Renault 12

}), 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 and came with either a four- or a five-speed transmission.

Australia

The Renault 12 won Australia's Wheels magazine's Car of the Year award in 1970. It was built at Renault Australia's assembly plant in the Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg from CKD kits. Various components such as seats were sourced locally.

The Australian range generally followed the UK models, including the facelift (which arrived in 1976) but, from about 1971, when new Australian Design Rules were introduced, had to have a special local wiper mechanism with a conventional right hand drive pattern (parking on the passenger side). This also affected locally assembled Peugeot 504 and Triumph 2.5 models. By the mid-1970s, local parts content had increased to represent about fifty percent.

In October 1976 the 1,289 cc engine was replaced by a larger capacity 1,397 cc version; the new model was marketed as the Renault 1.4 Litre, sometimes referred to simply as the "Renault 1.4". This model incorporated the same facelift introduced in France earlier in the year, with a new grille and dashboard. The 1.4 engine had hitherto been reserved for the Swedish and Canadian markets and was equipped with various emissions controls equipment, allowing it to meet the new ADR27A emissions requirements. While heavier than the 1.3-liter Renault 12XL, power also increased by about ten percent, with torque figures up 13 percent. It produced a modest at 5750 rpm, with a maximum speed of 150 km/h and returned around 9 litres / 100 km in mixed driving. The Renault 1.4 saloon weighed , while the station wagon was somewhat heavier.

In May 1978 it was renamed again and became the Renault Virage. This was identical to the 12, with no changes to the engine or performance, but incorporated twin round headlamps. Production in Australia ended in 1980.

New Zealand

The Renault 12 was assembled from CKD kits at importer Campbell group's own assembly plant in Thames, New Zealand, which later became a Toyota NZ factory and is now used to recondition used cars imported from Japan. The Campbell-built 12s had about 50 percent local content (glass, upholstery, tyres, carpet, paint, radiator, battery, etc.). One trim level was available and both sedans and wagons were made.

Yugoslavia

In 1972, Renault made a strategical partnership with Yugoslav manufacturer IMV from Novo Mesto, SR Slovenia, which had earlier been producing several Austin Motor Company models, to start producing besides Renault 4, also the Renault 12, Renault 16, Renault 18 and Renault 5 for the Yugoslav market.

North America

In Canada, the Renault 12 was briefly assembled locally by S.oMA in Quebec, but this ended in the summer of 1973. From then on, the Renault 12 was imported fully built-up from France. Canada received a 1.4-liter engine, the same as was also used in Sweden, to meet more stringent emissions standards than those used in most European markets. Power was SAE Gross at 5000 rpm. The R12 sold in Canada was available in base, L, TL, or GTL versions, as well as a Station Wagon (largely equivalent to the TL trim). The L, TL, and Station Wagon were also available with the automatic transmission. In total, 24,746 Renault 12 were sold in Canada (excluding 1977, for which numbers are unknown). The Canada-only "Nordic" special edition was available in 1978 and 1979, and played up the commonalities between the Canadian and Scandinavian markets. Period advertising made mention of the shared 1.4-liter engine and offering Scandinavian-market equipment such as headlight washers and Finnish-developed aluminum front inner fenders. This version was only available in Metallic Blue, with mock-wood trim on the Station Wagon model. Sales the last few years were desultory, with 654 Renault 12s sold in Canada in 1979, 225 in 1980, and a final 37 cars delivered in 1981.

The United States-market Renault 12 was presented in the Bois de Boulogne in May 1971, followed by a presentation to American Renault dealers at the Doral Country Club, near Miami, shortly thereafter. The federalized R12 originally only came as a TL sedan or a Station Wagon (the first wagon to be sold by Renault in the US), but later a plain base version and the 12 L trim lines were added. They ranged in price from the introductory US$ 2195 to US$4498 for the final Station Wagon. US models differ in their quad headlamps and side marker lights, as well as by having a bump in the bonnet to clear the larger engine and its associated emissions hardware.

The 12 was a slightly larger car than most European imports, and the longitudinal front wheel drive layout contrasted with most. The engine, an all-aluminum 1565 cc unit with steel cylinder liners was shared with the Renault 16 and was specific to the U.S. market, although the 12 received a double-barrel Solex carburettor and slightly more power. Power was originally SAE at 5000 rpm with a 8.6:1 compression ratio. For 1973, the engine was upgraded to the larger 1647 cc version with a single-barrel carburettor, featuring hemispherical heads, although power decreased to at the same engine speed as emissions regulations were tightened. For 1974, the compression ratio was dropped to 7.5:1, with power slipping to . For the 1976 model year a two-barrel carburettor and a somewhat higher compression ratio meant that were on offer, while a more luxurious GTL model topped the lineup. Sales were marginal due to the growing popularity of Japanese imports, with their growing reputation of dependability and cost effective operation. The Renault 12 was introduced late in the 1971 model year, with sales continuing through 1977.

South America

In Brazil, a version of the 12 was sold as the Ford Corcel and later the Ford Del Rey, when Ford do Brasil acquired the factory and rights to build the car from Willys-Overland, which had jointly developed the Brazilian version with Renault in the late 1960s. The Corcel was in fact launched in Brazil in 1968, before the Renault 12 was launched in France.

The Renault 12 was popular in Argentina and Colombia, during the 1970s and 1980s. In Colombia, this car was assembled at the plant of Renault SOFASA between 1973 and 1981, from CKDs that came from Argentina and France. In Argentina, the local versions being made at the "Santa Isabel" plant of Renault Argentina in the province of Córdoba. Production ran from November 1971 to the same month of 1994. The Break was built from 1973 to 1992; the total of both bodystyles was around 450,000 units.

Drivetrains began as 1,289 cc, switching effectively to 1,397 cc for all versions in 1977, with a last increase in bore and stroke in 1992 reaching 1,565 cc. In Brazil, Ford offered a similar 1,555 cc version with its Corcel II in 1980, which later offered an ethanol version of this engine with a 12:1 compression ratio. Gearboxes were four-speed manuals until 1988, and five-speed boxes thereafter. The R12 had a slightly higher status in this country than other places, given the fact that the Argentine Renault cars lineup was narrow at the time ( R4, R6 and Renault Torino). This caused the factory to add extras such as air conditioning and quality upholstery to close the gap between this car and the Torino until the arrival of the R18 in 1982. For this same reason, virtually all of the estate models ''(Break)'' were built with the TS's mechanical and comfort features.

The Argentine Renault 12 also saw competition success in South America, with a celebrated class (up to 1,600 cc) win in the 1978 South American Marathon with Argentinian driver Jorge Recalde and co-driver Jorge Baruscotti. Recalde finished before any of the cars in the two-litre category, and Renault 12s occupied the first six positions in their category.

;Renault 12 Alpine
The R12 Alpine was a sports version designed to improve the marque's image at local rallying. The main features were the 1397 cc engine from the R5 Alpine (built locally with imported parts), bulbous fiberglass bonnet, competition-tuned suspension, and custom paint schemes. The engine turned out , giving the Alpine a top speed of around . The new suspension was also as good as the power plant, being rated at the time as "outstanding" and "Goes like on rails" ''(CORSA Magazine)''. Renault was not interested in volume production, though, and only 493 units were made between 1977 and 1980 (sold from 1978 onwards). Plus, the Alpine's hand-building process and imported parts made it cost about 40% more than the basic TL version. R12 Alpine parts were sometimes used by rallying R12 TS's, as they gave the car quite desirable characteristics but, like the R12 Alpine itself, these parts were rare.

References

External links

Renault 12 review

Renault 12 Gordini fansite

Renault 12 Turkey Fan site

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