The
Renault 8 (
Renault R8 until 1964) and
Renault 10 are two small family cars produced by the
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
vehicle manufactuer
RenaultRenault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks. Due to its alliance with Nissan, it is currently the world's fourth largest automaker. Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, Renault owns the Romanian automaker Automobile Dacia and the Korean automaker Renault...
in the 1960s and early 1970s. The 8 was launched in 1962, and the 10, a more upmarket version of the 8, was launched in 1965. Both ceased production and sales in France in 1971. They were produced in
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
until 1970 (see
BulgarrenaultBulgarrenault was an automobile produced in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and the result of a collaboration between Metalhim and Bulet...
), and continued to be produced in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
until 1976. In Romania, the 8 was produced under license between 1968 and 1971, under the name of
DaciaDacia is a Romanian car manufacturer, named for the historic region that constitutes much of present-day Romania. It is now a subsidiary of the French carmaker Renault...
1100.
The 8 design looks very similar to the
Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automaker founded on June 24, 1910 in Milan. Alfa Romeo has been a part of the Fiat Group since 1986, and since February 2007 a part of Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. The company was owned by Italian state holding company Istituto per la Ricostruzione...
front-wheel drive prototype
tipo 103http://alfasud.alfisti.net/ase.htm (1960), because Alfa Romeo and Renault had a business relationship in the 1950s and 1960s. Renault was marketing Alfa Romeo cars and Alfa Romeo was building the
Renault DauphineThe Renault Dauphine is an automobile produced by French manufacturer Renault from 1956 to 1967. A luxury version, badged as the Renault Ondine was sold from 1960 to 1962...
(1959–1964), Ondine (an up-market version of the Dauphine) (1961–1962) and R4 (1962–1964) under license in Italy. In total 70,502 Dauphine/Ondine and 41,809 R4's were built by Alfa Romeo.
The R8 (model R1130) was released in July 1962 and was based on the
Renault DauphineThe Renault Dauphine is an automobile produced by French manufacturer Renault from 1956 to 1967. A luxury version, badged as the Renault Ondine was sold from 1960 to 1962...
. The car's most notable distinction was its use of four-wheel disc brakes, a first for a car of its size. The 8 was powered by an all new 956 cc engine developing .
A more powerful model, the 8 Major (model R1132) , was released in 1964, featuring an 1108 cc engine developing . A still more powerful version, the 8 model R1134 Gordini, was also released that year, with a tuned engine of the same capacity but developing and with a five-speed close ratio manual transmission. The Gordini was originally available only in blue, with two stick-on white stripes. In 1965, the Renault 10 Major, a more luxurious version of the 8 with different front and rear styling, was released, replacing the 8 Major. Early R10 had round headlights.
In 1967, the R8 Gordini (model R1135) received a facelift including two additional headlights, and its engine upgraded to a 1255 cc unit rated at . Both the 8 and the 10 were heavily revised for 1968. Some of the 10's features being incorporated in the 8, resulting in a new 8 Major which replaced the basic model. The 10 itself was facelifted with rectangular headlights. The changes also saw the addition of the 8S, a sportier model with a 1108 cc engine rated at . A larger unit, the 1289 cc engine from the new
Renault 12The Renault 12 is a family car produced by French automaker Renault between 1969 and 1980. Available as a saloon and estate , it was also produced under licence in many countries across the globe into the early 21st century....
, was added in 1970, giving birth to the R10 1300.
French production of the 8 and 10 ceased in 1971, with final sales as late as 1973. FASA-Renault, the company's
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
arm, continued to produce models 8 and 8TS (similar to the French-built 8S) until 1976 for the
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
market.
Automatic transmission
From 1965 onwards the 8 and 10 were available with an
automatic transmissionAn automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
of unique design.
This transmission was developed and produced by Jaeger. The clutch was replaced by a powder
ferromagneticFerromagnetism is the basic mechanism by which certain materials form permanent magnets and/or exhibit strong interactions with magnets; it is responsible for most phenomena of magnetism encountered in everyday life...
coupler. The transmission was a three-speed mechanical unit similar to that of the Dauphine, but with synchromesh on all gears.
The system used these input devices:
- a push button control panel by means of which the driver could select forward or reverse drive
- a governor which sensed vehicle speed and throttle position
A "relay case" containing electromagnetic switches interpreted signals from these devices and commanded operation of:
- the coupler
- a decelerator to close the throttle during gear changes
- an actuator consisting of a solenoid to select operation of the reverse-first or second-third shift rail, and a reversible electric motor to engage the gears
The system was thus entirely electromechanical: no hydraulics, pneumatics or electronics were used.
Benefits of the system included no loss of fuel economy as compared to the manual transmission version, and easy adaptability to the car.
Deficiencies included loss of performance due to there being only three available gears, and somewhat jerky operation during gear changes.
This transmission was also used in the Dauphine and the
CaravelleThe Renault Caravelle is a roadster automobile produced by the French manufacturer Renault between 1958 and 1968. Outside of North America for its first four years of production it was known as the Renault Floride....
.
Use in films
The Renault 10 was a particular favourite among French film makers as the rear-engined layout allowed a camera tripod to be fitted in the front boot in front of the windscreen to film people talking to each other while driving.
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