Offenbar plant Renault eine Neuauflage des Spiders. Zwar nicht mehr ganz so kompromisslos wie unsere, dafür aber wesentlich stärker motorisiert. Aber lest selbst...
Renault Spider On Comeback Trail
Renault is working flat-out to create a new sports car as a spiritual successor to the two-seater Spider roadster. Described within the French firm as "fun, funky and very radical", it's due to break cover officially within two years, and is being developed under intense security by Renault's high-performance vehicle division, based in Dieppe.
Four concept projects are currently being considered by the company's bosses, and the latter-day Spider is likely to appear in two "very specific" forms, each sharing a unique lightweight alloy chassis mated to running gear from a mainstream hatchback. The top-level version will use the 230bhp, 2.0-litre turbo engine and six-speed gearbox currently being developed for the Renaultsport Mégane, also revealed here for the first time in production trim.
But unlike the old Spider (shown in photo), which was strictly for summer blasts and track days, the new model will be a practical everyday motor, and will be around the same size as a Laguna. Its styling is also far less aggressive than the previous car's.
Renault stunned the motoring world in 1995 when it unveiled the 150bhp, road-going racer Spider. Although all the cars eventually found homes, sales were slow as Lotus launched its Elise, which had better handling and was lighter, cheaper and more practical. As a result, only 150 Spiders were sold in the UK, and dealers were even known to be offering heavy discounts on the £26,600 list price in order to shift the remaining models. A total of just 2,000 original Spiders were made between 1996 and 1999 for sale worldwide, but Renault plans a far larger, longer production run for the new car.
The Spider will also use technology borrowed from the coupé/convertible version of the Mégane, which is due to make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show alongside the RS Mégane. This is likely to include a new simplified folding hard-top mechanism to give the Spider all-weather capabilities, something missing from the last model, which had no roof and didn't even feature a heater. To widen the newcomer's appeal, a 2+2 cabin format is planned, even though it's expected that a mid-engined layout will be retained.
"This car will be revolutionary," promised one insider. "It is going to be a showcase for Renaultsport in particular and Renault in general. We are keeping a close eye on the opposition, but it will be unique."
The car is also being developed with the US in mind. The MINI's success on the other side of the Atlantic has forced Renault to be more positive about re-entering the world's largest car market, and it is already looking at feasibility studies to bring its range to America by sharing dealerships and factories with partner Nissan. Renault is also determined to get some return on its multi-million-pound Formula One programme with wider branding of Renaultsport, and will attach the sporting motif to everything from mountain bikes and scooters to the 255bhp phase 2 Clio V6, which is due in the spring, priced £26,000. Production of this model has been brought in-house to the Alpine facility in Dieppe, rather than the TWR plant in Sweden, where the original was built.
One gap in the Renaultsport line-up is a hot Laguna, which is not expected to appear until the next-generation family saloon arrives. An RS Laguna project was abandoned two years ago.
Quelle: Evo-Magazine UK
