| Hot Hatch Preview | 2008 Geneva Motor Show | Renault Twingo Renaultsport |
Renault has managed to keep its new junior hot hatch Twingo Renaultsport well hidden from prying eyes, so it was a pleasant surprise when the French firm rolled out its new hot pint pot at the same time as it revealed its 2008 Formula One racer.
The Twingo certainly looks deserving of the Renaultsport badge thanks to its bulging wings that are necessary to cover the new double five-spoke alloy wheels and low profile tyres tucked under them. There's also a new more pronounced side sill and a rear spoiler sprouting from the top of the rear hatch.
Rather than the Twingo GT's 1.2-litre turbocharged engine, the Renaultsport model has a non-turbo 1.6-litre with 133bhp. Renault won't say how fast the new hot hatch is until it's formally launched at the
Geneva motor show next month, but it has said that the chassis is 'responsive and finely tuned to provide precise, balanced handling.'
We can expect to see the Twingo Renaultsport on sale in the UK in the late summer, with right-hand drive versions on display at the British Motor Show in London. Prices should start at £12,000 and Renault says it has yet to decide if there will be a harder, faster Cup model.
Alisdair Suttie - 1 Feb 2008