Renault Clio V6. Do you know the funny story of its origins?

The Renault Clio V6 marketed in 2000 with a six-cylinder in the rear central position.

The origins of the Renault Clio V6 go back to the crazy project of a designer who wanted to associate a Twingo body with the chassis and mechanics of a Ferrari 308. Twenty-two years later, the Clio V6 remains unclassifiable.

More than twenty years after its release, the Renault Clio V6 has not yet revealed all its secrets. Axel Breun, the designer behind its conception, has just told the genesis of it to the Crown Unfiltered team, whose publications are devoted to automotive design.

Breun joined the diamond brand in 1988, when the first Twingo was being developed. Won over by the one-box silhouette of the city car, less so by its modest 55 horsepower, he had the idea of place under its hood a 101 hp three-cylinder turbo from the Daihatsu Charade GTti, one of the models used as a reference to design the French. Difficulties related to the adaptation of electronics got the better of this project, but the desire to create a supercharged city car never left him.

Renault Twingo I — Axel Breun wanted to beef up the original Twingo.

From small GTI to pocket supercar

The Daihatsu Charade GTti gave ideas to the designer.

In parallel with this official work on behalf of Renault, Axel Breun thought of a way to graft a high-performance engine onto the city car. He therefore looked for a sports car whose chassis could accommodate a Twingo body.

Examining the contemporary and past ranges of manufacturers, he found a vehicle with an independent chassis and whose the wheelbase was almost identical to that of the Twingo (2.34 m): the Ferrari 308. ” The Ferrari was from another era, so its tracks weren’t that wide (for a sportswoman, editor’s note), whereas the Twingo was a very wide car for its class. So even the width roughly matched », explains the designer.

Ferrari 308 transparency — The 308 had an independent chassis and a wheelbase almost identical to that of the Twingo.

Renault Twingo Ferrari 308 — Study drawings of the Renault Twingo project with Ferrari 308 chassis and mechanics.

The concept had become much more radical. Breun specified on paper and by means of miniatures this concept of Twingo equipped with a V8 Ferrari of 255 hp in the central rear position. He managed to recover a box of Twingo and almost acquired a damaged 308, but an insufficient budget forced him, once again, to put this study away.

Ferrari 308 GTS — The Ferrari 308 brought together characteristics conducive to a crossover as improbable as it was muscular with the Twingo.

TO READ. Renault Twingo V6: transplant of a sporting heart

Ideas never really forgotten

Renault Twingo V8 drawing — On this sketch, we can guess the engine in the back and bucket seats in the front.

Axel Breun’s sketches did not go unnoticed at Renault, especially on the side of Patrick Le Quément, who was then the brand’s design director. In the mid-1990s, the manufacturer decided to bet on a sporty image to promote the second generation of Clio, which was to be launched in 1998.

Remember that this era was that of glory in Formula 1 with Williams, the Espace F1 presented in 1994 and the Renault Sport Spider marketed in 1995. The pundits of Losange then offered Breun a chance to continue his work in due form, except that it was now a question of working on a Clio II and no longer on a Twingo.

Diecast Renault Twingo V8 — Breun materialized his crossing with miniatures of Twingo and 308.

The PRV V6 seemed like a logical choice to liven up the vehicle. The rear mid-engine architecture reminiscent of the R5 Turbo and Spyder was adopted, although it was radically different from that of the mass-produced Clio. Breun, for his part, made it a point of honor that the body of the V6 differs from that of the basic model beyond its rear part, which was limited to the start of the R5 Turbo.

The project became official and changed direction with the launch of the Renault Clio II.

Renault 5 Turbo — With the Clio V6, Renault reiterated the experience of the R5 Turbo launched just twenty years earlier.

From concept to small series

Renault Clio V6 chassis 001 — Axel Breun’s Clio V6 #001

The Renault Clio V6 was presented as a concept car at the 1998 Paris Motor Show, then marketed in 2000 in parallel with the arrival on the circuits of its Trophy variant. The British at TWR were then responsible for producing it… in Sweden.

In 2003, Renault restyled the Clio V6. The manufacturer increased the power of its 230 to 255 hp city car, improved its road handling and repatriated its assembly to Dieppe in the process. In total, around 3,000 Clio V6s were built in five years.

Renault CLlo V6 phase 2 — The Renault Clio V6 “phase 2” launched in 2003

Axel Breun still owns the very first copy, which was offered to him when it left the factory in June 2000. It is interesting to note that the designer made some minor aesthetic modifications, such as front headlight units with a black background, yellow foglamps, as well as black rims contrasting with the light gray bodywork and adorned with Alpine central covers. The man subsequently carried out other saucy projects of this type at Renault, such as a road Twin’Run, but none have materialized… yet.