Happy 40th Anniversary ADR 27A! Touted to be the end of interesting cars in Australia, July 1 1976 saw Australian Design Rule 27A emission rules introduced, with the aim of clearing the air pollution in congested city areas.
It also signalled the end of the Renault 16 in Australia. There was consideration of installing the 1,647cc motor from the Swedish spec 16, which also introduced similar emission rules for 1976. However engineering the 16 to comply with the new Australian rule was deemed too expensive, and too late into its overall production life. Especially given the impending introduction of further Australian Design Rules rules in regards to braking systems, side intrusion and child restraint requirements in later 1976 and 1977.
The Renault 12 range fared rather better. Gaining the Swedish spec 1,397cc motor, to become the 12 1.4, at the same time changing its type designation to R1179 for the sedan, and R1338 for the wagon. Given the stockpile of the May 1976 introduction, non-27A compliant, 12XL, the official release of the 12 1.4, as yet another additional model to the 12XL and 12GL range, was not until October 1976.
Renault claimed 10% more power (49.3kW) and 13% more torque (103Nm) from the 1.4 motor. And in an era of rapidly rising inflation, the range priced from $5,398 (12 1.4, manual, sedan) to $6,570 (12 1.4 Special, automatic, station sedan) was considered a bargain in the realm of European cars in Australia.
Another victim of ADR27A was the Renault 15/17 range. A final batch of Series 1 17TL and 17 Gordinis were imported for Australia prior to the introduction of 27A, with the revised Series 2 range not making the cut.
Renault Australia stocks of the 16 and 17 models were sufficient to allow both models to sell though to late 1977 and early 1978. Though I hate to think of their inventory holding costs over that time.
So, could ADR 27A be considered a success? With the benefit of hindsight, obviously yes, especially in conjunction with the various other emission rules over the last 40 years. At the time, it was normal for APP (Air Pollution Potential) alerts to be issued for city areas. I can't remember hearing one of those on the radio for many years...... And in terms of performance, cars today are so much better than even those immediate pre-27A offerings!