Twingo earns its Gordini stripes

01st December 2009

The blue-and-white sprite returns! Just weeks after Renault revealed it was rejuvenating the Gordini brand, bosses have taken the wraps off the first model to wear the famous colours.

All the traditional styling cues are there – the legendary blue finish, the off-centre twin white stripes and the quilted leather upholstery around the cabin.

Renault believes the car will appeal to customers looking for a hot hatch with character, as well as those who remember Gordinis of old. The firm was originally an independent sports car maker, founded by Amédée Gordini, but was bought by Renault in the late Fifties. It’s best known for its involvement in Formula One and road cars, such as the Renault 12 Gordini.

The newcomer, which will be known as the Twingo Gordini Renaultsport, has ‘Gordini Series’ badging on both flanks, which refers to the Sixties heyday of the Gordini Cup in France. There is a number of other features to mark it out from lesser Twingos. The front and rear bumpers get gloss black centre sections, while the foglamp surrounds, door mirror housings and tailgate spoiler are white.

The whole package rides on unique polished 17-inch alloys with a choice of blue or black for the inner rim.

Inside, the steering wheel is covered in blue and black leather, with two white stripes to indicate the centre point. The gearlever gaiter is blue and there’s a Gordini-badged gearlever knob.Mechanically, the car is based on the Renaultsport 133 model. That means the hot Twingo’s 133bhp 1.6-litre petrol unit and Sport chassis are carried over.

Standard kit includes cruise, climate and stability control systems, as well as automatic headlights and wipers and a multifunction steering wheel.

The newcomer will make its debut in the metal at the Atelier Renault brand centre on Paris’s Champs-Elysées next month. It goes on sale from March. There is no official word on pricing, but it’s likely to cost £14,000.