Renault's 250km/h Twin'Run hatch

Renault has hinted in no uncertain terms at what a no-holds-barred ‘RS 320’ version of next year’s Twingo city-car replacement could be capable of.

Revealed overnight at the Monaco Formula One GP, the Twin’Run is essentially a sportier sister for the relatively pedestrian Twin'Z concept, offering two very different design proposals for the French brand’s redesigned entry model.

In fact, they couldn’t be more different, with the five-door Twin’Z propelled by a 50kW/225Nm electric motor to a top speed of just 80km/h, while the three-door Twin’Run employs a 240kW/380Nm 3.5-litre V6 to sprint to 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds and on to 250km/h.

Unusually for A-segment light cars, both ‘supermini’ concepts drive their rear wheels – in the Twin’Run’s case with a longitudinal mid-mounted V6 from the Megane Trophy race car.

That’s because the rear-drive, rear-engined successor for Renault’s smallest model is being co-developed with Daimler and its next-generation Smart, which will come in short-wheelbase ForTwo and born-again long-wheelbase ForFour guises.

Renault could do the same with its Twingo successor, which is a strong chance for Australia, where it would rival the Fiat 500 and Volkswagen up! and follow the local release of the all-new Captur concept SUV in mid-2014.

Although no wheelbase figures are provided, the two-seat 950kg Twin’Run is slightly longer (3680mm) than the four-seater Twin’Z, which measures 3620mm, weighs 980kg and features powered rear suicide doors.

Both models are slightly longer than the existing Twingo, but shorter than the fourth generation of Renault’s circa-four-metre Clio, which arrives here in August priced between Japanese and German light cars from under $17,000.

The Clio4 will be launched with manual and automatic transmissions for the first time, as well as three- and five-door body styles, plus the Clio RS 200 EDC hot hatch in the first quarter of next year, but no diesels or wagons are expected.

Petrol, diesel and electric versions of the Twingo replacement are expected in Europe, but if sold here it’s likely to be a petrol-only affair priced from under $15,000.

Teased here last month, the Twin’Run is said to pay homage to classic racing Renaults such as the Renault R5 Turbo and Clio V6.

Its Nissan VQ35 V6 is mated to a SADEV six-speed sequential gearbox with a limited-slip differential and mounted near the centre of a lightweight tubular chassis wrapped in a fibreglass body featuring a carbon-fibre front splitter, roof, rear vent and wheel-arches.

The stripped-out race car rides on 18-inch Michelin rubber and Ohlins-equipped double wishbone suspension at all four corners. Weight distribution is 43/57 front/rear and braking is via 356mm discs and six-piston calipers up front.

Inside are Sparco seats with Sabelt racing harnesses, a black and red Alcantara-trimmed dashboard and door trims, a 5.5-inch LCD instrument screen.

Renault CEO Carlos Tavares took to the spectacular Monaco street circuit in the Twin’Run ahead of a Clio V6 driven by F1 star Charles Pic and a Renault Maxi 5 Turbo driven by rally legend Jean Ragnotti, who helped tune the car’s chassis.

“Twin’Run is a cocktail of energy, passion and athleticism, rekindling the memory of emblematic Renault racing cars,” said Renault’s Senior Vice-President of Corporate Design, Laurens van den Acker. “Following its twin, Twin’Z, a stylish urban concept car, Twin’Run shows that personalisation is a core strategy at Renault.”