprayed as the paint is dead and when I wash the car, white water does run off. At the same time I can also replace some of the window rubbers as, for example, I want to replace the rear side window rubbers with the chrome insert type used on the 12 TS Estate.
Shortly before this report, Denis fitted Renault Boutique alloy wheels to the car which he found at a trade fair. These Amil wheels were available until 1981 for various Renaults with 13 inch wheels and he completely refurbished and repainted them. As an original Renault accessory they fit nicely with the stickers that were also sold as extras.
Interesting are the two Cipa exterior mirrors that Denis mounted on his Renault 12 as the Cipa factory is literally round the corner.
Denis: "Just before I bought my car, I happened to see a Renault 12 Camargue on a scrapyard truck driving away from the Renault dealer in Épinal. It was the time of the scrappage payment that Minister Baladure promised when people traded in their old car for a new one. Many fine classics disappeared in that way at the time. I did not think about it again until after I had bought my car. A friend who worked at that dealership could still remember the white one. Furthermore, in La Vie de l'Auto, in a series about old garages, there was a photo of a garage in Strasbourg that was taken when the car was delivered. Someone responded to my call in various magazines with a photo of him standing next to his father's Camargue".
In short, Denis' car may be very rare, but certainly several examples were produced.
The name Camargue appears in gracefully written letters cut out in the sticker material both on the left-hand side of the tailgate and at the far rear on the right-hand rear wing. In total, the set consists of nine stickers, each with its own part number. The manufacturer's description of how to apply the stickers explains that it is a molecular film that adheres to the car's paintwork. This makes the material scratch-resistant and well protected against high temperatures and ultraviolet light. A guarantee of no less than five years was given in the early 1970s.
The application should be child's play. First clean the bodywork neatly, then measure out the exact positioning of the stickers and tape each sticker to the bodywork. It then instructs that the foil must be detached from the carrier and finally the foil is pressed gently, little by little, on to the bodywork with a plastic spatula supplied.
All required materials are included in the set including detailed instructions. According to the brochure, applying the nine stickers takes about three hours. The complete Camargue set was on sale for 900 French Francs which equates to approximately 140 euros, based on 1971/1972 values.