From the road to the track, is a slogan that applies to a number of cars and even more so to certain engine families that were born to equip production cars but can also be easily adapted to sports and even racing cars.
Virtually all car manufacturers have had one of these engine families throughout their history. At Renault one of the most interesting is the Cleon-Fonte series, called so because it was produced at the Cleon plant, as well as the rather famous Cleon-Alu.
From the Renault 5 to the Alpine
This family of in-line four-cylinder petrol engines, also known as the 'Sierra', saw the light of day in the early 1960s, in 1962 to be precise. Intended to be developed with numerous displacement variants, up to five, but all between 1.0 and 1.4 litres, it had some features that would remain unchanged over time.
These included a cast-iron crankcase with five crankshaft supports, aluminium cylinder heads, a chain-driven side camshaft, two valves per cylinder and water cooling.
Fuel was supplied by single or twin carburettors of various types. It was only in the final period that the switch to fuel injection was fixed. The Cléon-Fonte range naturally included supercharged versions, an almost pioneering technical solution on Renault's part. Who doesn't remember its turbo engines in the last decades of the 20th century?
Renault 5 950 1962
The 1.0-litre engine
The smallest and simplest proponent of the Cléon-Fonte series was the 1.0-litre, actually 950, as the displacement was 956cc (bore and stroke 65 x 72 mm). It debuted, like most of the family, in rear-engined models such as the Renault 8 and Floride, but was later also fitted in the Renault 5 and its heir, the Supercinco. It also powered an early version of the Alpine A110 in 1962. Power ratings ranged from 34 to 49 bhp.
The Renault 9 TC 1.100 engine
The 1.1 engine
The 1.1-litre, 1,108cc variant arrived a little later and, compared to the initial version, simply had the bore increased to 70 mm. Power output here ranged from 44 to 69 bhp, and the list of 'customers' was interestingly extended.
At Renault, in addition to the 8 and 10, the 5, 6 and Caravelle, then the 7, 9 and 11, it was also used in the Estafette van and even found its way into the Clio. It was also supplied to the DAF 55 and 66 saloons and the Volvo variant of the latter, as well as the Matra D-Jet, which received the 69 bhp version and a later 89 bhp evolution.
The Matra D-Jet engine
The 1.250 engine
Based on the 1.1, but with a bore increased to 74.5 mm (almost 'square' format) and a displacement of 1,255cc, the third Cleon-Fonte was fitted in the Renault 8, the Alpine A110 and the Matra D-Jet 6 in the mid-1960s and early 1970s. It was the first to exceed 99 bhp.
Another similar engine, 1,237 cc and 54 bhp, was used in the Supercinco, 9, 11 and also in the 19 in the late 1990s. Its 1,239cc evolution was in the first Twingo, the Clio and the Express van.
The 1.3 engine in the Renault 5 LS
The 1.3 engine
New compared to its predecessors, the 1,289cc block (bore and stroke 73 x 77 mm) was used between 1968 and 1981 in a variety of models such as the 5, 12, 15, Estafette and again the DAF/Volvo 66, with power outputs ranging from 51 to 63 bhp.
Renault 18 Turbo 1978
The 1.4 engine
The 1,397cc version was by far the most widespread and extensive, not only in terms of the number of models it powered, but also in terms of the large number of variants. It could be found in the Renault 5, Supercinco, 9, 11 and 18, as well as in the Turbo versions, and again in the first generation Master van, the Aro 15 off-roader and even in the Volvo 340, with power ratings ranging from 47 to 118 bhp.
Renault 5 Turbo 1980
A specific variant with modified cylinder heads and V-valves was used for the most powerful versions of the Renault 5: the 92 bhp aspirated R5 Alpine and the 108 bhp Turbo, and finally in the powerful rear-engined R5 Turbo, where power output reached 158 bhp.
Other Historical Engines:
Gallery: Renault Cleon engines
