Car Moon

British consumers will have one more choice when it comes to Renault’s Twingo Renaultsport 133 and the Clio Renaultsport 200 hot hatches as the French firm has added yet another trim level to their range in the form of the ‘Silverstone GP’ limited editions.

Named after the country’s most famous motor racing circuit and home of the British Grand Prix, both models were specifically created for the UK market, with only 50 of each offered for sale from July 1.

During a presentation at Renault’s facilities in France, a foreign journalist attending the event managed to slip away from the crowd and snap a single photo of a small car testing on the company’s proving grounds before falling into the unloving arms of the security team.

The journalist-turned-into-spy photographer said the bagged prototype looked similar in size to the current Twingo city car. He added that the small hatchback model featured several sporty elements such as the bumper designs, wide tires and tall alloy wheels, which lead him to believe that it’s a prototype for the new Twingo RenaultSport (RS) or the Gordini RS, with the differences between the versions being purely aesthetic.

What woman wouldn’t falsely seduce another to steal her shirt? No, this isn’t another one of my sexist rants: it’s a (legitimate?) question posed by a Renault ad that has been banned in Italy.

The ad features two women – who I’ll refer to as the blonde and the brunette – who sneak off together for some hanky-panky bedroom fun. The brunette undresses; the blonde blindfolds her and steals her pink top, later comparing it to the color of her Renault Twingo Miss Sixty.

While many petrolheads may not agree with Renault's decision to use the Gordini nameplate for styled-up and better equipped models, the French company claims the idea has proven successful so far with buyers as Gordini versions account for around two-thirds of Twingo R.S. [133hp] sales and one-third of Clio R.S. sales in Europe.

Building on this success, the company has decided to extend the lineup with the introduction of the Twingo Gordini, which will replace the GT variant. It will be offered with a choice of two engines, a 1.2-liter TCe turbocharged gasoline unit delivering 100-hp, and a 1.4-liter dCi turbo diesel churning out 85-horsepower.

Billed as the first "all-feminine" and "most glamorous" of all Twingo limited editions, the Twingo Miss Sixty is the result of collaboration between Renault and Miss Sixty, the international fashion label of Italy's Sixty group. The fashionista Twingo's world premiere will take place on the Renault stand at next week's Paris Motor Show before launching into the European market in November 2010.

Renault has announced UK pricing for its 'chic' version of the Twingo RS 133 with the Gordini signature. Available to order from April with first deliveries in June, on-the-road prices for the Twingo Gordini RS start from £14,500.

The "all-show, no-go" Gordini nameplate adds a Malta Blue metallic finish with twin white racing stripes and unique 17-inch alloy wheels. Furthermore, the front and rear bumpers are enhanced by gloss black centre sections, while the fog light surrounds, door mirrors housing and rear spoiler are all highlighted in a contrasting white finish.

This week's Geneva Motor Show sees Renault celebrate the world premiere of the Wind, a 3.83 meter-long two-seater coupe-roadster based on the Twingo's platform and mechanical hardware that features an unusual set up with a central roof panel that pivots open in 12 seconds and stows away below the boot.

Renault says that the novel roof system ensures that the Wind's boot space remains the same at 270 liters regardless of whether the roof is up or down. A boot cover protects the roof from dust and water when in the open position.

At launch, the pint-sized French roadster will be offered with a choice of two gasoline engines, the Twingo GT's 1.2-liter TCe turbo producing 100 horsepower and the Twingo RS's 1.6-liter unit delivering 133 horsepower.

These are the first official photos of Renault's brand-new, small coupe-roadster model, the Wind, that it will have its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in early March.

Known as the Twingo CC from the spy shots over the past couple of years, the Wind will go up against the likes of the Peugeot 207CC and Opel Tigra in Europe when sales start later in the year.

The strictly two-seater model shares its platform and mechanical hardware with the Twingo, though at 3.830mm long, it's 230mm longer than the hatchback.

Despite the fact that Renault pitches the car as a coupe-roadster, unlike other CC models with retractable hardtops, the Wind uses an electric roof that rotates 180 degrees into the trunk.

According to the latest reports from Europe, Renault will lift the covers off its long-anticipated two seater convertible model, which we all have come to know as the Twingo CC, at the Geneva Salon in early March alongside the also new hardtop convertible version of the latest Megane.

If true, we expect to see Renault releasing teaser images of the so-called Twingo CC within the next couple of weeks.

As you can see in our updated spy gallery after the jump, the small French sports car that's based on the same underpinnings as the Twingo is still under heavy camouflage.

However, a pair of leaked photos from diecast model manufacturer Norev, gave us our fist look at the convertible model last week.

Unfortunately though, Norev kindly asked us if we could (and did) remove the photos that had been circulating on the net as the maker told us that the model was an early prototype that had been stolen from the French firm's factory. Still, the pictures are available on numerous sites around the web for those that missed out...

From what we know up until now, the small sports car will be a standalone model in Renault's vehicle range and it will be equipped with a unique rotating central-piece rooftop that will stow away inside the boot.

Being based on the Twingo, the sporty convertible will keep the small hatchback's front-wheel drive layout and most likely, its range of four-cylinder gasoline engines that include a 1.2-liter turbo with 100HP and a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter unit with 133HP.

UPDATE: Norev contacted Carscoop and kindly asked to us remove the photos of the diecast model as the maker claims it was a prototype stolen from the factory. Guess that proves its authenticity...

These photographs of a diecast model that appears to show the yet-to-be revealed Renault Twingo CC in production guise, surfaced on the internet today. According to the interwebs, the diecast was produced by Norev, a French company well known for its scale models.

Mind you that this is not the first time we've seen future production models previewed through a diecast - the same thing happened with the Citroen C4 Picasso back in 2006 and more recently with the latest-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate last summer.

Two new entry level rally cars based on the Twingo RS are joining Renault's range of competition cars that also includes the Clio Renaultsport R3 Access and Maxi. Aimed at budget conscious buyers, the Twingo R1 and R2 come in the form of a motorsport kit featuring all the required parts aside from tires. Renault said that customers who buy the kit will be able to purchase a Twingo Renaultsport 133 at a special price.

Boasting one of the longest names in the auto biz, the Renault Twingo Gordini RenaultSport marks the revival of the Gordini badge that will soon find its place on all RenaultSport products. Despite the sporty heritage of Gordini, these models will not carry any engine or chassis upgrades with improvements limited to the cars' styling. Now, what's the French word for 'lame'?

If you thought Renault's naming system for its sporty hatches was already ridiculous with the RenaultSport (...and horsepower) moniker wait until the French firm launches a new line of models that will revive the Gordini nameplate. See, instead of replacing the RenaultSport name, the Gordini badge will be used on more premium and chic versions of the automaker's hot hatches that will benefit from specific cosmetic and equipment upgrades - but not from any kind of mechanical tweaks.