The Return of Gordini

Renault has brought one of its most celebrated performance cars into the electric age with the Renault 8 Gordini Concept, a radical two-seat coupé inspired by the legendary rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive original.

Where the 1964 Gordini was a compact four-door saloon with 95 hp, the new concept is low, wide and unapologetically sporty, measuring just 1.27 metres high and riding on 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels. Power comes from a 270 hp electric motor, while its muscular stance and six-headlamp front end give it the attitude of a modern rally car.

Designed entirely in-house at Renault, the project began with more than 300 sketches from the brand's designers before two proposals were developed into scale models and eventually combined into the finished concept. The result takes inspiration from the original without simply recreating it.

The familiar double white Gordini stripe remains, but here it becomes part of the architecture, continuing across the dashboard and informing details such as the rear lighting. The old chrome side trim has been absorbed into the bodywork, while the rectangular wheel arches, recessed waistline, shell-shaped mirrors and six round headlights all reinterpret details from the original.

Inside, the retro touches are stripped back in favour of brushed aluminium, Alcantara and blue corduroy, with digital instruments floating above the minimalist dashboard. A single red dot on the central stopwatch button provides a suitably purposeful splash of colour.

It is a fitting reboot for a car that became a training ground for a generation of drivers, including Jean Ragnotti. More than a nostalgic exercise, the Renault 8 Gordini Concept shows how far a familiar racing-bred formula can be stretched without losing its character.

Photos © Renault