Last week, Renault upped the ante for front-wheel drive models by setting a new lap record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife with its more powerful Mégane Renaultsport Trophy.
The 265-horsepower strong special edition posted a lap time of 8 minutes and 7.97 seconds in the hands of Renault test driver Laurent Hurgon, smashing the previous record for a front-wheel drive model held by the older generation Mégane RS R26.R by nine seconds. Buckle up, sit tight and enjoy the record run in the video after the break.
One of Europe’s finest hot hatches is about to get better as Renault is readying a new edition of the Megane RS that will be unveiled to the world on June 17, 2011. The French carmaker released a teaser video of the car from the test runs at the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany.
However, that’s about all Renault is willing to reveal for now so we’ll have to wait and see what kind of upgrades the car will feature and if a power boost and / or a weight reduction and chassis enhancements are part of the package.
Selling a car through advertising isn’t as easy as you might think. What good is it showing your product nimbly taking on Alpine twists and turns when your competitors are doing the same thing? Here are two ads that don’t really break the mould, but try something a little different.Read more »
Race car drivers are a funny bunch. In this video, we see Brazilian Formula 1 driver and the nephew of the late three-time Formula One world champ Ayrton Senna, Bruno Senna, behind the wheel of the new Renault R30 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. “Oh,” you say in your most jaded tone, “How interesting.” Well it is interesting, as Senna is driving this 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) single-handed while filming the action with a camera phone.Read more »
It was only a matter of time before someone edited a video of Vitaly Petrov’s spectacular exit from last week’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The Russian pilot of the LotusRenault F1 team ran too wide at a turn near the end of the race and as he tried to get inside the track again, he hit a bump on the grass that launched the race car high into the air.
The maker of the video thought the scene with the F1 car going airborne looked a lot like something you’d see in The Dukes of Hazzard, hence the audio background. For Petrov, the incident wasn’t as funny as the impact resulted in a broken steering column mount that forced him to retire from the race. Enjoy the clip after the break.
What woman wouldn’t falsely seduce another to steal her shirt? No, this isn’t another one of my sexist rants: it’s a (legitimate?) question posed by a Renault ad that has been banned in Italy.
The ad features two women – who I’ll refer to as the blonde and the brunette – who sneak off together for some hanky-panky bedroom fun. The brunette undresses; the blonde blindfolds her and steals her pink top, later comparing it to the color of her Renault Twingo Miss Sixty.
The ad was created by the Milanese arm of French advertising firm Publicis, which Renault had used before to great effect with the highly popular Papa et Nicole ads of the 1990s for the Renault Clio I. However, this latest ad has not gone down well in Italy, with TV RAI (essentially Italy’s BBC) and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset organization refusing to air it. It has also outraged the nation’s gay-lesbian groups which claim it is offensive to homosexual women.
Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera asks:
“Is it controversial or cutting edge? One thing for certain though at no point during the advert is any technical aspect of the new Renault Twingo ever mentioned.”
Can’t you be both controversial and cutting edge? Lady Gaga (sort of) falls into this category, doesn’t she? *Is pelted with rotten tomatoes* Okay, okay; and let us never speak of her again.
Publicis spokeperson Daniele Tranchini defends the controversial ad:
“We wanted to create an advert that was original, enjoyable and at the same time not vulgar and I believe we have achieved that. What is clever is that you think the advert is going one way but in the end it goes another - its great don't you think?”
For the time being, the ad is only being aired on Sky and has not be shown outside of Italy. Thanks to YouTube, you – our loyal readers – can see the ad for yourselves and render your verdict in the comment’s section below.
What woman wouldn’t falsely seduce another to steal her shirt? No, this isn’t another one of my sexist rants: it’s a (legitimate?) question posed by a Renault ad that has been banned in Italy.
The ad features two women – who I’ll refer to as the blonde and the brunette – who sneak off together for some hanky-panky bedroom fun. The brunette undresses; the blonde blindfolds her and steals her pink top, later comparing it to the color of her Renault Twingo Miss Sixty.
