Following into the footsteps of the glorious Renault 8 Gordini, the French car-maker tried to obtain a second success with the newly developed, front-wheel-drive Renault 12 and it added a Gordini version.
For those times, it was like an AMG for the Mercedes-Benz.

From the outside, there were not so many noticeable differences between the regular Renault 12 and the Renault Gordini, other than the four round headlights design for the latter. But that was available on the Renault 12 in TL (luxury) trim level. To make a difference, most of the Gordini models had a twin-stripe design with lines that started from the hood, followed the entire length of the car on to the trunk. The race version didn’t feature bumpers. A special set of wheels was installed on the three-lug bolt system, with wider tires.

Inside, there were more differences than on the regular Renault 12. The car featured standard bucket seats and a tachometer. The five-speed gearbox was fitted as standard on the Gordini, while it was unavailable for the rest of the R12 range.

Under the hood, the standard engine featured a 1.6-liter inline-four from the Renault 16, fed by two double-barrel Weber carburetors. There was also an option to fit the car with two double-barrel Dellorto 40 carburetors, which increased the power. Along with a new camshaft, the engine could offer up to 160 hp. The front independent suspension used the parallel wheel design, and that didn’t help too much on the corners, while the rear suspension was with a floating rigid axle and coil springs.