OVER the last 20 years or so, Renault Sport has honed its expertise in making sports cars.
The various R.S. and GT versions of Twingo, Clio and Mégane have all been front-wheel drive cars, but with the third generation of Twingo, the engineers were faced with a different challenge.
“It was a real challenge for Renault Sport to work on a rear-engine car since the handling of a rear-wheel drive car is very different from that to which we are accustomed. We had to tackle this issue head on, as it were, and I think we have risen to the challenge brilliantly! Twingo GT is a balanced car, fun to drive and offers performance levels that are very close to those provided by a second generation Twingo R.S,”
said Patrice Ratti, Managing Director, Renault Sport Cars
Whilst sharing its structural design with some of Renault Sport’s most famous cars, like the R5 Turbo or the Clio V6, the Twingo remains a small city car – albeit one with pretty precise handling. Nestled between the rear wheels, and tilted at 49 degrees to increase its compactness, the three-cylinder engine takes up all of the available space, so the engine designers worked on optimising the 898cc TCe engine.
One of the car’s distinctive features is the air intake on the rear left-hand wing, which replaces the air intake that was originally located above the wheel arch. This modification is essential in improving engine performance, since it reduces the temperature of the air entering the turbocharger by some 12 per cent. Combined with an upper section duct, this dynamic intake also helps increase the flow rate of combustive air by 23 per cent.
In order to take advantage of this blast of fresh air, the turbocharger’s rotation speed has been increased. The fuel pump has been specifically-designed to increase the flow rate accordingly and the same applies to the water pump, so as to improve cooling of the powertrain.
The exhaust system has also been specially designed, with revised calibration of the air flow and back pressure, and is fitted with a twin-exhaust silencer.
With the modified engine mapping, the power has been extended to 110hp, whilst peak torque stands at 170Nm.
What Renault describes as ‘the sprightly, sporty feel’ is completed with a revised ratio five-speed manual gearbox.
The accelerator pedal is the link between the driver and car, as well as the engine and the reactions of the chassis, and it benefits from the development work done for the Mégane R.S. The mapping of the pedal delivers ‘lively acceleration with rapid throttle response. And when you take your foot off the accelerator, the dynamic settings limit the feeling of inertia’.
There are two driving modes: Normal and Eco.
Like the engine, the chassis has been specifically fine-tuned. New shock absorbers have been combined with original springs, but with an increased calibration. The anti-roll bar has also been replaced with a larger diameter version.
Changes have also been made to the car’s electronics, with revised calibration of the ESC. “Without reducing safety in any way, we have focused on improving traction during sporty driving, whilst integrating the new characteristics of the chassis and tyres,” explained Matthieu Métivier, Chief Engineer for Twingo GT.
“In practical terms, drivers that hit the accelerator pedal on exiting a tight corner will feel a slight drift before the ESC corrects the trajectory without cutting speed dramatically. This means you enjoy typical rear-wheel drive handling.”
The car comes with variable ratio power-assisted steering, a first in the sports city car segment, and with a turning circle of just 4.30m, this baby is a champion when it comes to tricky manoeuvres and parking. It needs a metre less than most of its competitors to perform a U-turn.
Capable of going from 0 to 100km/h in less than ten seconds, Twingo GT sets a new benchmark among small sports city cars. Pick-up is also among the best in its category, with 50-75mph achieved in less than nine seconds.
Mario Polla, Twingo Design Project Manager, said: “Twingo is, to some extent, the cheeky little monkey of the Renault family. For this free spirit, we didn’t want to apply the iconic blue paintwork seen on other GT models. Twingo GT doesn’t play by the same rules. It likes surprises, and that includes its funky Blaze Orange paintwork.”
