Opinion: The Renault 8 Gordini is too cool to be a one-off
While the 8 saloon was popular in its day and Gordini’s contribution to Renault’s motorsport successes is worthy of celebration, this is a slightly more niche reimagining.
If the 5, 4 and Twingo come from Renault’s ‘greatest hits’ compilation, the 8 feels like it belongs on a ‘deep cuts’ compilation: something for the fans, rather than a signal for the future.
Clearly, not every concept has to lead to a production version: the e-Legend is far from the only car created for show that has remained a one-off.
And if we’re being honest, the business case to turn the 8 Gordini concept into a production car as is would be questionable at best: there isn’t exactly an addressable market for compact, electric two-seaters, and given Renault’s investment in Alpine, it makes no real sense to revive another performance badge.
Could the concept signal a future electric saloon? After all, the original 8 was a four-door, not a two-door. But, again, that’s not exactly a huge market right now, and recent Renault saloons have struggled to find buyers.
So is the 8 Gordini destined to become exactly what Renault says: a one-off creation that will sit in its future heritage museum? Probably – but there’s surely one route by which it could happen.
Consider the Renault 5 Turbo 3E, a stunning concept turned ultra-limited-run performance car. That sits on the Alpine Performance Platform (APP), which has been developed for the next-generation A110. Renault will make only 1980 examples, starting from £140,000, but if it proves a success, there must be a temptation to look at other limited-run specials. So why not turn the 8 Gordini into its next retro-futuristic flagship?
The APP is a modular platform that can be cope with a variety of powertrain layouts and battery sizes, so it would be easy to use it to underpin a relatively lightweight coupé, which would likely appeal to buyers of limited-run models. And it would be a mighty statement of intent of Renault’s electric ambitions and enthusiast credentials.
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