CHRONOLOGIE RENAULT 12 GORDINI 1969: Commercialisation de la Renault 12, qui remplace les Renault 8 et 10. I sold it to get money for another car I was restoring. The automatic units were troublesome. It’s how you drive. The Beetle was the better built, but the other could hold up just as well with loving care . My parents later had an R-16, then an R-17 and that ended their Renault history. Both the 4 speed standard shift and 3 speed “automatic” delivered between 35/40 MPG, no joke. Sounds like a cruder version of today’s DSGs. Once you saw the second or third one show up on your street, it rapidly went from something you might *consider* to something you *had* to have… IIRC, ’66 or so was the peak year for Beetle sales in the US. Went through brakes and tires like crazy. All things are relative; VW cars of the late 1950s to the 1960s were reliable compared to most things on the road then, but that really wasn’t that hard since most cars available here were over-styled disposable junk. It did have very comfortable seats in front, and the back bench seat was OK too…done in all vinyl as was the front mounted front hinged trunk. Hats off to anyone who has managed to keep one of these things intact and running all these years. When I transplanted the drivetrain, the Dauphine became quick but a real handful in the wet. I never drove it (was too young at the time) but I remember two things about it, my father didn’t really drive it much (I think he sold it with only about 30,000 miles on it in 1974)….he always had it onl the battery charger (not sure if it was 12V or 6V, he still has the same battery charger, it had settings for both voltages)…goes hand in hand with low miles, I guess the battery didn’t get charged up enough when he was driving it. Electric power steering is very heavy and the stiff suspension, and the Elantra I had before was the same. Use the filters to narrow down your selection based on price, year and mileage – to help find your dream Renault 8. The 4CV was a bit cozy and modest in some respects. Made a rule: never buy a used Renault. Very uncomfortable on long trips. Not sure why he sold it exactly (except maybe it had manual transmission and he wanted my Mother to drive small car more, he bought the Datsun 710 in 1974 right around the time of the gas shortage, but the 710 probably would have gotten worse fuel mileage than the R10, but it was far better than the 400 cubic inch engine we had in the 1973 Ford Ranch Wagon my mother usually drove). Where the Dauphine had been cute, this car was just not attractive at all, to my young eyes. It’s odd, but rear-engine Renaults were among the cars I hated while growing up; now I think they’re cute little things – and I love that red one in the photos! Only thing is, I don’t remember the name or author of the Dauphine book, does anyone out there in CC land know of it? The lessons learned from the failure of Renault to successfully compete in the US with a car that was “better” than the VW in almost every objective parameter was one that other manufacturers either learned from, or not, at their peril. but couldn’t justify their premium markup. (Must have got them in a 2 for 1 sale?). Il recense des millions d'annonces partout en Europe. It always amazed me the Renault never tried to put a better dealer in Erie, as it was a very import friendly market. I found the car on Ebay and made a deal with the trucking company to buy the car. After pulling out for a few years. Though if they brought the 205GTI over, they may have built up an entirely different following. I didn’t like these as a kid and my Father once attempted to buy one at an auction in 1969, but we brought home a 66 Corvair 2 door hardtop instead. BTW, that filler below the rear window on the 4CV is for the radiator, not the gas tank. This was in Mexico. The Dauphine, which was the direct predecessor to the R8 and R10, had a meteoric rise in sales during the Great US Import Boom. (Turn signal arm was also the horn button, btw.). Precio 50 euros mas envio When Renault made their return to the US market with the Le Car (R5) and the Renault 17, Car & Driver noted that they had a legacy of “electromagnetic clutches and disappearing dealers.”