Renault has shown a production intent-looking 8 Gordini concept at the Paris Motor Show, a compact two-seater coupe inspired by the original 8 Gordini of the 1960s. The company stopped short of confirming a road car, but boss Fabrice Cambolive says the model could become one of Renault's next opportunities once deliveries of the 5 Turbo 3E begin.
The concept uses a rear-mounted electric motor with 266 hp, and Renault has not said what architecture it sits on. That is modest output for a car with this much presence, though the company's own concept chief argues the point is charm rather than lap times.
A business case comes first
Any production decision would need to clear the usual hurdle of a compelling business case, and Cambolive has been explicit about sequencing: the R5 Turbo 3E has to be sold and delivered first. Only after that, he told Autocar, could the Gordini be one of the opportunities.
The logic is straightforward. The 5 Turbo 3E is a limited-run 550 hp hyper hatch, and proving Renault can sell and deliver it would establish whether buyers will pay for characterful electric Renaults at the flagship end. The Gordini would then be a smaller, cheaper bet on the same appetite.
Power, price and the Turbo 3E dilemma
The concept's 266 hp rear motor is far from the 550 hp of the 5 Turbo 3E, and a production car could presumably adopt the same dual-motor setup as the Turbo 3E if Renault wanted more performance. The catch is cost: going dual-motor would push the price up and put the new car at odds with the humble, working-class hero image of the original 8.
Renault's concept car boss Roman Gauvin framed the brief as honesty over outright pace. It is not a two-meter-wide, 1000bhp machine, he said, but something approachable that makes you smile, fun, small, agile and nimble, positioned on the fun factor rather than shaving half a second at the Nürburgring.
