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Renault Twingo GT:: rear-drive city car gets Renault Sport boost

The sporty-looking Renault Twingo GT has been unveiled, revealing a tricked up version of the rear-wheel-drive French micro car.


Inspired by the uber-cool 235kW/380Nm V6-powered Renault Twin’Run concept car first seen back in 2013, the Renault Twingo GT continues with the standard model’s rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, but boasts Renault Sport-fettled performance upgrades.

Thanks to a revised air intake system and modified engine mapping, power and torque from the Twingo’s 898cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine are up from 66kW and 135Nm to 81kW and 170Nm, respectively.

The 3581mm-long Twingo’s rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout is maintained, as is its five-speed manual transmission, however, thanks to input from the French car maker’s performance arm, it’s said to “deliver even more driving pleasure”.

Renault also claims different gearing for the GT “further contributes to the new car’s sprightly, free-revving performance”.

Confirming past speculation from Renault Sport Tehnologies CEO Patrice Ratti, and likely being the model spied testing in Spain in late 2014, the Twingo GT scores model-specific 17-inch wheels, a moulded rear-wheel-arch air intake, a twin-exit exhaust and NACA aircraft-inspired stripes.

Underneath there’s lowered suspension, a variable-rate steering system and a recalibrated stability control system, while the theme carries on inside with orange trim details, Renault Sport-badged door sills, aluminium pedal caps and a Zamac gear knob.

Pictured here in a new Piment Orange paint, Renault says the Twingo GT will additionally be available in Lunaire Grey, Profond Black and Glacier White.

If you think the new Renault Twingo GT looks cool, you can catch it in the flesh at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in England between June 23-26.

Making its official debut at the 2014 Geneva motor show, the third-generation Twingo – jointly developed in partnership with Daimler – has long been on the Australian division’s wish list, with Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar previously telling CarAdvice that while the standard car makes for a challenging business case, he would strongly consider any RS sports variant if one were to come along.

“I think that if Renault Sport were to lend their hand to the next-generation Twingo and the specs of the car stood up well and the performance and price was right, yeah, it’s something that we’d entertain,” Hocevar said.

The local head isn’t the only person to have expressed a keenness for a sportier Twingo either, with Renault corporate design senior vice president Laurens van den Acker admitting previously that the idea of a full-tilt RS Twingo is a tantalising one.

“If I had a wish, it would be to make a proper RS version,” van den Acker told CarAdvice at the 2014 Geneva motor show, “but it’s too early to say.”

Fingers crossed…

Click on the Photos tab for more Renault Twingo GT images.

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