1984 DACIA 1.3L 4MT FWD (54 HP)

Vehicle Overview

In 1984, the old Renault 12 built under license by the Romanian carmaker Dacia received another refresh to make it more appealing to the market.

While other countries already forgot how the Renault 12 was looking, the Romanians kept producing that vehicle, with various upgrades. But it was like a botox injection into an old person’s lips. The Romanian designers and engineers worked hard to get just a few points for the car’s look.

The 1984 model featured a new front fascia, a plastic addition over the already existing four-round headlights from the previous facelifted model. That was extended on the bottom and on the sides to mimic a more aerodynamic profile. The headlight’s googles actually damaged the aerodynamic factor. Since the chromed, metallic bumpers were already out of the automotive trend, Dacia installed a new version made out of plastic materials. It was black and extended in the lower part to mimic an apron. The only aerodynamic improvement was a rubber duck-tail glued on the sloped trunk lid. Its effect on the fuel-efficiency was minimal, but at least the big taillights remained clear for a longer time.

Inside, there were just a few differences on the dash panel, where a pair of dials were mounted on the passenger side for oil-temperature and charging status. For the seats, the manufacturers installed adjustable headrests for the front passengers.

Under the hood, there was the same 1.3-liter engine advertised to produce 54 hp. It was mated to a 4-speed manual as the only option.