Renault unveils Twin’Run concept at the Monaco Grand Prix

Renault likes the Monaco Grand Prix. Proof? Last year they introduced us to that ferocious-looking Alpine A110-50 concept. This year, it’s another revival called Twin’Run — the follow up to the Twin’Z. This blue hatch has clearly embarked to update all those yellowed memories of the Renault R5 Turbo and Clio V6.

With the same footprint as the Twin’Z, this is the other side of the ‘play’ theme in Renault’s six-stage exploration of the “stages of life” through concept cars. The Twin’Z is obviously a neat piece of work in terms of looks, but the Twin’Run certainly murders the former with its exhaust note.

A steel, tubular chassis provides the structure. Within it, just ahead of the rear axle is a 3.5-litre V6 breathing 320 hp and 380 Nm of torque, shifted through a six-speed sequential transmission. To keep its city-car proportions stable on 18-inch wheels, the fuel tank, radiator and hydraulic system are in the front, under the hood, resulting in a 43/57 front-to-rear weight balance.

The bodywork is a mix of fibreglass and carbon-fibre. But the squarish headlamps and supplemental quad lamps are clearly tributes to the R5 Turbo rally car and its light rack for night-time stages.

Inside this puppy is black and red Alcantara-finished door panels and dashboard, a gauge cluster wrapped in white lacquer and aluminium pedals whose setup is said to be “motorsports tested”.  We would like to believe so too.

The whole package weighs a miserly 948 kg. There’s also a very French short film to go with it that involves lots of models clad in leather, and those vintage fore-bearers. But whether this particular concept will run exclusively on the race-track, or make it to the roads is still a doubt. But expect to see a toned-down version of the Twin’Run somewhere down the line.