#renault 12

Renault 12 Alpine de 1970

R12 Mandreas Artin

1969 Renault 12

The Talbot Matra Murena (yes, the ‘Talbot’ bit does kind of ruin it, doesn’t it?) was only built between 1980 and 1983, which is a shame because the world rarely gets tired of mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive sportscars.Something of a ‘bitza’ the Murena incorporates the same engines used in the Talbot Solara and Tagora as well as the Talbot Horizon’s steering rack and tail lamps, the Citroen CX’s transaxle,  the Renault 12’s front indicators and Peugeot 505 door handles.And yet, it is very far from being the mongrel you might imagine; the chassis was fully galvanized, for example, making it the first ever production car to be so constructed. The body panels were made of fiberglass-epoxy too, something the French firm had great experience with. Thus equipped the car is rust-proof, which gives it the edge on almost every one of its Gallic contemporaries.All left the factory in left-hand-drive and featured three-abreast seating, something that had become a Matra signature.Two engines were offered, a 1.6-litre with 88bhp and 98lb/ft of torque, and a 2.2-litre with 115bhp and 134lb/ft of torque. The former topped out at 113mph after passing 62mph in just under 12 seconds, while the latter added nine miles-per-hour to the top speed and slashed more than two and a half seconds off the acceleration time.There was also a 2.2-litre ‘Preparation 142’ and Murena S. Both had 140bhp and 138lb/ft of torque, giving the fastest Murena of them all a top speed of 130mph after passing 62mph in under eight and a half seconds.

Renault 12 S ad. Spain, 1970s