The ad was created by the Milanese arm of French advertising firm Publicis, which Renault had used before to great effect with the highly popular Papa et Nicole ads of the 1990s for the Renault Clio I. However, this latest ad has not gone down well in Italy, with TV RAI (essentially Italy’s BBC) and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset organization refusing to air it. It has also outraged the nation’s gay-lesbian groups which claim it is offensive to homosexual women.
Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera asks:
“Is it controversial or cutting edge? One thing for certain though at no point during the advert is any technical aspect of the new Renault Twingo ever mentioned.”
Can’t you be both controversial and cutting edge? Lady Gaga (sort of) falls into this category, doesn’t she? *Is pelted with rotten tomatoes* Okay, okay; and let us never speak of her again.
Publicis spokeperson Daniele Tranchini defends the controversial ad:
“We wanted to create an advert that was original, enjoyable and at the same time not vulgar and I believe we have achieved that. What is clever is that you think the advert is going one way but in the end it goes another - its great don't you think?”
For the time being, the ad is only being aired on Sky and has not be shown outside of Italy. Thanks to YouTube, you – our loyal readers – can see the ad for yourselves and render your verdict in the comment’s section below.
The automotive industry has seen many flops during its century-long existence, most of them due to poor thinking and execution. Every once in a while, though, some truly innovative vehicles receive the axe simply because they were ahead of their time.
Renault’s Avantime is one such an example. Built in cooperation with Matra, the coupe-MPV was unlike anything else on the road when it was launched in 2001. Unfortunately, buyers weren’t ready to embrace such a radical vehicle. Ironically, a decade later, oddities like the BMW X6 and Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet are on the verge of becoming trendsetters.
The Avantime’s history dates back to the early 1990s, when Philippe Guédon, head of automotive division at Matra, noted an important change in the customer base of the Espace.
He believed that children of Espace owners remained loyal to the brand even after they grew up, but also wanted Renault to give them something new, with a stronger focus on driving pleasure. This how the CoupéSpace concept came to be, a design study that offered the van’s versatility, clad in a 2+2 coupe body.
A partnership between Renault and Matra was signed in 1998 and the Avantime name was adopted. The chassis came from the Matra-built Espace III, while design guru Patrick Le Quément was responsible for the body and interior.
The key word for the coupe-MPV was innovation. In hindsight, this was an understatement, as the French maker boldly went where no one has gone before. The name, which sounds like “ahead of time”, wasn’t just a cheap pun.
The Avantime featured a “one-box” setup, typical for an MPV, but eliminated the B-pillars to obtain the desired coupe look and had two enormous doors, for easy access. Much of the body was built using galvanized steel and polyester panels, while the upper structure was made from exposed aluminum. This lowered the center of gravity and improved rigidity, allowing engineers to fit the Avantime with a large sunroof.
Despite the very long doors, the Avantime could use a normal parking space without any trouble. It had a never before seen double parallel-opening system (dubbed “double-kinematic”), which minimized outswing.
Inside, the second row of seats was positioned higher, giving passengers a theater-like experience. The panoramic roof improved the sensation of space and, at a push of a button, it could be opened, together with all windows, for an “open air” mode.
The cabin featured four individual seats with incorporated seatbelts and clad in upscale leather. The interior design was minimalistic, but the materials and build quality was above average for the time.
Upon sale, the Avantime boasted a 3.0-liter V6 petrol engine, delivering 207 hp. Just like today, the large displacement scared away most European buyers and the smaller 2.0-liter petrol and 2.2-liter diesel powerplants were offered too late. Thus, Renault was simply unable to avoid the disaster that was shaping up.
In 2003, only two years into its lifecycle and with just 8,557 units sold, the futuristic Avantime was discontinued, in what was to become one of the biggest flops that the French maker had to endure.
However, the Avantime was not a bad car and it’s a prized item among collectors these days. A nice example sells for just £4,500 (€5,377 or US $7,127 at today’s exchange rates) on eBay UK, which is pocket change for such a unique car.
