Renault has brought the Renault 8 Gordini into the present day with its modern interpretation as the Renault 8 Gordini Concept, a 270 hp rear-wheel-drive battery-electric concept car.
While the original 1964 Renault 8 emerged as a four-door sedan, the Renault 8 Gordini Concept is a two-door coupé albeit one that retains the boxy form of the original, and the new concept measures 4.12 m long, 1.88 m wide and 1.27 m tall.
Where the Sixties original was nearly symmetrical front to rear when viewed in side profile, the new concept is updated for a more dynamic stance, with wide track widths, more prominent wheelarches housing wheels measuring 19 inches in front and 20 inches at the rear.
Renault claims that the 8 Gordini Concept draws from the café racer aesthetic from the realm of custom motorcycles, with the common thread being the modernisation of a vintage machine by “stripping out non-essential features and maximising the raw beauty of the materials and mechanical parts,” said the brand.
In front, the 8 Gordini Concept draws upon the original in terms of headlight design, using three pairs of circular headlights such as with the lighting layout of the rally version of the original.
While the electric powertrain of the new electric concept enables the omission of a front grille, the 8 Gordini Concept continues to draw upon the original with its shell-shaped wing mirrors, and a full-width grille at the base of the windscreen.
Inspiration continues to be drawn from the 1964 original for the interior of the new concept, where a full-width brushed aluminium strip is the centrepiece of the dashboard upon which the three main dials and three secondary displays are mounted. Its minimalist design aims to reduce distractions for the driver, says Renault.
The café racer references continue, where plastic materials are replaced by brushed aluminium components, such as for the centre console where air-conditioning and transmission controls are located.
Renault notes that the carbon-fibre employed in the construction of the bodywork is not visible in the passenger compartment; upholstery for the 8 Gordini Concept features blue corduroy on the centre of the seats and backrests, contrasting with the rest of the black bucket seats.
Being a one-off example, the Renault 8 Gordini Concept is a pure design exercise and there are no plans for it to become a production model for sale, says Renault chief designer for advanced design Roman Gauvin.
“The original 8 was a very humble car, a sort of working class hero. We wanted to keep that honesty for this concept. It’s not a two-metre-wide, 1,000 bhp machine; it’s still approachable and makes you smile,” Gauvin told Autocar. “It’s about how we position ourselves against sports car brands: for us, it’s the fun factor,” he said.
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Everyday concept but never materialize. When production starts cars looks totaly different. Learn from China lah. When china reveals a prototype, next month or so they start selling the exact same car or better. Ini baru dikatakan effisyen
Don’t see the point of creating a one-off concept car. Spend so much for what exactly? Its beauty? Sorry but to me it looks ugly, especially the back. To show off their designing prowess? Show it in the actual models. So really – much ado about nothing.