. Luckily, no one was injured, although the thief made good his escape on foot. Its conception story is rather complicated, but there is little doubt that the engineers who designed it during the war for the expected post-war austerity period were influenced by Porsche’s KdF Wagen (VW). French cars were made for comfort. I can’t imagine that the car lasted long. One of the R8s I had was an automatic. The dashboard/switchgear had many production changes and much use of new plastics. La Renault 10 se positionne ainsi sur le segment des moyennes supérieures entre la … A man bought the car from the estate and started the repairs needed to get it running. All it took was three to four western Pennsylvania winters to put paid to any idea of Renault challenging Volkswagen in our area. Only two years later than I thought but I am having fun in the restoration process. The 4CVs little water-cooled 747cc four was enlarged to 845 cc, with power ratings of 19-32 hp. The front seats were luxurious, the back seat fine for kids, plenty of luggage room. The rear engine cars, the Beetle, Renault, the rear axle wheel would bend after a few years. WV decided to established dealerships, is what saved the beetle. Or whatever you’re moved to say. Thanks for the heads up! It was an essentially one owner car with factory air. . Kevin – what a beautiful car, and what an amazing job you’ve done on the restoration! At that point, Ron Travisano, his partner, figured that they may as well just hop the next plane back to NYC and bag the whole deal. Renault 10. It was towed away for scrap with only 22K on the clock. I was stationed in France (Orleans) when I was in the service. Learn how your comment data is processed. Cloth can be sourced in France to retrim, as here. Cohort Classic: 1964 Chrysler Newport – Chrysler’s Great Downsizing, Chapter 2. The best way to describe that car was that it felt like someone else was driving it! In the summer of 1977, when I was 17, my Dad bought me a used, 1968 Renault R10. Good point. We have seen tremendous improvements in reliability and quality in the last twenty years or so. It participated and was photographed on a number of occasions in the HARC classic races at the Zandvoort circuit in the 80’s. Mainly A110 components were used in this car. 6 volt system and drum brakes. I thought the caller was one of my friend’s playing a practical joke, so I remarked that there was no way that my car could have been involved in a high speed chase unless it had been air-dropped from a cargo plane from 10,000 feet. (photo: 1969 Corcel GT). Every car rust, including Beetles and Mercedes. I thought that was so cool, not realizing that that would be the only way to start the car three times out of ten of a winter’s morn. Sunroof, leatherette upholstery, wonderful electric clutch. Couldn’t wait to try it out when the job was finished. Then to Maine for the body work Required fields are marked *. Having just gotten my license prior to that, I drove much of the trip. The R8 was an even bigger seller than its predecessors and the hot R8 Gordini was a genuine Mini Cooper S competitor, winning a slew of track and rally events, as well as an equally fanatical fan base. When I moved to LA in 1977, it was amazing how many relics of the Import Boom there still were everywhere, including Dauphines. I do recall the seats were amazingly comfortable. The first time I discovered that flaw, I was driving on I-495 just outside of Washington, DC. “Renault had not developed a quality dealer network like VW did in the US during the fifties.”. Five years ago I set out to find one to restore. I swore off rear engined cars forever at that point (1982)…..but now I own two diesel smart convertibles! The ultimate exponent of Renault’s rear-engined small car experience, combined with a sprightly new engine, produced a surprisingly refined, spacious, comfortable and lively little saloon that is a pleasure to drive and own now. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, Curbside Classic: Renault R10 – When Being A Better Volkswagen Isn’t Good Enough, Curbside Outtake: 1993 Olds Cutlass Ciera With Big(ish) Trailer. I quickly learned how easy it was to start by getting it rolling and then “popping” the clutch, The 4CV was very light and needed very small effort to push it by hand. Gordinis are highly collectable and correct engine parts can fetch thousands of pounds. R8 de luxe auto only, Sept R8 Gordini introduced: crossflow hemi head, two twin-choke Solex carbs, four-branch exhaust manifold, servo brakes, twin rear dampers, 2in lower suspension, 8in headlights, twin stripes (optional in UK); 0-60mph 13.6 secs, 103mph, 1965 Spanish R8 production begins: drum brakes, July 1100 lengthened front and rear and launched as a standalone model, which later becomes the R10, 1967 Gordini gets 1255cc, 5-speed gearbox, twin headlights, twin Webers; R8 now has 1100 engine, 1968 60bhp 8S added, with twin headlamps, Weber: 0-60mph 15.4 secs, 