Miguel Sánchez
Since its days with Gordini and Alpine as independent tuners, Renault has always enjoyed a fantastic reputation when it comes to compact sports cars. In fact, long before the GTI canon appeared thanks to the first generation of the Golf, In the house of the rhombus there was already a solid tradition of performance thanks to different versions made on the 4 CV, Dauphine or R8.
And that's not to mention the magnificent performances signed by Alpine at Le Mans during the sixties, where they achieved several times the best performance index thanks to their machines with an excellent weight/power/consumption ratio. Furthermore, the sportiness of its utility vehicles was not limited only to dealerships and the roads.
Far from it, Renault was one of the first brands to organize single-brand cups with barely modified units. A perfect way to make the competition available to fans; even more so if we take into account how these trophies have acted as authentic quarries for the motorsports of tomorrow.
Thus, the years progressed contemplating the appearance of various compact sports cars based on the R5, the Supercinco and, of course, its successor the Clio. What's more, in 1993 this was the one chosen to launch a model on which the name of the French house would join that of Williams. This pairing is clearly successful in F1, where it was one of the basic references for the premier category for much of the nineties.
With all this, the so-called Clio Williams became one of the undisputed milestones among the many compact sports cars signed by Renault. In fact, thanks to its naturally aspirated engine with two liters and 150 HP - combined with a catalog weight of only 990 kilos - this model was thought of as an excellent bet for its homologation in Group N and A rallies.
However, both in terms of performance and aesthetics - recognizable at first glance thanks to its identifying golden wheels with eight spokes - its marketing exceeded all expectations, reaching 12.200 units from its presentation in 1993 until its closure in 1995. A happy and optimistic situation for the Renault sports department, responsible for undertaking a project that could well have launched one of the most exciting performance compacts in history.
RENAULT TWINGO WILLIAMS 2.0, BY AND FOR THE SINGLE-BRAND CUP
Although today it is a brand with a conservative spirit, the truth is that Renault has dared on multiple occasions with designs and bets even imagined by other general manufacturers. Thanks to this not only led the commitment to turbochargers during the eighties - ranging from F1 to the simplest of utility vehicles - but also had the courage and success to present models such as the 1992 Twingo.
Based on an interesting Polish prototype from the state-owned FSM, its approach drew directly from the design created by Alec Issigonis for the 1959 Mini. That is, place the axles as far apart as possible in order to gain living space even at the cost of reducing the overhangs to a minimum. In this way, not only was a surprisingly open and accessible interior achieved, but also particularly effective dynamic behavior when cornering.
Likewise, the casual, original and even futuristic design of the Twingo made it a phenomenon among urban drivers who wanted to drive a vehicle that was as practical and reliable as it was attractive and distinguishable. Anyway, a positive context where you can let your imagination fly just as Renault engineers did when speculating on a sports version of that new utility vehicle.
And, why not. After all, decades earlier John Cooper had not only imagined the same thing based on the Mini, but had even taken it to victory three times in the Monte Carlo Rally. Furthermore, thanks to the excellent tuning of the Clio Williams In the French company they had a two-liter four-cylinder engine perfect for this idea. A very positive argument since, on paper, it greatly reduced the investment planned for the development of the model.
At this point, tests continued throughout 1993 in order to create what, in light of events, could well have been defined as a Renault Twingo Williams. And boy, the truth is that that had to be quite a challenge because, when it comes to measuring, Inserting that mechanics into the brief engine bay of the small utility vehicle was quite a challenge.. A challenge that, strikingly, could be solved without needing to alter the transverse front position also used by the high-series Twingo.
https://youtu.be/dJIfpXKHgbU?si=d5dKpxymPlm56TII
Now, what possibilities did that have when it came to reaching the dealerships. To tell the truth, very few. And, not in vain, the Clio Williams was enjoying an unexpected commercial success that Renault did not want to put at risk by presenting an even more radical bet and, therefore, with real risks of overshadowing it.
Furthermore, despite introducing reinforcements in the chassis - as well as a safety cage - the vibrations of that mechanics on the bare base of the Twingo made the project an unviable model for its launch in the dealerships. In fact, when engineers experimented with the possibility of a diesel version they ran into the same problem.
In this way, the possible production of the Twingo with a two-liter engine and 150 HP was limited to the scope of a hypothetical single-brand cup. An area that, after all, was already very well covered by both the Clio Williams and the 16 1991V with 1.8 liters and 140 HP.
In short, under this context full of quite logical reasons, the dream of a Twingo with incredible performance was kept in Renault's warehouses. Where, until the celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the model in the past Rétromobil Paris, did not emerge again. It is quite a rarity to be listed among Renault's most electrifying experiments.
