Renault 8

Renault
Renault 8 (1962-1973)
R8
Production period:	1962-1973
Class :	Lower middle class
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Petrol engines : 0.96–1.25 liters (29.5–65 kW)
Length:	3990 mm
Width:	1490 mm
Height:	1410 mm
Wheelbase :	2270 mm
Empty weight :	750-770 kg
Previous model	Renault Dauphine
successor	Renault 12

Rear view

The Renault 8 ( R8 for short ) is a four-door sedan from the French car manufacturer Renault , which was produced from mid-1962 to summer 1973. The engine with four cylinders in line and overhead valves was installed lengthways in the rear and was water-cooled. All the wheels were suspended individually , on double wishbones at the front and on a swing axle at the rear . There were hydraulically operated disc brakes all around and rack and pinion steering.

Development history

The R8 had a self-supporting, compact four-door notchback sedan body. Technically and externally, it was very similar to the Simca 1000 that had just been released . The bodies of both vehicles were made by Chausson , and the engines with the five-bearing crankshaft were very similar. Simca and Renault were independent, competing companies, which is why the obviously profound cooperation was a rather unusual process, especially since both vehicles were intended for the same market. The parallel pursuit of the front and rear engine concept was also unusual, which Renault underlined with the R4 and R8 models, which were introduced around the same time. The body shape of both vehicles was reminiscent of the Alfa Romeo Tipo 103 concept vehicle presented in 1960 , which, however, had a different technical design. Production of the R8 began in June 1962.

The engine of the predecessor type Dauphine was structurally based on the engine of the 4CV and could not be drilled out any further. Instead, a newly developed engine, already known from the Floride , was used, which developed an output of 29.5 KW (40 PS) in the R8. As with the R4 , the R8 had a sealed cooling system as a special feature. Instead of a maintenance-free chassis like the R4, the R8 was again provided with grease nipples . The clutch represented a new special feature, it had a spring washer instead of the usual pressure plate with coil springs and pressure fingers. Steering and transmission were essentially taken over from the Dauphine. The axles, in turn, came from the Floride S. New were disc brakes on all wheels.

As early as 1963, the R8 received a new four-speed gearbox in which gears two to four were synchronized, and from 1964 also first gear. Also from 1963, an automatic transmission with an electromagnetic Jaeger clutch and automated shifting was available on request . The automatic system worked purely mechanically and was controlled via push buttons on the dashboard. From then on it was also used in the Dauphine automatic and later in the parallel model R10 . The engine was the Sierra with a five-way crankshaft. The car reached 130 km / h and had a 38 liter tank.

In 1964 Renault brought out the Renault 8 Gordini with 1108 cm³ displacement and 63 kW (86 PS). The R8 Gordini was usually painted blue with two separate white stripes that ran over the hood, roof and rear of the vehicle on the driver's side. In 1967 a revised model came out, now with additional headlights, a second tank (26 l), 5-speed gearbox and a 1254 cm³ engine with 65 kW (88 hp). In the summer of 1965, the Renault 10 followed as a variant of the R8 with an extended front and rear, the R8 Major was replaced by the R10 Major .

From 1969 to 1971 there was the Renault 8 S with a double register carburetor and two additional high-beam headlights. The respective luxury versions were called R8 Major .

The R8 was built until the summer of 1973 and had no direct successor.

properties

The installation position of the engine in the rear had various consequences in connection with the rear-wheel drive:

• A high level of interior noise in the rear
• Unsafe driving behavior due to sensitivity to crosswinds
• A smooth and sufficiently direct steering for inner-city journeys
• Excellent traction

Engines and performance

Renault 8 Gordini (1965-1970)

Type	Construction period	Code number	Displacement	V max
R8	1962-1967	R 1130	956 cc	130 km / h
R8 Automatic	1963-1967	R 1130	956 cc	130 km / h
R8 major	1964-1965	R 1132	1108 cc	132 km / h
R8 Gordini	1964-1967	R 1134	1108 cc	170 km / h
R8 Gordini	1967-1970	R 1135	1254 cc	175 km / h
R8 6CV	1968-1973	R 1136	1108 cc	132 km / h
R8 S	1969-1971	R 1136	1108 cc	145 km / h

License replicas

Dacia 1100

From 1968 to 1970 the R8 was manufactured under license as the Dacia 1100 in Romania. Initially, the vehicles consisted entirely of original parts, but from 1969 supplier parts manufactured by Romanians were increasingly used. A total of 26,582 Dacia 1100s were produced. The Dacia 1100 was replaced by the Dacia 1300, a license replica of the Renault 12.

From 1967 to 1971 the R8 was produced together with the R10 as Bulgarrenault in Bulgaria. The vehicles consisted mainly of original French parts, but parts from Bulgarian production were also occasionally installed. The Alpine A110 was also assembled from original parts in the same factory . The plastic bodies of the so-called Bulgaralpine sports cars were manufactured in Bulgaria. A total of around 3500 Bulgarrenault R8, Bulgarrenault R10 and Bulgaralpine vehicles were produced.

literature

• Jacques Borgé, Nicolas Viasnoff: Renault - The way to success (l'Empire de Billancourt, German edition), M. Kühsel Verlag, Darmstadt (1980), ISBN 2-85120-059-3

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Another 1000 cc Renault 8 . In: Motor vehicle technology 11/1962, pp. 467–469
2. ↑ Another 1000 cc Renault 8 . In: Motor Vehicle Technology 11/1962, pp. 467–469 and 484
3. ↑ Automatic switching for small cars . In: Motor Vehicle Technology 5/1963, pp. 183-184.
4. ↑ Michael Dünnebier, Eberhard Kittler: Passenger cars of socialist countries . transpress VEB Verlag für Verkehrwesen, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-344-00382-8 , pp. 113-116.
5. ↑ Michael Dünnebier, Eberhard Kittler: Passenger cars of socialist countries . transpress VEB Verlag für Verkehrwesen, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-344-00382-8 , p. 20.

Web links

Commons : Renault 8  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files