I don’t have children, but I bet school runs can become pretty boring. However, if parents could get their hands on a Renault Espace F1, I’m sure they'd sing to a different tune when they'd return back from school... Unveiled in 1995, this über-Espace was not your typical soccer-mom transporter. Created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the French MPV and Renault’s decade-long involvement in Formula 1, the concept was literally an F1 racer in disguise.
Power was sourced from the 1993 Williams-Renault FW15C single seater racecar. The 3.5-liter 40-valve V10 powerplant initially developed 700 hp, but engineers managed to squeeze another 100 ponies pushing output to 800 hp. As with the F1 car, the V10 was mounted in the center sending power to the rear wheels, through a 6-speed semi-automatic transmission.
Performance was simply mind-boggling: the Espace F1 could reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.8 seconds and 200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.9 seconds. Top speed was pegged at 312 km/h or 194 mph.
Stopping power was equally impressive. Fitted with carbon-ceramic brakes, the special Espace could accelerate from 0 to 270 km/h (168 mph) and then brake to standstill in less than 600 meters (1,969 ft).
Is this the ultimate MPV or what? Check out the videos below to see it in action.
Former Russian President and now Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is doing his best to remain in the spotlight. After his country decided to back the Renault F1 team, by branding it with Lada advertisements, Mr. Putin was invited to drive the R30 Formula One racer at a special event held in St. Petersburg. Video after the break.
Wearing a helmet painted in his country's colors and with Russia written on the visor, Vladimir Putin is said to have reached speeds of up to 240 km/h (150 mph), showing that he is a man of many talents.
The PM's interest towards the sport is also due to the fact that Russia's bid to hold an F1 event after the Sochi Olympics in 2014 was successful as the deal was signed less than a month ago.
In this latest promotional video, Renault shows us how the new 2010 Megane CC quickly transforms from a coupe to a convertible. As with the previous model, the new Megane CC features a large, two-piece retractable glass roof that folds away in the boot. The new CC, which will have its world premiere in Geneva next month, also features a new electric power steering system, a choice of seven gasoline and diesel engines as well as Renault's all-new automatic EDC dual clutch automatic transmission that will be offered on certain models as an option.
In a world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show on March 2, Renault will unveil its brand-new coupe-roadster, the Wind, and this here is the first video of that car. Even though its shares its underpinnings with the Twingo hatch, the Wind is 200mm longer and gets its own unique styling, and will be marketed separately.
The highlight of the small roadster is of course its novel electric roof that pivots open in 12 seconds, without having any effect on luggage space. You can watch the roof top in action in the video after the jump.
While not as insanely extreme as the Citroen 2CV - Ferrari F355 hybrid that we showed you back in May, this special creation from French custom car and motorcycle builder Lazareth is one helluva creation. Evidently inspired by the competition Renault Megane Trophy and the Clio V6 Renault Sport, the Twingo Trophy is one of those cars that you'd be tempted to take for a spin even though it doesn't make much sense.
The French tuner took a base first-generation Twingo mini and turned it into a track-racer by throwing out the puny, front-mounted stock engine and installing a Range-Rover-sourced 3.5-liter V8 with 180 horsepower behind the front seats. Power is transferred to the rear wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox.
Of course, transforming a city car into a mid-engined sports car isn't that simple as Lazareth had to modify the Twingo's chassis by adding a rear tubular subframe, replacing the suspension and brakes and widening the front and rear tracks just to mention a few of the changes. It also rides on 18-inch Toora alloy wheels wrapped in Yokohama slick tires size 230 up front and... 320 at the back.
Other highlights include the matte gray exterior paint finish and the 'sported-up' interior that boasts a pair of MOMO bucket seats, sport steering wheel and new digital gauges. And the price for all this? Well, according to Lazareth's site, the Twingo Trophy V8 could be yours for €70,000 or about $105,000 US. Who said that grown mens toys come cheap...
