A little bit of history on the Renault 18
 Click on the
picture to read about this car |
The Renault 18 was introduced in 1978. In the Netherlands the
first ones were delivered in September of that year. The 18 was the successor for the
Renaults 12 and 16. The 12 was discontinued in 1980 after more than a decade and the 18
inherited several features from this car, like it's rigid back axle and some of it's lines
(just compare the pictures of the R18 with the picture of the Renault 12 on the right). In
1978 the Renault 18 was what the Renault Laguna is today. It was a stylish, spacious,
comfortable upper mid class car.
The first 18s were equipped with either a 1397cc engine for the TL
and GTL models or a 1647cc engine for the TS and GTS models. In 1980 a Diesel engine came
available for the 18 line.
In
1982 the model underwent some updates. The most visible update was the replacement of the
orange direction lights with transparent ones. Also from 1982 the chrome bumpers and
door grips were gradually replaced with polyester ones. The model got some technical
updates as well. For instance new carburettors were fitted, from 1982 electronic ignition
systems were introduced, the suspension was modified and so on. From 1982 the 1647 engine
(with slightly reduced output) became also standard for the GTL model.
From 1983 the 18 got a small spoiler on the trunk, slightly larger rims with four nuts
instead of the original three and some changes were made to make the car more fuel
efficient.
In my opinion from 1983 the updates to the appearance of the Renault 18 were
for the worse. In 1984 the car got a complete facelift and the interior was updated (or in
my view downgraded). The stylish dashboard and the characteristic wheel with asymmetrical
centre were replaced with a more 'sporty' but also cheaper looking interior. Also much of
the chrome details literally went out the window. Several technical changes were made
until the car was discontinued in 1986 and replaced by the Renault 21.
