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The 8 design looks very similar to the Alfa Romeo front-wheel drive prototype tipo 103 (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 Dauphine (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 Dauphine. 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 44 PS. A more powerful model, the 8 Major (model R1132) , was released in 1964, featuring an 1108 cc engine developing 50 PS. 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 90 PS 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 100 PS. 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 60 PS. A larger unit, the 1289 cc engine from the new Renault 12, 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 Spanish arm, continued to produce models 8 and 8TS (similar to the French-built 8S) until 1976 for the Spanish market, and components for the 8S and 8TS assambled in Mexico. In 1963 the Renault 8 was awarded Wheels Magazine Australia's Car of the Year Award. |
