I feel so out of it when I run into a car in that I simply had no idea existed. Ever since my Auto, Motor und Sport subscription ended back in the aughts, I’ve become increasingly less informed about the European market. And this Renault Wind totally escaped my sails. Well, given how relatively obscure it was, and with such a short lifespan, I have to assume it was anything but a success, and thus relatively rare. Corey Behrens shot this one in
Dossenheim, Germany.
It is little two seater convertible coupe that opens up via a flip-up and back hard roof section. Renault bought the rights to the Ferrari Super America’s roof, and used it on the Wind.
Here it is in action. With that windshield extending so far back, the actual open roof area was pretty modest. Cut down on the wind, undoubtedly.
The Wind was based on the Renault Twingo, and came with either a 1.6 L NA four or 1.2 L turbo four.
Looks like a crossbreed of a Lotus Europa, and a Honda CRX.
Yes, Lotus Europa was the first thing that popped into my mind. Appropriate, since the first Europa’s had Renault power. As for the CRX, I didn’t see that till you mentioned it, but now I absolutely do, in the proportions. A good find, unknown to me.
And a dash of Smart coupe tossed in, though at this size similarities are bound to occur.
I was thinking it’s like a French Honda Del Sol…but maybe you’re thinking the same thing since what was sold as the Del Sol in North America was sold as the CRX in Europe.
Either way, I always thought the hatchback CRX was a brilliant car, while the Del Sol was anything but an improvement…
I was thinking a Lotus Europa and a Suzuki X-90 love child
Oh my, completely forgot about these…
This must be one of the most ill-proportioned small convertibles ever produced.
Introduced in 2010 and based on the previous model Renault Twingo, this thing really had nothing going for it and that was reflected in the sales figures. Less than 13.000 found an owner in Europe during its 4 year production run.
Leave it to the French to come up with the strangest looking vehicles.
So when this car is going too slow, everybody behind it has to pass Wind.
And when something goes wrong mechanically is that because someone has broken Wind?
I guess there was a lot of Wind resistance in the market, so Renault took the Wind out of their sales.
The shape seems to be a modern version of the Fuego. (What’s next in this sequence? Erde? Вода?)
Just think, they could have had a limited-edition Wind called Mariah.
The proportions are strange but I find the car attractive. Being a Renault means it will handle and ride well, hopefully the mechanicals are easily maintained and sorted. I would have been all over this at 25 and would have picked the turbo four.
This is really out of character for me – but, I like it and I want one!
I see a black one quite regularly on my commute. Really not a nice looking thing in the flesh. Give me the Twingo it’s based on over this any day!
A friend of us had one, white. She really liked it, and used it as her daily driver. Weird enough a new neighboor moved in 5 houses down the street, and she also had a white one. What are the odds. I always thought they were ugly as hell.
Stupid name and a sales disaster. That’s all. Nothing else to say really. Only sold in UK for a couple of years. Only ever seen one on the road.
Hmm I dont recognize it but Renault have a very hit and miss rep in this market when something does sell ok it turns out to be a repair nitemare and gets taken away so this likely didnt make it, very Lotus Europa styling which is a good thing.
Never heard of it before. Why on earth would anyone pass up a Twingo to buy this?
Bumper sticker for this car, “Pass Wind at Your Own Risk”.
Renault will get the last laugh as the small numbers sold mean it´ll hold it value and will be a future classic, as per the AvantTime.and many other cars that weren´t outright commercial successes.
I saw one in Dublin in July – the second or third I have seen. By comparison, I see Ferraris (any recent one) quite often. So, where are the Winds now? In garages or just scrapped prematurely?
For comparison, check out the Opel Tigra Mk2 (much better looking but also a marketing disappointment).
A name guaranteed to raise schoolboy chuckles. It might be amusing to fit a giant clockwork type key on the back and say you have a Wind, not a Wind.