Following the reveal of the Twin’Z study last month, Renault strikes back with a more hardcore, three-door version called the Twin’Run. It’s not entirely new for our eyes, as the car was scooped in March during the filming of a promo clip in Madrid.
However, now we have all the official details and photos to share, as Renault displayed the concept in Monaco, where the Formula 1 Grand Prix will take place this Sunday.
A tribute to the Renault 5 Turbo, as evidenced by the number 5 on the doors, and the Clio V6, the Twin’Run is a mid-engined city car powered by a 3.5-liter V6 shared with the Megane Trophy racecar and sourced from Nissan. Mated to a SADEV six-speed sequential gearbox with limited slip differential, the unit delivers 320 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 380 Nm of torque at 4,850 rpm.
According to Renault, 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes 4.5 seconds, with top speed pegged at 250 km/h (155 mph). Add to that a low weight of only 950 kilograms (2,094 lbs) and the 43/57 weight distribution (front/rear), and you get the idea what sort of car this is. Other homages to the R5 Turbo are the design of the headlights and the haunches at the back.
The three-door Twin’Run is 3.68-meters long, 1.75-meters wide and 1.48-meters tall. Its low weight was made possible due to the use of glass-polyester composite for the bodywork and carbon fiber for the front blade, roof, rear vent and wheelarches. Being a racecar also helped, as its stripped-out interior can attest.
Separated from the engine area by a plexiglass panel, the interior features bucket seats, motorsports steering wheel, racing handbrake and an aluminum pedal assembly. A 5.5-inch LCD screen positioned behind the steering wheel shows the vehicle speed, gear speed and engine speed, as well as fuel pressure, clutch pressure and oil pressure.
Two red pressure gauges with centrally positioned needles show the oil temperature and water temperature, a last nod to the R5 Turbo.
Now, if only Renault could tell us that they’ll build a limited run out of it…
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