Renault · 1969–2000

Renault 12

The Renault 12 is a small family car introduced by French automaker Renault at the Paris Motor Show in October 1969 and produced in France until 1980. Available as a saloon (Berline) and estate (Break), it was also produced under licence in many countries around the globe into the early 21st century. In its first few years the 12 received praise from the European press for its spacious, comfortable interior, its styling, its performance and its low fuel consumption. However it fared worse in the North American press: in a test of the 1974 model, Road & Track was critical of the engine's "obtrusive" noise, and called the heavy, non-power steering "a serious design flaw". They also gave it "very poor marks" for the ventilation system. Renault 12 production and sales ended in western Europe in 1980, but the model continued to be produced and sold by Renault affiliates elsewhere. The last R12 was produced in 2000 in Turkey, while Romanian automaker Dacia continued producing the R12-based 1310 saloon and estate until 2004 and the R12-based Dacia Pick-Up until December 2006. Commercially the Renault 12 was a successful car, selling 2.5 million units.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Renault 8 · Successor: Renault 18

All Renault 12 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

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: "The car had to be economical, not very sophisticated. It had to have a roomy interior, and a large boot, and a small engine will suffice. The car had to be easy to produce, so it could be made all over the world. It had to be reliable for the export markets, and comfortable enough for France. It should be usable as a base for multiple variations." 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 (and in common, by now, with more than 60% of the cars produced in France) 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 cont

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 113 PS (83 kW; 111 hp), 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 185 km/h (115 mph) and was sold with paint schemes comprising a solid pastel colour (there were several to choose from) 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 (compared to 11,607 Renault 8 Gordinis). 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 64 PS (47 kW; 63 hp) and raised the top speed to 150 km/h (93 mph). 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 Pa

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. Dacia 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 (Turkish: Toros dağları), the other is the submodel designation TS. Sold as a sedan or a station wagon (TSW), it has a 1.4 litre carburetted C1J (Cléon) engine with 61.5 PS (45 kW; 61 hp) 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

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Renault 12
aka: Renault 1.4 Litre (Australia) , Renault Virage (Australia) , Renault 12 Toros (Turkey) , Dacia 1300 (Romania)
Related: Renault 15/17, Dacia 1310/1410, Ford Corcel, Ford Del Rey
Manufacturer: Renault
Production: 1969–1980 (France), 1969–1984 (Romania), 1971–1994 (Argentina), 1971–2000 (Turkey)
Model years: 1969–1981
Assembly: France: Boulogne-Billancourt, Argentina: Santa Isabel (IKA), Australia: Heidelberg, Belgium: Haren-Vilvoorde (RIB), Canada: Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec (SOMA), Chile: Los Andes, Colombia: Duitama; Envigado (SOFASA), Mexico: Ciudad Sahagún, Morocco: Aïn Sebaâ (Somaca), New Zealand: Thames (Campbell Industries), Portugal: Guarda, Romania: Mioveni (Dacia), Spain: Valladolid (FASA-Renault), Turkey: Nilüfer, Bursa (Oyak-Renault), Yugoslavia: Novo Mesto (IMV), Venezuela: Mariara
Class: Small family car (C-segment), Small van
Layout: FF layout
Body style: 4-door saloon, 5-door estate, 3-door car derived van
Engine: 1289 cc 810 I4, 1397 cc 847/C1J I4, 1565 cc C2L I4 (RA/TR), 1565 cc A2L/807-20 I4 (US/Gordini), 1596 cc 807-G I4 (Gordini), 1647 cc A2M I4 (USA)
Transmission: 4-speed manual, 5-speed manual, 3-speed automatic
Length: 4345 mm (saloon), 4410 mm (estate)
Wheelbase: 2440 mm
Width: 1616 mm
Height: 1435 mm (empty)
Predecessor: Renault 8 and 10
Successor: Renault 18

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q591145CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_12CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1373148997 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:R12TL.JPGPublic domain · Photo: Snoopy1974 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.