RENAULT have pulled off a makeover even Gok Wan couldn't master by making their Twingo supermini into a stunning two-seater sports car.The French firm have mastered making the Megane into convertibles with folding metal roofs for several years but the Wind, launched earlier this month, is the first roadster the company has come up with in a generation, and I reckon it's going to prove a hit with convertible connoisseurs who find the Mazda MX-5 too obvious and the MG TF too old.
You can see hints of the Twingo hatchback at the front, but from the windscreen backwards the style is all sports car, with the side flankings in particular making it look a little like a bonsai Lotus Elise.
Its city car origins also mean its far smaller than the likes of Vauxhall's Tigra and Peugeot's 207CC, the nearest rivals which come with the added security of having a metal roof rather than a canvas one.
“The Wind is certainly quite diddy. Just 3830mm long, in fact, putting it slap bang in Mini Convertible/Vauxhall Tigra territory. This is hardly a massive sector in the UK, General Motors flogging just 2900 Tigras each year,” said a Renault spokesman.
“That folding roof is an elegant engineering solution. At first glance, it looks like the system on the Ferrari 575 Superamerica, but closer inspection reveals the Wind's mechanism to be cleverer. If you open the boot with the roof down, the rear deck hinges up with the stowed roof in tow.”
But the driving experience is going to be more hot hatch than hot rod, with the Wind sticking to the Twingo's front-wheel-drive rather than following traditional sports cars and putting the power to the rear.
If you wanted a Smart Roadster but missed out on one, letting the Wind blow onto your driveway seems like a great way to enjoy the summer.
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