Dacia 1300: the car that debuted before its prototype Renault 12

The first Dacia 1300 was produced on August 23, 1969, and the last, number 1,959,730, left the assembly line on July 21, 2004, just one month before its 35th anniversary prag van wezel pret stanga si dreapta.

Dacia 1300: the car that debuted before its prototype Renault 12

In the mid-1960s, by order of the Romanian government, a decision was made to organize the licensed production of a Western passenger car. The main requirements were that it should be relatively cheap, large enough for a family, and powered by an engine with a volume of no more than 1.3 liters. Offers were sent from many companies, but the best one turned out to be the one for the production of the Renault 12.

In anticipation of the new model, which was still in the prototype phase at the time, the Romanian plant temporarily produced the Renault 8, under the name Dacia 1100. It is interesting to note that the world premiere of the Renault 12 and its Romanian counterpart took place almost simultaneously, which is perhaps the only such case in the history of the Eastern European automotive industry. In fact, the first prototype of the Dacia 1300, assembled entirely from French parts, paraded in the Romanian National Day parade on August 23, 1969, a full nine days before the official presentation of the Renault 12.

For its time, the Dacia 1300 was a very modern car that offered good comfort, safety, good dynamics and reliability - a set of qualities that were at a very high level by Eastern European standards at the time.

The luxury version, the 1301, entered production in 1970, the 1300 Break station wagon debuted in 1973, and in 1975 the Dacia 1302 pickup was introduced.

After the collaboration with Renault ended in 1978, Dacia showed the first revised version of the 1300. In 1982, the numerical index was changed to 1310, and later came the 1210, 1410 and several other variants. In 1983, the entire range was renewed, and in the same year, serial production of the 1410 Sport version, which had two doors and a lower roof, began.

During its long history, the model has undergone numerous facelifts, without changing the basic structure and design of the body. Although the dynamics and fuel consumption have progressively improved, the quality has not always met the standards, especially since the import of assembly kits from France has stopped. Although it was produced even after 2000, the car was never offered complete with air conditioning, airbags and anti-lock braking system.

The bulk of the production was intended for the domestic market, as well as for the Eastern Bloc countries, but the Dacia 1300 was also exported to many other places around the world such as South America, Canada, China and North Korea, as well as to the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Netherlands.

The last modernization was made in 1998, with the installation of a fuel injection system and a catalytic converter, meeting Euro 2 emission standards.

Despite all its shortcomings, the Dacia saw solid sales until the last day of its production. In 2004, the sedan and station wagon were sold at an almost symbolic price of 4,100 and 4,250 euros respectively.

Car parts AutoPower
Car parts AutoPower

In the mid-1960s, by order of the Romanian government, a decision was made to organize the licensed production of a Western passenger car

In anticipation of the new model, which was still in the prototype phase at the time, the Romanian plant temporarily produced the Renault 8, under the name Dacia 1100