Car manufactures are always teasing us with their latest concept cars and Renault is no exception.
Meet the F1 inspired Renault Twizy concept – contender for possibly the craziest concept car ever.
The one-off concept is a collaboration between Renaultsport and Renault’s Formula 1 engineers, the Twizy has been created to show how F1 technology can benefit normal road cars.
The Twizy F1 concept has been fitted with [KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System)] (http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/8763.html), the same system used in Kimi Raikkonen’s and Romain Grosjean’s F1 cars.
KERS was first introduced in the 2009 Formula 1 season and proved to be a great success. The system recovers the heat energy lost under breaking, stores it in the battery and converts it into the extra power which can be used at the touch of a button at the discretion of the driver.
Renault have fitted the system in place of the rear seat and mated it to the existing 17 BHP electric motor to give a combined 97BHP when the KERS button is activated – not bad for something which only weighs 564kg!
With a 0-62 MPH time of just 6.0 seconds and a top speed of 68 MPH, the extra power and light weight body gives the Twizy F1 a power to weight ratio comparable to it’s relative – the Renaultsport Megane 265.
The Twizy F1 certainly looks the part. It sits on the wheels of a single seater race car and comes fitted with front and rear wings, side pods and large rear diffuser, finished off in Renaultsport’s signature yellow paint. Inside, the F1 look continues with a special race inspired steering wheel with that all-important KERS switch.
While there are no plans to put the car into production (sadly), the Twizy F1 will be making appearances at various festivals and events throughout the summer, including an attempt at the famous hill climb at the [Goodwood Festival of Speed] (http://www.goodwood.co.uk/festival-of-speed/welcome.aspx) in July.
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