Renault Twingo is now truly gaining cult status: Espace in pocket size

Everyone felt it when it was unveiled on October 5, 1992: one day the Renault Twingo will acquire the same cult status as the iconic R4. Although it took longer, it has now transcended the stage of a cheap student car and is now secured by enthusiasts. Some of them even bring a pocket-sized Espace to the United States. 

Text & photography: Aart van der Haagen

The fact that aging hardly has any grip on this roguish Frenchman can be determined not only subjectively, but also objectively. After all, what else inspired Renault to continue production for fifteen years? From the end of 1992 to mid-2007, the factory in Flins-sur-Seine alone spit out two million of these balls with a nonchalant gesture. Locations in Spain, Taiwan and Uruguay also played Renault Twingos and in Colombia the circus only stopped in 2012. 

Although the two cars are as different as night and day, it is not surprising to consider the Renault Twingo as the direct successor to the illustrious R4. It was getting old when Renault's designers and technicians started working on a series of projects in the early 5s under the collective name VBG or Véhicule Bas de Gamme. Indeed, an entry-level model, to be positioned below the popular R1987. Unfortunately, the story eventually fizzled out until Patrick Le Quément, who had just taken office, picked up the thread in XNUMX. The fact that Renault's future benjamin had to become a kind of Ieniemienie MPV was clear to the creative manager. 

Out of mothballs

No one will deny that Le Quément left a heavy mark on the final Renault Twingo, for example by adding the smiling nose. But Jean-Pierre Ploué deserves the credit for most of the exterior and Gérard Gauvbry made a masterpiece of the interior. We just mention the almost symmetrical dashboard with a centrally placed display as instruments, colored controls and the sliding rear seat with adjustable backrests. 

To complete the party, Renault brought a desirable extra out of the mothballs: a rolling roof, available at an additional cost and known from the Viertje. By the way, the effect of the bright colors cannot be ignored. After the gray eighties, the Renault Twingo suddenly brightened up the street scene in red, yellow, green or blue; the four introductory shades.  

Opulence

The Twingo, whose name merges the concepts of 'twist', 'spring' and 'tango', remained very much the same for fifteen years: always three-door and mildly modified several times in the meantime. In the beginning he clung to the ancient Cléon engine. No wonder in terms of economy, that is why he made way for the 1996-liter Energy power source in 1,2. 

It soon dawned on Renault that Twingos were not only bought by people with limited means. Features such as power steering, air conditioning, a panoramic sliding roof, electric window controls and central locking with remote control were ticked on many order forms. The real fashion dolls and dandies were blown away by special series such as the Benetton and the Elite, while the top version Initiale, which is permanently included in the program, even added a touch of opulence with its leather upholstery. There was and is a Renault Twingo for everyone who does not suffer from delusions of grandeur. Few of its peers have ever appealed to such a wide audience, not even the beloved R4. 

You can find the whole story and all the photos in the August edition of Auto Motor Klassiek. It can still be found on the newsstand. So buy!