Ever since Louis Renault founded the car company that bears his name in 1898, the diamond-logoed brand has always had a thing for going quickly.
Whilst, today, Renault predominantly occupies itself with producing small hatchbacks and crossovers, the brand has an illustrious reputation for building some of the finest performance cars ever produced – both for the road and the racetrack.
However, with the recent unveilings of both the mad 5 Turbo 3E and the ultra-special Alpine A110 Ultime, it appears that the love for making fast cars has well and truly returned – and, to celebrate the fact, here are 25 of the Greatest Renault Performance Hits.
1: Renault Type K (1902)
In the early years of his company, Louis Renault used motorsport as his primary marketing strategy. However, by 1902 the competition was beginning to heat up as cars became increasingly more powerful.
Therefore, Renault’s racer, the Type K, which had previously been equipped with a DeDion-Bouton-sourced powerplant, received an all-new, Renault-designed four-cylinder motor that was good for 24bhp. The updated Type K made the most of its new engine, storming to victory at the reputable 1902 Paris-Vienna race, and completing over 800 miles (1300km) at an average speed of 39mph (62.5km/h).
2: Renault 40 CV (1926)
The 40CV was a luxury model built by Renault during the early 20th century; unveiled at the 1910 Paris Motor Show, and sold from 1922 until 1928, it was a primary example of European automotive exuberance from the period. In certain forms, the 40CV had a 9.0-litre engine, weighed over 2500kg and measured 5 metres in length. Not exactly the ideal basis for a performance car, then.
Well, the 40CV did, incredibly, enjoy success in motorsport. It famously scored a win for Renault at the 1925 Monte Carlo rally, and a heavily modified 1926 example, known as the ‘NM’ (pictured), broke several speed records in period.
3: Renault Dauphine Gordini (1961)
In 1955, Renault replaced their best-selling car, the 4CV, with a new model called the Dauphine. However, after a series of rally wins in 1956, Renault were motivated to build a faster version.
Developed in collaboration with engineer Amédée Gordini, Renault unveiled the Dauphine Gordini in 1961. Admittedly, this ‘performance’ version didn’t really possess much performance – 0-62mph (100km/h) took 27 seconds – but it was significant nevertheless, proving to be the first model to sport the now legendary ‘Gordini’ name. The most sought-after version is the 1093, which was a homologation special with 55bhp, and only 2140 units were ever built.
4: Renault 8 Gordini (1964)
The next Renault to sport the ‘Gordini’ namesake was the humble 8. This model is arguably the most synonymous with the name today, thanks to its iconic twin white stripes and unusual quad-headlight setup.
The R8 Gordini offered a significant step on from the Dauphine; while it shared the rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout, the R8 ‘Gorde’ produced 95bhp, or nearly double that of a standard Renault 8. In 1966 it was updated with a 1.3-litre engine and a five-speed gearbox, allowing for a top speed of 108mph (175km/h) – a serious figure at the time.
