Those of you with a fair number of grey hairs on your head will remember, vaguely, that back in the day small, fast Renaults used to be among the most fun cars money could buy. Well, there is a new one now called Renault Twingo GT and while it is yet to be tested in the real world, it is probably the most fun you can have for £13,755.
True to the tradition of its ancestors, the 2017 Renault Twingo GT does not overdo it in terms of power and relies on a mix of lightweight and an agile chassis to pleasure the driver with its dynamics and sweet handling. The hot hatch has a 110 horsepower 898cc RenaultSport engine, featuring modified turbocharger, revised engine mapping and specially-developed exhaust, with 170Nm torque. But the real magic of this car is in the chassis, transmission, and the layout of the drivetrain.
Renault Twingo GT is a rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive car which makes it absolutely unique in this class and really more of a rival for the Porsche 911 than other hot hatches. Performance-wise, the GT makes 100 km/h from zero in 9.6 seconds which may not sound very impressive, but is enough to set your pants on fire in such a small car – especially with the go-kart feeling the chassis delivers through the corners as you work the five-speed manual gearbox. And at any rate, you know there is going to be a hundred upgrade kits for that engine.
The GT Twingo also looks the part, what with the side skirts, extended wheel arches and rear diffuser that come as standard, Blaze Orange, Crystal White, Lunar Grey or Diamond Black paint works, and 17 inch wheels. The hatchback is also pretty well-equipped with stuff like ABS, Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Hill Start Assist (HSA), speed limiter and cruise control as well as climate control, infotainment, automatic lights and front wipers, fog lights with cornering function and rear parking sensors.