Well this is a bit more like it. Instead of farting around
with arty teaser concepts, Renault's given us a proper mid-engined
tribute to the R5 Turbo and Clio V6. OK, so it's still just a concept,
and ultimately it only serves to preview what the next Twingo will look
like, but lordy it's cool. And it's an actual, proper racer.
Called the Twin'Run, it was bolted together by Tork Engineering and Poclain Vehicules (a French motorsport chassis tuner), and features a spaceframe with composite bodywork on top, and a Mégane Trophy V6 in the middle. As in an actual 3.5-litre, 320hp engine from the manufacturer's one-make racing series.
Renault assures us it'll lay down the power, too. The engine's attached to a twin-clutch SADEV six-speed sequential ‘box and limited-slip differential. There's also double-wishbone suspension with independent pivots on the front and rear axles, Ohlins spring shock absorbers and chubby 22mm front/25mm rear anti-roll bars.
There's some snazzy aero on board as well, with a vent channelling the air flow under the car. On top of that, as is mandatory, there's a ruddy great big spoiler. Cooling intakes also sit just in front of the rear wheel, and some giant extractors replace the rear passenger window glass. While we're on the subject, the rest of the cooling system is also pretty swish. A bunch of the pipework's been fabricated in polished aluminum, and by setting it in the cabin floor, Renault's made a feature of them.
So, how does it drive? We'd imagine pretty well - there's 43/57 weight distribution, it gets from 0-62 mph in 4.5 seconds, it's made from lightweight carbon panels (though we've not been told exactly how much it weighs) and it's rear-wheel drive with its engine in the middle. Rally champion Jean Ragnotti (he who won the Tour de Corse in a Renault 5 Turbo Group B rally car) helped tweak the chassis, and says: "Following this first drive, I'd say that this is a sound car with a strong pedigree. It's easy to control. You can feel straight away that it's a sports car. In terms of balance and ride, it brings the R5 Turbo to mind to some extent.
"The gearbox is smooth and you've got powerful brakes. Excellent traction with a responsive engine delivering full power at all revs, rounder and with more torque than the R5 Turbo, making it particularly efficient and easy to drive, unlike the R5, which required more technique. "It's definitely an efficient car with surprisingly good vertical comfort, including in zones of high compression where we're still a long way from the travel stops. All we need to sharpen our attacking edge a bit more are racing tyres. There's a slight roll but no understeer. A gradual performance, no surprises, taking corners easily. This concept car is a worthy heir to the Maxi 5 Turbo."
TWIN'RUN CONCEPT CAR : THE CITY-CAR WITH A KICK!
Called the Twin'Run, it was bolted together by Tork Engineering and Poclain Vehicules (a French motorsport chassis tuner), and features a spaceframe with composite bodywork on top, and a Mégane Trophy V6 in the middle. As in an actual 3.5-litre, 320hp engine from the manufacturer's one-make racing series.
Renault assures us it'll lay down the power, too. The engine's attached to a twin-clutch SADEV six-speed sequential ‘box and limited-slip differential. There's also double-wishbone suspension with independent pivots on the front and rear axles, Ohlins spring shock absorbers and chubby 22mm front/25mm rear anti-roll bars.
There's some snazzy aero on board as well, with a vent channelling the air flow under the car. On top of that, as is mandatory, there's a ruddy great big spoiler. Cooling intakes also sit just in front of the rear wheel, and some giant extractors replace the rear passenger window glass. While we're on the subject, the rest of the cooling system is also pretty swish. A bunch of the pipework's been fabricated in polished aluminum, and by setting it in the cabin floor, Renault's made a feature of them.
So, how does it drive? We'd imagine pretty well - there's 43/57 weight distribution, it gets from 0-62 mph in 4.5 seconds, it's made from lightweight carbon panels (though we've not been told exactly how much it weighs) and it's rear-wheel drive with its engine in the middle. Rally champion Jean Ragnotti (he who won the Tour de Corse in a Renault 5 Turbo Group B rally car) helped tweak the chassis, and says: "Following this first drive, I'd say that this is a sound car with a strong pedigree. It's easy to control. You can feel straight away that it's a sports car. In terms of balance and ride, it brings the R5 Turbo to mind to some extent.
"The gearbox is smooth and you've got powerful brakes. Excellent traction with a responsive engine delivering full power at all revs, rounder and with more torque than the R5 Turbo, making it particularly efficient and easy to drive, unlike the R5, which required more technique. "It's definitely an efficient car with surprisingly good vertical comfort, including in zones of high compression where we're still a long way from the travel stops. All we need to sharpen our attacking edge a bit more are racing tyres. There's a slight roll but no understeer. A gradual performance, no surprises, taking corners easily. This concept car is a worthy heir to the Maxi 5 Turbo."
TWIN'RUN CONCEPT CAR : THE CITY-CAR WITH A KICK!
May 24, 2013 -- Renault is unveiling the Twin'Run at the 71st Monaco
Grand Prix. The new concept car cultivates the sporting spirit of the
brand and celebrates automotive passion by paying homage to the
legendary R5 Turbo and Clio V6.
Twin'Run, a real racing car, features a tubular chassis lifted directly
from motorsport competition and a mid-engine 320-hp V6 engine based on
Mégane Trophy.
Like its twin, Twin'Z, Twin'Run is a modern and playful take on the city
car. Both concept cars express the fifth stage in Renault's design
strategy based on the major phases in a lifetime. Each in its own way
represents the "Play" stage (petal) and demonstrates the customisation
possibilities of a city car fully in step with its times.
The Twin'Run concept car previews the styling of Renault's future city car.
Renault
unveiled Twin'Run at the 71st Monaco Grand Prix weekend 2013. The new
concept car cultivates the sporting spirit of the brand and celebrates
automotive passion by paying homage to the legendary R5 Turbo and Clio
V6.