91mph, 1969 Oct R10 gets 48bhp, 72lb ft 1300 unit. The R10’s  1100 cc engine was rated at 50 hp. Click and Clack used to have a theory that if you owned a French car your automotive life would be pure hell, but every other area of life would be bliss as the French car would use up your entire allotment of pain and suffering. The rats ate the insides. But by that time, the 4CV was nearing production-ready status, and there wasn’t much need for Porsche’s input. It had an automatic transmission. The weirdest car I ever saw and was the talk of the school that whole year! As for winter starting, Toyota was the worse. It also had an automatic throttle disconnect so while you just mashed the pedal to the floor, it sounded (and felt, with a surprisingly slow shifting sequence) just like it had a manual transmission. By comparison, the Fiat dealer (the next poorest in town) was on the Erie/Wesleyville city line on US20, and looked like a middlin’ profitable independent used car dealer of the ‘buy here, pay here’ variety. This car is called Ford Corcel. Few have been restored as comprehensively as Steve Cole’s R10 pictured here; membership of the Renault Classic Car Club is vital. Under the rear hood, a new 956 cc engine made 44 hp. I swear I could turn the steering wheel 30 degrees to the left or right with no response from the vehicle whatsoever. Brilliant 1.4 litre R5 crossflow engine built by Renault guru Salv Sacco. At no time did he ever attempt to upgrade the facilities. The cars went from being perceived as decent, but quirky little things that eccentrics drove to something that represented a movement. I really missed that R10. Roller type steering. The battery is When Ford Company bought Willys, they was about to produce the R12, and this project was adapted by Ford and launched in 1968 as the Ford Corcel. That, combined with the intrinsically greater delicacy of the Dauphine’s design, were its two major shortcomings. PS. Launching a new wet-liner engine with aluminium head in the R8 gave Renault a power advantage over rivals, aided by low overall weight. Some cars are good and some are bad.It depends who work on them. Production ended in 1971, except in Spain, where it was made through 1976. Mercedes – that dealership was 30 miles away in Indiana, PA. Later in the early 60’s we got a guy who carried British cars, mostly MG sports cars (he’s now the Subaru dealer). Would Ford or GM or Chrysler have the nerve or good nature to post an ad titled “LEMON”? Smaller but scarcely lighter than an R8, the Imp’s alloy ohc 875cc engine made it fun but unreliable and it lacked the Renault’s expandability (998cc unit was special-order). I finally found one in Fort Myers Florida. After the third major breakdown and my Dad unwilling to make repairs, it sat forlornly in the garage for a couple of years, where it corroded to the point that the hood fell off when I tried to open it one day. He ran into some financial difficulty and transferred title to a trucking company he owed money to. I sure did love those seats in my R10. I love these now and appreciate the upright simplicity of the styling. “The Dauphine, which was the direct predecessor to the R8 and R10, had a meteoric rise in sales during the Great US Import Boom. It’s not very relevant to our primary story, but we’d be remiss in not pointing out the superb sporting potential of this package, when the proper attention was bestowed on it. I remember the “weird” side reflectors, 1968 being the first year in US for side marker lights, but the R10 had some “extra” markers I guess for home market (a puzzling one was half red and half white on the front fender). Both brakes and clutch were quite heavy when new and, even with the limiting valve operating correctly, the overly powerful front discs can lock – beware a faulty or missing valve, or poor tyres. English Austin, Hillman, American Metropolitan. It shared the Dauphine’s platform, but had a boxier, hence roomier body and a Corvair-inspired front end. The interior, seats, dashboard and door panels looked like new except for a minor rip in the drivers seat. And in my kind of experience, I never once had to worry about fixing the thing. The R8 (model R1130) was released in June 1962 and was based on the Renault Dauphinewith which it shared its basic architecture and its 2,270 mm (89.4 in) wheelbase. For such a small car, the story of the Renault R10 is huge. Curbside Newsstand: GM Planning A Corvette EV Crossover – Sound Familiar? The other memory I had was driving back from Washington DC with the clutch gone (we were coming back from a Washington