Review of the new Renault Twingo Renaultsport Gordini

Renault is developing a stable of hot hatchbacks that's the envy of the automotive world and the fixation of boy and girl racers throughout the land. We've seen Renaultsport, Renaultsport Trophy and Renaultsport Cup versions of the Megane, Clio and Twingo but these days, there's another name to conjure with, a famous one resurrected out of the brand's sporting past. The Twingo Renaultsport Gordini signals Renault's desire to cement its position of dominance in the market for cars affordable and fast.

Amedee Gordini was born in 1899 and very quickly became fascinated by automobiles and motorsport. He would go on to develop his own Grand Prix cars before joining Renault in the 1950's and developing competition vehicles for them. Adorned with distinctive bright blue paintwork and double white roof stripes, the Gordini Renault 8 took four of the top five places in the 1964 Corsica rally including the top spot on the podium. In 1966, the Gordini Cup one-make race series was created for the 1,300cc version of the Gordini Renault 8 and would go on to establish the blueprint for all one-make race series. With its distinctive livery and compact dimensions, the Twingo Renaultsport Gordini is a car that the great man might just have recognised.

The Gordini Twingo shares its mechanical and suspension set-ups with the standard Renaultsport 133 version, although the sharper Cup chassis is available as an option. It packs a 133bhp punch which is quite a hit in a car this small. The engine, a 1.6-litre unit, delivers its peak power at 6,750rpm, so you'll need to be quite aggressive with the throttle if you want to extract optimum performance. You'll be rewarded with a decidedly rude exhaust note from the four-into-one system and a deep-chested timbre from the induction system up front. This is not your average warmed over shopping trolley.

".in the cabin there's a surfeit of leather and an equipment list as long as your leg"

Many manufacturers juice the engine up, add a few sports trimmings inside and leave it at that. Renault distinguishes itself by sweating the details. That's why this Twingo Renaulsport 133 features bigger brake discs and callipers, and a track width that has been increased by 60mm at the front and 59mm at the back over the Twingo GT. The 0-60mph sprint time is 8.7s but it's the cornering speeds that the little Twingo is able to carry that will really make it stand out. Fit the Cup chassis with its tauter suspension set-up and you won't be as comfortable but a Gordini Twingo will keep pace with far more powerful machinery on a twisty road. Even without the Cup kit, it's a certified pocket rocket.

The Renaultsport versions of the Twingo might not have the power or the weight of their Clio and Megane siblings but, if anything, they look even angrier. Huge wheelarch extensions, side sills and chunky bumpers make the car look like it would need to be peeled off the road. The Gordini edition only accentuates the basic aggression in the Twingo's appearance while running a metaphorical highlighter pen over it with the famous blue and white Gordini livery.

The bumpers gain gloss black centre sections on the Gordini while the fog light surrounds and door mirrors are picked out in white to match the twin roof stripes. The 17" wheels are something quite special too with metallic faces and the inner rims finished in either blue or black. The Cabin gets blue and black leather upholstery for various trim features and the sports seats, the latter items also getting the Gordini name embossed at their centre. There must be a couple of cows-worth of leather in this car, bringing an element of luxury not normally seen in a hot hatch at this price.

The Twingo's interior is spacious for the citycar sector with the available room maximised by clever split rear seats that individually slide and recline. Push these right back and you'll get proper sized adults in the back with ease, while head and legroom for those in the front is also generous. The boot is a bit pokey but can be extended when you've no rear seat passengers by folding the seat backs down.

If the Twingo Renaultsport Cup is the feisty, stripped-out, track focused one in the range, the Gordini is shaping up as its older, wiser and rather more sophisticated bigger brother. As well as being swathed in hide, the cabin boasts a standard equipment list that's nothing short of spectacular for a citycar. There's automatic climate control, automatic headlights, automatic wipers, cruise control with a speed limiter, a CD stereo with connections for MP3 players and remote controls on the steering wheel, tinted windows and an ESP system that can be fully disconnected if the fancy takes you.

Anyone who would like to bump the Gordini's price up further can adjourn to the options list where the Cup chassis, a Bluetooth telephone kit, curtain airbags and an electric panoramic sunroof are beckoning. There are even Gordini floor mats and Gordini a key fob for casually tossing on the bar.

The Gordini might not be quite as accessible as the other fast Twingos from a pricing point of view but it shares the manageable running costs that are so important in a quick car aimed at younger buyers. Achieving around 42mpg on the combined cycle, the 1.6-litre engine has one of the lowest fuel consumption figures of any petrol-powered shopping rocket and relatively tax-friendly CO2 emissions of around 160g/km will also benefit the car's bottom line. Insurance falls into a very reasonable group 8.

Renault has referenced its proud sporting heritage by restoring the Gordini brand to its range. The French firm didn't obviously need help selling its highly popular and critically acclaimed Renaultsport models but the Twingo Renaultsport Gordini does bring something slightly different to the starting grid. The extrovert colour scheme isn't the half of it because in the cabin there's a surfeit of leather and an equipment list as long as your leg. Buyers seeking a shopping rocket with added opulence should take note.