Twin'Run, a
real racing car, features a tubular chassis lifted directly from
motorsport competition and a mid-engine 320-hp V6 based on the Mégane
Trophy racer.
Like its
twin, Twin'Z, Twin'Run is a modern and playful take on the city car.
Both concept cars express the fifth stage in Renault's design strategy
based on the major phases in a lifetime, expressed through a flower
petal. Each in its own way represents the “Play” stage and demonstrates
the customisation possibilities of a city car fully in step with its
times.
Twin'Run ties in perfectly with the series of concept cars illustrating Renault's design strategy. The diamond-dominated front end underlines Renault's new styling approach through its new brand identity. Like Twin'Z, Twin'Run gets blue paint in reference to the “Play” petal of the fifth stage in the French marque's design strategy. Twin'Run's stomping ground is the world of motorsport.
Renault unveiled Twin'Run at the 71st Monaco Grand Prix weekend 2013. The new concept car cultivates the sporting spirit of the brand and celebrates automotive passion by paying homage to the legendary R5 Turbo and Clio V6.
Twin'Run, a
real racing car, features a tubular chassis lifted directly from
motorsport competition and a mid-engine 320-hp V6 based on the Mégane
Trophy racer.
Like its
twin, Twin'Z, Twin'Run is a modern and playful take on the city car.
Both concept cars express the fifth stage in Renault's design strategy
based on the major phases in a lifetime, expressed through a flower
petal. Each in its own way represents the “Play” stage and demonstrates
the customisation possibilities of a city car fully in step with its
times.
|
|
Twin'Run
ties in perfectly with the series of concept cars illustrating Renault's
design strategy. The diamond-dominated front end underlines Renault's
new styling approach through its new brand identity. Like Twin'Z,
Twin'Run gets blue paint in reference to the “Play” petal of the fifth
stage in the French marque's design strategy. Twin'Run's stomping ground
is the world of motorsport.
|
The “5” on the doors refers to the R5 Turbo, the emblematic 1980s rally car.
A host of
details pay homage to this illustrious forerunner, including the design
of the headlights and the generous haunches at the back. The four
additional, extra-flat headlights with LED technology are a modern-day
take on the light racks used in night rally specials.
Twin'Run is
fitted with the V4Y engine from the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which is
used on the road for Laguna, Espace and Latitude, as well as in
competition with the Mégane Trophy racer. Mounted longitudinally ahead
of the rear axle centreline, the V6 3,498cc powerplant delivers 320hp at
6,800 rpm and torque of 380Nm at 4,850 rpm. The engine is full-bodied
and generous from low revs, delivering linear acceleration and providing
excellent traction around bends and in acceleration. Unsurprisingly, it
also makes a great noise.
The air
intake vents are positioned at the level of the rear wheel arches. Air
extractors in the rear quarter lights help keep the engine cool. The
cooling system has received special treatment with polished aluminum
pipes set visibly into the cabin floor. The engine is separated from the
driving position by a plexiglass panel.
The
bodywork in a glass-polyester composite has also benefited from racing
expertise. This includes carbon fibre for the front blade, roof, rear
vent and wheelarches. Carbon fibre technology combines aesthetics and
efficiency, while keeping costs down.
The two-box
architecture of Twin'Run creates lift at high speeds. The aerodynamics
have received special attention with a vent channelling the air flow
under the car and a fixed airfoil for enhanced aerodynamic support at
high speeds.
Twin'Run
has the cabin of a performance car, underlined by the tubular chassis
and SPARCO seats fitted with safety harnesses. Nevertheless, the
emphasis placed on interior design extends well beyond anything normally
seen in the world of motorsports. The door panels and dashboard are
upholstered in black and red “alcantara effect” suede. The padded bucket
seats, upholstered in three shades of alcantara and carrying the
Twin'Run signature, allude to the “French touch” of this one-off concept
car.
The driver
gains a motorsports steering wheel and sequential gear lever with a
high-mounted layout for fast gear changes. The joint welded handbrake is
positioned on the same level as the gear lever for demonstration
figures such as a 360° rotation.
Under the
driver's feet, the aluminum pedal assembly is pure motorsport. Designed
for easy heel-toe moves, it has been tried and tested on many track
vehicles.
Twin'Run
features a 5.5 inch LCD screen positioned just behind the steering
wheel. The red and blue multi-page display 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.
It looks like this past few weeks have been pretty busy around Renault’s design center. First, that strange-looking 2013 Twizy F1 Concept was unveiled at the end of April and today, at the 71st Monaco Grand
Prix, the French company unveiled the Twin’Run - a concept that pays
tribute to legendary R5 Turbo and Clio V6.
The concept made its first run at the Monaco Grand Prix with Carlos Tavares, Chief Operating Officer, at the wheel. Alongside it was a Clio V6 with F1 star Charles Pic at the wheel and a Maxi 5 Turbo driven by Jean Ragnotti.
While there is no chance for the Twin’Run to enter production, Renault did confirm that it previews the styling of the company’s future city car.
The unveiling of the new Twin’Run concept will be followed by a series of other dynamic demonstrations at various auto-centric events, like July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed .
Updated 05/24/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
The concept made its first run at the Monaco Grand Prix with Carlos Tavares, Chief Operating Officer, at the wheel. Alongside it was a Clio V6 with F1 star Charles Pic at the wheel and a Maxi 5 Turbo driven by Jean Ragnotti.
While there is no chance for the Twin’Run to enter production, Renault did confirm that it previews the styling of the company’s future city car.
The unveiling of the new Twin’Run concept will be followed by a series of other dynamic demonstrations at various auto-centric events, like July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed .
Updated 05/24/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
No comments:
Post a Comment