Présentée en 1962, la nouvelle berline moyenne gamme de la Régie, censée remplacer la Dauphine, innove par ses 4 freins à disques, véritable révolution pour une voiture de grande série. Mais la R8 bénéficie également d'un volume habitable important, de sièges confortables et d'un nouveau moteur à cinq paliers.
   Dessinée par Philippe Charbonneaux, elle correspond aux canons de l'époque (très anguleux), mais avec quelques touches spécifiques à ce designer, telles que la calandre asymétrique ou le capot avant concave. En fait, rien de bien excitant pour cette nouvelle tout à l'arrière de la Régie, mais dès 1964 (au Salon de Paris), Renault présente sa berline revue et corrigée par le sorcier Amédée Gordini. A partir de cet instant, la R8 va devenir un mythe, et remportera nombres d'épreuves sportives, mais participera aussi activement à l' "éducation" de bon nombres de pilotes par l'intermédiaire des coupes R8 G.  
   Evoluant à partir de 1966 en 1300cm3, la "Gorde" atteindra alors l'apogée de son art (on notera que ce moteur servira à de nombreuses réalisations extérieures : Alpine, Matra, Jidé...).
   La R8 sera vendue en France jusqu'en 1972.

   The 8 was launched in 1962, and the 10, a more upmarket version of the 8, was launched in 1965. Both ceased production and sales in France in 1971, although they were produced in Bulgaria until 1970 (see Bulgar Renault), and continued to be produced in Spain until 1976. In Romania, the 8 was produced under license between 1968 and 1971, under the name of Dacia 1100.
   The 8 design looks very similar to the Alfa Romeo front-wheel drive prototype tipo 103 (1960), because Alfa Romeo and Renault had a business relationship in the 1950s and 1960s. Renault was marketing Alfa Romeo cars and Alfa Romeo was building the Renault Dauphine (1959–1964), Ondine (an up-market version of the Dauphine) (1961–1962) and R4 (1962–1964) under license in Italy. In total 70,502 Dauphine/Ondine and 41,809 R4's were built by Alfa Romeo.
   The R8 (model R1130) was released in July 1962 and was based on the Renault Dauphine. The car's most notable distinction was its use of four-wheel disc brakes, a first for a car of its size. The 8 was powered by an all new 956 cc engine developing 44 Hp.
   A more powerful model, the 8 Major (model R1132) , was released in 1964, featuring an 1108 cc engine developing 50 hp (37 kW). A still more powerful version, the 8 model R1134 Gordini, was also released that year, with a tuned engine of the same capacity but developing 90 hp (67 kW) and with a four-speed manual transmission. The Gordini was originally available only in blue, with two stick-on white stripes. In 1965, the Renault 10 Major, a more luxurious version of the 8 with different front and rear styling, was released, replacing the 8 Major.
   In 1967, the 8 Gordini (model R1135) received a facelift including two additional headlights, and its engine upgraded to a 1255 cc unit rated at 100 hp (70 kW). Both the 8 and the 10 were heavily revised for 1968. Some of the 10's features being incorporated in the 8, resulting in a new 8 Major which replaced the basic model. The 10 itself was facelifted with rectangular headlights. The changes also saw the addition of the 8S, a sportier model with a 1108 cc engine rated at 60 hp (45 kW). A larger unit, the 1289 cc engine from the new Renault 12, was added in 1970, giving birth to the R10 1300.
   French production of the 8 and 10 ceased in 1971, with final sales as late as 1973. FASA-Renault, the company's Spanish arm, continued to produce models 8 and 8TS (similar to the French-built 8S) until 1976 for the Spanish and Mexican markets.