Renault’s New Concept Turn the Retro Dial to 11
Two years ago, Renault rebooted the R17 sports coupe from the 1970s as a modern EV heavily layered with heritage design cues. Now, with the Paris Motor Show around the corner, Renault has taken another icon--the compact Renault 8 Gordini--and reinvented it for the electric age.
The original Renault 8 launched in 1962 as a rear-engined compact sedan as an alternative to VW's Beetle; the 95hp Gordini launched two years later, as an early precursor to today's hot hatches.
The new concept is a bit more extreme in its approach than the R17. It's now a two-seater, with aggressively blistered front and rear wheelarches, and (unlike the R17) was developed completely in-house. There are six round LED headlamps up front and a prominent wing out back, with 19" and 20" wheels front and rear. The entire front end lifts off, like a race car, removing the need for a shutline. Underneath is a 270hp rear-mounted motor, but there aren't any other technical specs (or performance numbers)--at least, not yet.
The interior has an equally retro feel, with a full-width brushed aluminum strip that serves as a shelf for the round digital instruments. The center console features a brushed aluminum plate and aluminum dials. The seats are upholstered in Alcantara and corduroy (!), and the stitching across the doors panels is intended to evoke a racetrack.
Like the R17, it doesn't appear that this concept is headed for production, but I suspect Renault's people had a lot of fun putting it together. The success of the new Renault 5, 4, and Twingo shows that the company seems to be able to successfully leverage their heritage into desirable vehicles. Perhaps we'll see a radio-control model that Renault enthusiasts can take home...
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