RENAULT 14 1976-1983 Photos, engines & full specs

Renault opened a new chapter with the model 14 and tried to compete against the already established Golf, but the result was far from the French automaker's aspirations.

By the mid-'70s, the compact vehicles rode on high tides in Europe, with the Golf being the hottest cake on the market. On the other hand, Renault was successful with the Renault 16, which was also a hatchback, although for an upscale segment. The French carmaker also had the model 4 on its offer, but customers asked for something between those two. And thus, the 14 showed up in April 1976.

The idea of a transverse-mounted engine at the front that drove the front wheels was very good, leading to changes in the car's overall appearance. Thus, the front fascia showed a flat grille between the rectangular headlights and plastic bumper, which was basically part of the bodywork. In addition, a small step on the A-pillar emphasized the ascending side beltline, forming a Z-shape line. At the same time, at the back, the raked-forward C-pillar tried to create a dynamic look for the car.

Inside, the automaker tried to improve and created a center stack that connected the dashboard with the center console. In those times, most cars didn't have that. To further enhance the front passengers' comfort, the bucket seats were almost flat, without side bolstering. In the rear, the folding bench provided enough room for three passengers, and the lack of a center tunnel created enough legroom.

Under the hood, Renault installed a 1.2-liter powerplant with a single overhead camshaft design as a base engine. It was a modern engine design, even though it didn't benefit from a fuel injection system. Later, the automaker added a 1.4-liter unit that provided up to 70 PS (69 hp).