High Energy Ignition (HEI)

[Farrar]

Renault was a partner in the Douvrin plant.

But did AMC buy the drivetrain from Renault, or from Volvo? That's all I want to know.

Farrar

[content22207]

AMC was Renault. Renault bought a controlling interest in the company in 1982. That's why AMC had to sell AM General (foreign companies weren't allowed to build US military weapons, at least not back then).

Bill Robertson
#5939

[Farrar]

So ... it was Renault's drivetrain?

Farrar

[sean]

So ... it was Renault's drivetrain?

Farrar

OMG! This is like a bad Abbott and Costello bit.

[Farrar]

OMG! This is like a bad Abbott and Costello bit.

But I am guessing I play the part of Lou Costello...

Farrar

[sean]

But I am guessing I play the part of Lou Costello...

Farrar

Who is Lou? You is Lou?

[content22207]

So ... it was Renault's drivetrain?

Absolutely, just like Alliance drivetrains.

When Renault bought a controlling interest in AMC, they basically told everyone to shut up and build what they had already designed in France (Dick Teague tweaked things a bit for the American market, but the cars were unmistakably French). The Premier is no different than the Alliance -- a French car tweaked for the American market.

Fortunately Renault did not throw away AMC's own engine tooling. When Chrysler bought AMC, they were in desperate need of a cast iron 6 cylinder engine (Lee Iacocca did throw away Chrysler's 225 tooling). The Chrysler 4.0 is AMC's 258, built with AMC's own tooling (a wonderful little engine that traces its heritage all the way back to 1964). Chrysler also continued to produce AMC's V8, alongside its own V8 platform. Under Chrysler auspices AMC designed engines continued to be produced, using AMC's original tooling, until 2006.

Bill Robertson
#5939

[Farrar]

Probably Renault/Bendix; it was their powerplant.

Actually Volvo was the lead partner on the B280 redesign.

But did AMC buy the drivetrain from Renault, or from Volvo? That's all I want to know.

AMC was Renault.

So ... it was Renault's drivetrain?

Absolutely, just like Alliance drivetrains.

Okeydoke...

Probably Renault/Bendix; it was their powerplant.

Farrar

[content22207]

Volvo and Renault were both partners in the Douvrin plant (along with Peugeot of course). It's not as though you had two different suppliers of PRV engines. All PRV's came from the same place. They were just spec'd differently according to each manufacturer's needs.

The Pennebaker documentary records Volvo's demand for royalty payments from DMC, for engines sourced through Renault, because the tooling inside the Douvrin plant belonged to Volvo. That does make it appear that the PRV partnership was not evenly divided between the three manufacturers.

Volvo newsgroups make it sound as though Volvo engineers were primarily responsible for modifying the original odd fire design into the even fire B280, used first by Volvo in 1987, then by Renault in 1988 as the 3.0.

Interesting footnote: the bilge pump engine in my car is Peugeot sourced (it has a Peugeot engine number). It was built in the same Douvrin factory as all other DeLorean engines, but spec'd by Peugeot for its own use (in my case, an off-road marine application).

Bill Robertson
#5939

[cineman]

Volvo and Renault were both partners in the Douvrin plant (along with Peugeot of course). It's not as though you had two different suppliers of PRV engines. All PRV's came from the same place. They were just spec'd differently according to each manufacturer's needs.

The Pennebaker documentary records Volvo's demand for royalty payments from DMC, for engines sourced through Renault, because the tooling inside the Douvrin plant belonged to Volvo. That does make it appear that the PRV partnership was not evenly divided between the three manufacturers.

Volvo newsgroups make it sound as though Volvo engineers were primarily responsible for modifying the original odd fire design into the even fire B280, used first by Volvo in 1987, then by Renault in 1988 as the 3.0.

Interesting footnote: the bilge pump engine in my car is Peugeot sourced (it has a Peugeot engine number). It was built in the same Douvrin factory as all other DeLorean engines, but spec'd by Peugeot for its own use (in my case, an off-road marine application).

Bill Robertson
#5939

The evenfiring PRV was first introduced by Renault, with the 2.5lt turbo in the R25 and Alpine GTA, in 1985. The 2.8 and 3.0 of every other manufacturer came later.

regarding Volvo and Delorean, the castings numbers of heads and cams are in fact the one used from Volvo, so maybe that's why Volvo requested a royalty. I have bought documents in france, i will scan, from a Renault archive where is specified the first 500 or so engine for Delorean was of a kind ( quite all Volvo p/n ) and after they changed... my assumption is that they needed the first engines to be exactly like the Volvo one that was already certified emission for the USA, and that the engine in all the prototype and first cars, and after they changed it a bit...for royalty? power? emission? who know...