Renault has chosen the Twizy manufacturing plant in Valladolid, Spain, to present its new Twizy Renault Sport F1 concept car. This half-serious take on the brand’s electric urban compact vehicle exhibits styling cues borrowed from the world of F1.

The vehicle sits on the wheels of a single-seater race car and is equipped with a front splitter, side-pods, rear wing and a diffuser complete with an F1-style rain light which express the concept’s ties with motor racing’s premier category.

Twizy Renault Sport F1 also features the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), which is identical to the solution used by Renault-powered Formula 1 cars. The system instantly boosts power output six-fold to reach almost 100 horsepower and is capable of catapulting the car from standstill to 62 mph as quickly as Renault’s highest-performing road car, Mégane Renaultsport 265.

“Twizy Renault Sport F1 is a simple, yet smart, vehicle which combines original lines and advanced technology derived directly from Formula 1. Our objective was to reinforce Twizy’s ‘fun’ side by using F1 cues to express its personality. In terms of both its look and performance, the result is quite simply spectacular,” said Eric Diemert, Design Director, Renault Sport Range.

In order to express the link with Formula 1 and the Renault Sport race car range, both Renault Sport F1 and Renault Sport Technologies contributed to Twizy Renault Sport F1’s design.

“As far as styling was concerned, we wanted to avoid falling into the trap of simply producing a steroid-fed Twizy. We therefore worked closely with Renault Design to find a way of incorporating Formula 1 cues on a vehicle of this size. Although Twizy’s forms clearly distinguish it from a single-seater race car, you can see numerous echoes of the world of grand prix racing,” commented Tarik Ait Said, Project Coordinator, Twizy Renault Sport F1.

Twizy Renault Sport F1 will be shown at major events throughout the year, beginning with its first public appearances at the World Series by Renault meeting at Aragon, Spain (April 27-28), followed by the Barcelona Motor Show.

Tags: concept car, electric car design, Eric Diemert, EV, F1, KERS, Kinetic Energy Recovery System, Renault, Renault Sport F1, Spain, Twizy Renault Sport F1, Valladolid