Senator’s baseball game), we had moved to Manassas Virginia, and my father was trying to time the lights so he could minimize the shifting (this is some 35 miles or so). Thanks Renault 8 At Classic Driver, we offer a worldwide selection of Renault 8s for sale. LeParking est un moteur de recherche de voitures d'occasion. The one side of the engine would burn the valves, and the engine had to come out to fix. There are a couple of R10s in the family car history. The woman who owned it loved this car. The officer didn’t find that particularly amusing. This unique Renault Dauphine with Gordini specs. Still looking for one. All these cars rusted terribly, if you lived in snow country. This project is way behind schedule. Lawrence worked for a Renault dealership during most of his career and has gained quite a reputation for restoring rear engine Renaults, mostly Dauphines. Luckily, by the following summer, the car was stolen one night and involved in a high-speed chase which ended in the car being totaled. Tiene vinilo de Renault 12 Gordini en negro. And that was probably it for a small/medium sized non-coastal town back in the 50’s. The rare automatic, with an electro-magnetic clutch operating an all-synchro three-speed ’box, is jerky in operation with quite slow changes. I had an oldish Renault 10 in the UK about 79-81. This did make the front luggage compartment more useful, another area it had to clearly distinguish itself against the Beetle. But its fragility and lack of dealer support quickly caught up with it, and when the Import Boom turned Bust in 1960, Dauphine sales evaporated in a reddish cloud of iron oxide.”. Instead of driving the silver death-trap, I borrowed my father’s car. Check the engine starts easily from cold, because the automatic choke can be unreliable; carb specialists can help. The pattern was set in the fifties, and Renault never could break out of that, until they finally bought AMC specifically for its dealer network (not the aging lineup of cars from Kenosha). It was way too light, I think the body was made entirely out of aluminium, and the engine was in the rear. That thing was a death trap. And worthy of an in-depth essay by one of our esteemed writers! Back in my home town you had the Volkswagen dealership, Renault was covered by the Oldsmobile dealer (wonder how GM let him get away with that – back then if you had a GM dealership, that’s all you carried on the property, period), the Pontiac dealer sold a few Vauxhall’s, I think Opel was carried by the local Buick dealer, the Ford dealer sold a smattering of English Fords (that’s what we called them back then). Highland Auto Sales. It certainly needs checking for level and signs of oil getting in or overheating. I’ll take my Renault R10 back, I drove one across country and never got tired and gas mileage was better than today. A bunch of French verbiage explaining this is stamped into the cap. I can speak from expertise being a retired So Cal Satellite Engr., and having rebuilt engines, trans, axles, houses, guns, etc……, Your email address will not be published. Peugeot’s undoing in the U.S. was more an issue of its sparse dealer network, the perception of being underpowered (perhaps deserved), and the cost of parts and service. The undercarriage close to the condition it was in when it left the factory. Quite a few R8s and R10s. This was in Manhattan Beach, CA; may have been a Vasek Polak venture from just down the BLVD. She could not bring herself to sell the R10 and did not want it sitting in her driveway deteriorating. Tongue in cheek humor, pushing the limits of censorship to it’s stretching point indeed! The Yugo was cheap but it could last. Even with all this, the car would NEVER start below -10’C. The paragraph at the top of the page certainly sums up the Beetle and R 10 succinctly. When I first saw the car it had a poor white paint job over the original Metalic blue paint. Both were in the mid-late 60s, before I was born. Here it is on the lift before I stripped it. El Renault 10 es un sedán del segmento C de motor trasero producido a mediados de los años 60 por la Règie Nationale des Usines Renault (la actual Renault). Moving up the food chain, Datsun was combined with the local Saab (and some British Leyland marques) dealer on US19 in a facility that matched any of the Detroit franchises. This is my first post here, though I’ve been enjoying curbside classics for about the past 8 months or so, decided this was a good chance to stop lurking and get my feet wet. They carried the British Leyland line and TVR through the seventies, later