page_title: Renault 12
section_title: South America
hierarchical_section_title: Renault 12 / Across the world / South America
caption_attribution_description: English: Argentinian-made Renault 12 Alpine in the hills of Córdoba, Argentina. Photo taken by uploader during early 2007. Pictured car is a standard 1978 model.
context_page_description: The Renault 12 is a mid-size family car introduced by French automaker Renault at the Paris Motor Show in October 1969 and produced in France until 1980. Available as a saloon and estate, it was also produced under licence in many countries around the globe into the early 21st century.
  In its first few years the 12 received praise from the European press for its spacious, comfortable interior, its styling, its performance and its low fuel consumption. However it fared worse in the North American press: in a test of the 1974 model, Road & Track was critical of the engine's "obtrusive" noise, and called the heavy, non-power steering "a serious design flaw". They also gave it "very poor marks" for the ventilation system.
  Renault 12 production and sales ended in western Europe in 1980, but the model continued to be produced and sold by Renault affiliates elsewhere. The last R12 was produced in 2000 in Turkey, while Romanian automaker Dacia continued producing the R12-based 1310 saloon and estate until 2004 and the R12-based Dacia Pick-Up until December 2006.
  Commercially the Renault 12 was a successful car, selling 2.5 million units.
context_section_description: 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 (1973 to 1992 for the Break); totaling 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 1,600 cc. In Brazil, Ford offered the 1,600 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 110 PS (81 kW; 108 hp), giving the Alpine a top speed of around 175 km/h (109 mph). 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.
caption: R12 Alpine
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