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We mourned the loss of the Twingo RS a couple of years ago, when Renault finally decided to pull the plug on its slow-selling but exciting little car. And even though we recently showed you what looked like a successor being developed, we were quietly reserved, knowing the Twingo 3 platform wasn't designed for powerful engines.
Today, Renault's RS boss Patrice Ratti made the first statement that could have some Renault fans up in arms. On the sidelines of the Moscow Motor Show, he told Autocar magazine that a new hot Twingo is currently in the early development stages and will be ready in around 2016.
Ratti also revealed that power will come from a re-tuned version of the 0.9 TCe turbo. This is a three-cylinder engine that's offered in the regular Twingo where it delivers 90 PS and 135 Nm (100 lb-ft) of torque, as well as sister models smart fortwo and fourfour.
Daimler's in-house tuner Brabus is probably also working on the project, the end result being expected to be somewhere around 110 to 120 PS (we actually think it's closer to 105 PS). With those kinds of numbers, the hot Twingo will not be worthy of the RS badge and will adopt the GT one instead.
We rarely share our personal, subjective reactions to these speculative reports. However, this new Twingo model sounds like a bad idea. Renault is the company that boasts it's got F1 genes in all the road cars. It's the same French firm that made high school kids drool when it came out with the Clio Williams in 1993, not to mention the Clio V6 or the Megane 225 Trophy.
Oh sure, a Twingo GT with about 110 hp sounds fine on paper. But it's going to be expensive to buy and won't deliver the same thrills as the classics. Young, hot blooded buyers expecting street racing performance might be disappointed to find a 1.6L diesel hatch is faster. So Renault, could you please step away from the Twingo and let it be a girl's car?
Ratti also revealed that power will come from a re-tuned version of the 0.9 TCe turbo. This is a three-cylinder engine that's offered in the regular Twingo where it delivers 90 PS and 135 Nm (100 lb-ft) of torque, as well as sister models smart fortwo and fourfour.
Daimler's in-house tuner Brabus is probably also working on the project, the end result being expected to be somewhere around 110 to 120 PS (we actually think it's closer to 105 PS). With those kinds of numbers, the hot Twingo will not be worthy of the RS badge and will adopt the GT one instead.
We rarely share our personal, subjective reactions to these speculative reports. However, this new Twingo model sounds like a bad idea. Renault is the company that boasts it's got F1 genes in all the road cars. It's the same French firm that made high school kids drool when it came out with the Clio Williams in 1993, not to mention the Clio V6 or the Megane 225 Trophy.
Oh sure, a Twingo GT with about 110 hp sounds fine on paper. But it's going to be expensive to buy and won't deliver the same thrills as the classics. Young, hot blooded buyers expecting street racing performance might be disappointed to find a 1.6L diesel hatch is faster. So Renault, could you please step away from the Twingo and let it be a girl's car?
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