The Renault 8 was a small, rear-engined saloon car made by Renault in France and Spain, based on the platform of the outgoing Renault Dauphine. It was released in June 1962.

Unlike the Dauphine, the 8 was powered by an all-new 956 cm³ engine developing 44 PS.

A more powerful model, the 8 Major, was released in 1964, featuring an 1,108 cm³ engine developing 50 PS. A still more powerful version, the 8 Gordini, was also released that year, with a tuned engine of the same capacity but developing 90 PS. The Gordini was available only in blue, with two white stripes.

In 1965, the Renault 10, a plusher version of the 8 with a different front and rear, was released, replacing the 8 Major.

In 1967, the 8 Gordini received a facelift, adding two extra headlights, and its engine upgraded to a 100 PS 1,255 cm³ unit.

Both the 8 and 10 were heavily revised for 1968, with some of the 10's features making it in to the 8. The 10 itself was facelifted, with rectangular headlights added. The changes also saw the addition of the 8S, a sportier model with an 1,108 cm³ engine doing 60 PS.

A larger unit, the 1,289 cm³ engine from the new Renault 12, was added in 1970.

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 8s into the late 1970s.

External link

• Réné's Renault Pages: Renault 8 and 10 (http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Show/9396/index8.htm)