When we tested the Renault Twizy on a high-speed circuit, most people looked at us as if we were idiots, but we knew the car had a (very well) hidden sporty size. It seens Renault knows this too. The company’s built a Twizy Renault Sport F1 concept car that shows what the Twizy would look like if it turned up to a race track in Formula 1 fancy dress.
The Twizy Renault Sport F1 concept borrows plenty of inspiration from the world of racing. It’s been kitted out with a front and rear wings, cute little side pods and an F1-style rain light. Its steering wheel is about as close to F1 as you can get, as are its tyres, which are the same as you’ll find on a Formula Renault 2.0 single seater.
The most impressive trick up the Twizy Renault Sport F1’s proverbial sleeve is its speed. This Twizy uses not one but two electric motors. The primary motor, brought over from the standard car, generates a meagre 17hp. However, located where the passenger seat used to be is a KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) unit with its own lithium-ion batteries, a dedicated control unit and its own motor.
Like the systems in F1, this motor can harvest kinetic energy during braking, stores it as electrical energy in the batteries, and allows the user to unleash that extra power at the push of a button. In this case, it delivers an extra 80hp (a total of 97hp) for approximately 13 seconds.
With KERS activated, the Twizy Renault Sport F1 can go from 0-62mph in around six seconds — the same as a Mégane Renaultsport 265. Top speed is rated at 68mph – 15mph more than the standard car.
It’s a shame then, that we’ll probably never see this thing on the road. That said, the Twizy Renault Sport F1 will crop up from time to time at major events throughout 2013, starting with its first public outing at the World Series by Renault meeting at Aragon, Spain from April 27-28, then the Barcelona Motor Show. Check out the pics below.
Twizy Renault Sport F1 Pictures
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