Renault 12

The Renault 12 is a small family car that Renault introduced at the Paris Motor Show in October 1969 and built in France until 1980, as a saloon and an estate. It came from Project 117, started in 1964 to fill the gap between the Renault 8 and the Renault 16, and the brief asked for an economical, roomy car with a large boot that could be built all over the world. Unlike the other front-drive Renaults of the time it carried its engine longitudinally ahead of the front wheels. European magazines praised its space, comfort, styling and low fuel use, though an American test criticised its engine noise and heavy steering. Sales ended in western Europe in 1980, but licensed production carried on elsewhere, with the last Renault 12 built in Turkey in 2000 and the Dacia 1310 derived from it running until 2004. About 2.5 million were sold.