added Peugeot and Alfa, then just Jaguar. American GIs were never very popular with the French. A solipsistic argument would posit since automagics were available in R8s, and R10s were merely elongated R8s, that R10s were also available with autos. A little digestif…a Brougham-o-Seltzer, if you will. Regulador dinamo renault ondine, renault gordini, renault 4, renault 5, renault 6, renault 8, renault 10, renault 12. It handled beautifully, compared to a VW. Gordini was a sports car builder who helped Renault with their race cars in the sixties. But that’s another chapter in the sad Renault story. Elle est la première voiture de sport abordable , à l'origine des petites voitures sportives . When the 1100 R8 was launched in ’64, testers eulogised over its brilliant combination of performance and economy and that carried through to later models. The Beetle went from strength to strength all during the sixties, leaving the R10 in its wake. Renault were hugely popular in Australia and hard to kill. Find your next car in our classifieds – the classic of your dreams could be just a click away... Jean Ragnotti shows how to do it on the Monte Historique, Early production models with Dauphines and 4s in 1962, An Imp (left) and NSU’s 1000/1200 are alternative buys, Renault’s lively 5s: Gordini Turbo and Turbo 2 on track, Buyer’s guide: Austin Cambridge & Westminster, Why going back to the future can be so illuminating, Video: The Classic & Sports Car Show 2018 highlights, Rear weight bias is apparent in crosswinds and during hard cornering. Today I drive a Honda Fit. I don’t get it. I have seen Dauphines in the wild. The happiest surprise was that it was virtually rust free. Peugeot did have a dedicated fan base up to the 505, but the 405 was a Camcord-class car priced in 3-series territory. Years later, I bought a used 1969 R10, with a crazy type of auto transmission, It was a standard 3 speed stick hooked up to an electric clutch with the shifts controlled by engine vacuum and a “computer”. Interesting to learn of the Ferdinand Porsche angle. this is what I started with Twin Weber 40 DCOE carbs. Confirm the specification of the unit fitted: later transplants are common and likely to give more performance, though sacrificing originality. All specifications, performance and fuel economy data of Renault 17 Gordini (79.5 kW / 108 PS / 107 hp), edition of the year 1974 since September 1974 for Europe , including acceleration times 0-60 mph, 0-100 mph, 0-100 km/h, 0-200 km/h, quarter mile time, top speed, mileage and fuel economy, power-to-weight ratio, dimensions, drag coefficient, etc. Jaguar? The seafoam green Dauphine with the cloth sunroof (always open in beautiful California) was a hoot to ride around in. Bought an R10 in Hawaii. Also, nobody could fix them right. In case you’d like to extend your manhood in a slightly more meaningful fashion”. We had a neighbour who had one. Le message est clair et correspond à la tendance de l'époque qui rend le sport automobile plus accessible et populaire que jamais. As long as you did that, it ran and ran and ran…. From that point on the Renault dealer was really the Oldsmobile dealer who kept a couple of Renault’s in stock for the hard core. When I arrived there in late 1962, I bought a 52 Renault 4Cv from an American civilian paying $350. Two that come to mind: “The Renault for people who swore they would never buy another one,” and “`It’s not German. And, talk about “what was he thinking!” WOW!! The R10 turned out to be a bit of a disappointment in Europe too. Anyway, the officer turned around and gave pursuit. I read it about the same time as “The Red Car” (Don Stanford’s awesome MG novel). Long story. They were gone by the time I was old enough to know cars in the late 70s. 1964 Renault 8 Gordini Recreation built by marque expert Steve Swan for hillclimbing, sprints etc. -Warm the engine oil in a pan on the stove. Car and Driver was certainly at the top of it’s game in 1967. You picked the quieter sound for city use, the louder for the open road. Someone local to my work has an R8 Gordini, and occasionally blasts arund the streets in it. and that emergency break that needed engaged each time the car was parked, and sometimes even a block under the tire as well. The Renault 8 or 10, I forget which, had a series of print ads acknowledging that the Dauphine hadn’t done so well in the States. This thread still has a heart beat!?! Sorry Hoxie I had no room to take you back to Indiana with both our guitars and no room from college. Otherwise, all Renault cars must have been junk, ’cause I never heard