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With a ceremonial parp, Renault will release Wind at the Geneva motor show in early March.
It will be a welcome little emission: Wind is Renault's all-new two-seater coupe-roadster, based on the Twingo.
See more Renault Wind pics
Looks kinda cute, doesn't it? When we heard rumours of a convertible Twingo with a folding hard-top, we were sceptical. But the Wind has turned out rather well.
That may be thanks in part to its unusual roof system: while most folding tin-tops get a folding two- or three-piece arrangement, the Wind's roof consists of a single section hidden under the rear tonneau. Similar to the system on the Ferrari 575 Superamerica, this hinges over the driver's head in just 12 seconds.
This allows the Wind to maintain the same bootspace with the roof up or down. The Wind's roof should be a little lighter than the clunky system on the Peugeot 207CC, which hopefully spells good news for handling. A soft-top, of course, would have been better still.
We expect the Wind to launch with a choice of two engines: the 1.2-litre 100bhp unit from the Twingo GT and the fizzy 133bhp 1.6 from the Twingo Renaultsport.
The Wind, we're told, will get a posher interior than the Twingo, which makes us wonder how much it'll cost. If it can undercut the base-spec Mazda MX-5 - £16,000 or so - it should do well. Much more expensive and it's in dangerous territory.
We'll find out in Geneva. Overall, though, we're keen on the Wind. Er, apart from that name. Not that we'd ever take the mickey, but you're free to. Let rip.
Open Car Bar
What do you think?
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SpeakForYou commented on this article
at 12:39 pm on 02 February 2010
The "Wind" doesn't do anything for me. Kinda reminds me of the Tigra crossed with the 307 cc, but a lot can changed between now and release so we'll see. Just hope they'll change the name!
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gegette commented on this article
at 12:42 pm on 02 February 2010
first! Quite cool, especially if they can keep it cheap...
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gegette commented on this article
at 12:43 pm on 02 February 2010
arf, second, actually..
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rustymx5 commented on this article
at 12:53 pm on 02 February 2010
Looks fantastic! I'm glad they made it a two seater instead of trying to jam four chairs in there...I think I'd still save up a little longer and get the 'proper' sportscar (MX-5) though.
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Grimey5 commented on this article
at 01:43 pm on 02 February 2010
I think it is a pretty little thing......like a funky French peddle bin
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