Renault Made A Rear-Wheel-Drive Coupe You Can’t Buy

Renault has been raiding its own history lately, and frankly, we’re not complaining. The Twingo is back with an electric reboot that channels the spirit of the original 1990s city car, while the 4 and 5 have returned as modern EVs with plenty of retro flavor. Then there was the R17 electric restomod, a gorgeous one-off that proved the French brand can dig deep into its archives without simply slapping an old name onto a new car.

Now, the company with the diamond logo has gone even further back into the history books. Meet the Renault 8 Gordini Concept, a modern electric interpretation of one of its most beloved performance cars. And yes, it looks fantastic. More than 300 sketches were submitted in an internal competition, ranging from traditional retro designs to futuristic interpretations. Two proposals eventually made it to the 2:5-scale model stage before Renault combined the best elements into what you see here.

The result is a low-slung, wide-bodied two-seat coupe that bears only a passing resemblance to the four-door original (pictured at the bottom) in terms of proportions. That's probably a good thing. Renault hasn't attempted to make a 1960s car look brand-new. Instead, it has taken the ingredients that made the 8 Gordini special and cooked up something thoroughly modern.

Small And Sporty

The concept measures 4.12 meters (162.2 inches) long, 1.88 meters (74.0 inches) wide, and just 1.27 meters (50.0 inches) tall. It rides on 19-inch wheels up front and enormous 20-inchers at the rear, giving it the kind of aggressive stance you'd expect from a modern rally-inspired machine.

And then there's the powertrain. Instead of the original car’s rear-mounted gasoline engine, the new Gordini has a 270-horsepower electric motor driving the rear wheels. Renault says the layout is a deliberate nod to the original 8 Gordini, which also had a RWD setup.

The modern interpretation keeps plenty of visual ingredients from its ancestor. There’s the unmistakable Bleu de France-inspired paint, the famous double white stripe, squared-off wheel arches, round headlights, and a rear end designed to evoke the 62-year-old car. Even the old recessed body line has survived, although Renault has given it a functional job by directing airflow toward a new vent.

Renault also did something clever with the famous double white stripes. Rather than treating them as simple decoration, the designers built them into the design. The stripes line up with elements such as the grille at the base of the windshield and the illuminated graphics inside the rear lights. They even continue into the cabin, where they run across the top of the dashboard before changing from white to blue.

The Interior Is Just About Perfect

The interior takes the same approach. Instead of covering everything in giant screens and calling it a day, Renault opted for a minimalist dashboard with a brushed-aluminum panel and a row of small round digital displays inspired by the original car. There’s plenty of Alcantara, blue corduroy on the bucket seats, and a conspicuous red stopwatch button. Because apparently even a concept car needs to look like it’s ready to attack a mountain road.

Plenty of smaller Easter eggs, too. The Gordini lettering has been redesigned around the original badge, while the new “8” emblem consists of eight segments. The front headlights reinterpret the original rally car’s six-lamp setup, while the shell-shaped mirrors and full-width grille at the base of the windshield are more deliberate nods to the 1960s icon.

Sadly, it’s worth emphasizing that this is strictly a design exercise. Renault has no plans to put the 8 Gordini Concept into production. The company says the one-off exists to explore how it could reinterpret one of its heritage icons for the modern era. You can check it out at the 2026 Paris Motor Show from October 12 to 18.