January 29th 2010 www.renault-sport.com
VERSION FRANCAISE ENGLISH VERSION SEND TO A FRIEND

As you know, we are about to relaunch the Gordini brand; many of you were waiting for this.

And it is to Twingo Gordini R.S to show the way. Twingo R.S. has in its DNA all Renault Sport know-how : an efficient but comfortable sport chassis, a flexible and furious 1.6l engine producing 133 hp, direct and communicative steering, powerful and long lasting braking.

But the sportiest Twingo can also rely - thanks to Gordini- on a sophisticated and exclusive "design": metallic paint in Malte Blue or Pearl Black, 17’’ diamond-finished alloy wheel rims, black / blue upholstered leathers seats with Gordini sign inlay, blue leather inserts on the door panels, black / blue leather for the gear lever gaiter, leather steering wheel with white stripes around the centre-line, Gordini gearknob, blue rev-counter with white detailing, the top of the instrument panel upholstered with a specific topstitching...

For all those who remember the Gordini years and have the R8 as the absolute reference in their mind, the relationship is obvious : double white stripes, strong sporty character, touches of exclusivity inside and outside on an accomplished and accessible sporting car...

 

Everything is there, as it was in the good old days, including comfort and equipment level! The R8 Gordini, was a sports car which offered a remarkable comfort. And its level of equipment was superior to the rest of the range R8. It's the same for Twingo Gordini R.S. today.

Renault Sport has embodied the essence of the Gordini spirit within Renault for a long time. We propose sports cars which are efficient, light and fun to drive.

 

With Gordini we add an additional touch of refinement and seduction. The context and customers having evolved, our work was thus to reinterpret the spirit of Gordini former days, by updating it without betraying it. And by making sure that sports means elegance and exclusivity. It is this vision of the "French Touch" that we wish to highlight again with Gordini.

 
Gordini comparative

R8 Gordini 1300
b
Twingo Gordini R.S.
Engine
Weight
Power (hp)
Weight/power
Engine torque
0 to 100km/h
400m DA
1000m DA
Max speed
Tire		 1 255 cm3 (4cyl)
855kg
88ch at 6750 tr/m
8.3 kg/ch
12,7 mkg at 5000 tr/m
13,7 sec
17,3 sec
32,3 sec
175 km/h
135×15		 1 598 cm3 (4cyl)
1050kg
133ch at 6750 tr/m
7.9 kg/ch
16 mkg at 4400 tr/m
8,7 sec
16,3 sec
29,9 sec
201 km/h
195/45R16 or 195/40R17
   

Who would say “No”? The announcement of the near commercialization of Twingo Gordini R.S. gives us the opportunity and the pleasure to present an unpublished video: Jean Ragnotti at the top of his form, driving the legendary Renault 8 Gordini and the very sporting Twingo Renault Sport.

It was a year ago; a torrential downpour gave the opportunity for a magisterial piece of driving.

The two cars and their driver showed outstanding abilities.

Gordini and Twingo Renault Sport Renault Sport were already linked, was it a premonition of the Gordini brand relaunch?

 

The soundscape and the quality of perceived engine sounds in the cabin have a direct impact on the driving enjoyment.

That is the reason why Renault Sport Technologies have found a noble and surprising trick on new Megane R.S.: the R.S. Sound Pipe.

Open your ears and eyes, here are the explanations:
The R.S. Sound Pipe is a technical device that boosts the acoustic response from the engine to the cabin, by bringing into the cabin modified, pleasant sounds. A branch situated in the intake system sends pulsed waves to a generator.
The generator then resends the sound waves in the direction of the cabin.

If the theory is easy, the challenge is to find the right settings in order to profit from a well-balanced results on the full use range.


With this trick, the Renault Sport engineers’ goals were to find:
- An increase in the acoustic response directly linked to the engine load
- A rhythmic sound
- An controlled sound volume
- An optimum sound which appears when the full power is achieved, in order to improve the « engine performance – sound feeling» ratio

 

How does it work?

The R.S. sound pipe is composed of a side-branch near the throttle body, a generator and a duct between the generator and the cabin. The generator is composed of a casing with a hose diaphragm. It is this very diaphragm which is the noble part of the system.


It must resist high boost pressure and temperatures. Under the effect of intake pulsed waves, it will act as a generator. The sound quality and volume sent to the cabin depend on many different settings: the diaphragm stiffness, the length and diameter of the sound pipe ducts…etc.

  

In order to achieve such a performance, Renault and Renault Sport acoustic engineers have built a digital model of the system. It allows them to set the different parameters in order to work the sound pipe spectrum and to maximize the sound quality.


Before experiencing it at the wheel of new Mégane R.S., here are two samples of engine sounds.

Top Gear magazine (leader of the British press with 200.000+ copies sold each month) named Renault Sport Technologies the « Manufacturer of the Year ».

 

Top Gear editor: «Renaultsport has been impressing us for years but 2009 was the year where the whole project hit a new sweet spot – Twingo, Clio and Mégane all out in hot form and all of them at their best ever. For services to hot hatches, we salute you.»

Another good news is that “What Car?”  leader among the consumerist car magazines in Great Britain,  has just rewarded Renault Sport Technologies at their " What Car? Awards ".
 
January 14th was actually a great day for us as Renault Sport Technologies won 3 prices on the 3 categories of the " best Hothatches of year 2010” contest. Prices went to Twingo Renault Sport Cup, Clio Renault Sport Cup and Megane R.S. Cherry on the cake : new Megane R.S. has been elected "best sportscar" of all categories.

  

This is a great pleasure for us, and we would like to share these prices together with our customers and all the Renault Sport enthusiasts that support what we do. Thanks a lot.


 

This month, you have sent us a wide variety of pictures with your favorite RenaultSport. Thank you for that.

By the way, the bad weather we kept experiencing might as well give us an idea. Why not sending a picture of your own "RenaultSport on snow" for the next newsletter?

Anyway, do not hesitate to send us your pictures (with or without snow) to : rst@enewslettervideo.com . You will then get the chance to be published.

Do not forget to give us your name (or nickname) and also your region or country. Thank you in advance.
     
 
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