a good word about them. As much as I enjoy seeing familiar barges here, I really look forward to every feature on a European or Japanese car I’ve never seen before. Sold 1964-’73 • No. Our dirt road beat it to death in ~3 years. It was always the dry and sophisticated brand of humor that had more of an impact….And a bit too little too late for Renault, for the king of tongue in cheek, self deprecating humor were the ads for Volkswagen in the 1960’s. Passé la reconstru… If you want to write it up here at CC, let me know. Kid you not, I’m currently rebuilding the T-case on my 2007 Silverado Classic, with just 68K miles, not from misuse by any means, but piss-poor Engr. This fantastic feat would be followed by many others, for both Renault and its delighted customers, in France and elsewhere. Quality was not as good, but you could make it last. Yes, in the 50’s the Dauphine was quite the important car as far as imports were going. Brought my Dauphine home from Germany in 1959. I remember the BMW as a fine watch, the R10 as a soda can. Sorry, but you’d have a hard time prying my 1952 Chevy Deluxe and later my 1961 Bel-Air 2 door sedan or dad’s 1966 Impala out of my cold, dead hands! My best friend, who I rallied with regularly between ’72 and ’77 tried to buy a 12 at that time. Wonderful to drive. It’s great to see others’ experiences with their Renaults, good or bad. All-disc brakes were a rare luxury on such a small saloon, but helped to give it an edge in competition – allied to its rear-drive traction. After driving the vehicle for a couple of weeks, I was sure my father was trying to kill me for the insurance money. I always think back on my 4CV with warm memories. built 440,032 • Mpg 30-45 • 0-60mph 22.1-14.9 secs • Top speed 75-92mph • Price new £626-785 (’68) • Price now £2-6000. Did not have much of a chance to drive it before I put it away for the winter. I don’t know why or how, but Willys Overland do Brasil produced the Renault Dauphine from 1959 to 1967. I kept a rubber mallet and a car of WD-40 in the trunk of that car to deal with sticking solenoid e and dash pots in the transmission controller. This was in Towson MD, and one would occasionally see one around, but hers was in fairly decent condition. Stiff, and they all rusted, Japanese cars rusted the fastest. Send us some pictures and some text when it’s done and we’ll do a “My CC” on it. The R10 was replaced by the fwd R12, itself the basis for a whole number of off-shoots. I traveled to Florida to take a look at it before I plunked down my money. And by time Peugeot left the U.S. market, the three Japanese luxury marques had also gained considerable traction. There were quite few 8s and 10s in Quebec when I was a kid; there were always informal importers of French cars into Quebec. Nice story. The R8 Gordini made a whopping 100hp in its final form (from a mere 1255cc), and was quite the giant killer, and a happy Porsche hunter. I was working the night-shift at a local condominium and, as is typical for the summer season here, it was pouring when I left for work. 1973 : arrêt de la production de la Renault 8. They got the account. I can’t believe I just wrote that crap. A real oddity of the car was a two tone horn. It was a happy day when I exchanged it for a leather German police coat and an ounce of illegal herbs to a friend who already had an R10 and naturally needed a parts car. Yet it was greatly preferred to the “modern” Renault. Almost all survivors will already have had extensive repairs – check that all are sound and competently done, and protected for the future. Not true, guys!!! Having used a cross section of VW products over the years (’64 Beetle, ’71 bus and ’00 TDI New Beetle), I would still give the award for build quality to the ’64, but per your comment, would qualify that by noting that the level of user-maintenance required was a *lot* higher than on a current car. A prime example is the Renault dealer in Erie, PA during the first half of the 1970’s. There was an Army shuttle bus, but I wan ted an auto. Will do Paul. I remember the place well, as it was a regular hangout for us Euro-car freaks, probably the only garage in town that knew what a Lancia was, much less being able to actually work on one with competency. Renault 10 Gordini. Rallying Renault 8 Gordini Running a full scale works rally car is an expensive business, and Renault competition activities to the mid 1960's could best be described as only "good in parts". "The Renault 10 is an economy car that is also outstanding in its price field for many other reasons," the brochures touted.