Renault unleashes the Twingo GT
After a social media teasing campaign French carmaker Renault has finally unveiled a 110hp take on its super efficient, super compact city car.
On Monday, just weeks after Brabus took the wraps off a highly tuned version of the Smart ForFour -- a car which shares the same platform and engine as the Twingo -- Renault is showing what it can do in house with the new GT.
Set to make its real-world debut at the Goodwood festival of Speed on June 23, the Twingo GT has revised suspension, a reworked electronic stability control system and variable rate steering -- i.e., the distance the wheel needs to turn to go from lock to lock increases or reduces depending on the car's speed.
The manual gearbox has also had its ratios reconsidered to eke as much performance out of the car as possible. And it's when all of those improvements are added to a 898cc three-cylinder turbocharged engine retuned to deliver 110hp -- 20hp more than standard -- that's delivered solely to the rear wheels, it should add up to epic motoring enjoyment, even when negotiating a shopping mall car park.
Renault promises that the Twingo GT will deliver "sharp handling and responsive steering feedback for precise cornering and outstanding road holding." However, the company is yet to reveal any performance figures.
The Brabus Smart ForFour offers an almost identical state of engine tune and it can go from 0-100km/h in 10.3 seconds. The Twingo GT should be lighter due to the use of a manual box so it could be a little faster still off the mark.
However, even if it doesn't offer earth-shattering acceleration times or a blistering top speed, Renault is ensuring that it will look like a true sportscar whatever the speedometer is displaying. The car sits on 17-inch alloys -- huge on a car that's so small -- a lowered ride height, twin exhausts and a choice of four special exterior colors: Orange, Lunar Grey, Diamond Black and Crystal White complete with special graphics.
Inside there are orange contrasting trim details, an alloy gear knob, aluminum pedals and Renault Sport-badged door sills.
As well as performance and economy data, Renault is also expected to announce pricing and availability when the car arrives at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
