Efficient -     125 Horsepower -     115 m.p.h. (185 km/h)

    Origin of the Renault 12 Gordini engine: the Renault 16 TS 1565 cc power unit – Lotus and Alpine already use the power potential of this exceptional engine to serve the Lotus Europa and the small Berlinette 1600 and 1600S. Meanwhile, although all the essential elements are those of a production-line engine, the development of 125 BHP (SAE) has involved various modifications: extra ribbing of the crankcase; new wide connecting rods with threaded caps; greater doming of piston heads to obtain a compression ratio of 10.25:1; double crimping of cylinder gasket; bigger inlet valves and increased inlet overlap to give better cylinder filling at high r.p.m.
    Two double-barrel horizontal WEBER carburetters serve four-cylinder engine which reaches maximum efficiency between 4500 and 6000 r.p.m. It’s an obvious guarantee of robustness and long life.

    5 Forward Speeds

    To make the most of this engine’s potential a fully synchromesh, 5-speed gearbox is provided. It’s controlled by a floor-mounted lever which requires very little movement while being completely rigid and easy-to-hand. The layout of foot-brake and accelerator is designed to make it easy to ’heel and toe’.