Introduced in September 1992 by Renault, the city car Twingo was perceived as extremely advanced at the time. The monobox body, with a very short bonnet and an ample passenger compartment, was both appealing and clever. Modernity also struck inside, where the driver was greeted by an original dashboard with centrally-mounted instruments – almost usual today, but seventeen years back… Unfortunately what was hiding under this engaging skin was, indeed, better hidden. Worst of all was the Twingo’s engine, a 1.2-litre four good for 55 hp. It was based on the “Major” block that had been first introduced with the R8, three decades before. In terms of pure performance, it was still adequate, particularly for a car which playground would be busy city streets, but its thirst for gasoline was unquenchable. This unforgivable flaw was corrected for model year 1997, when all Twingos received the new 1.1-litre engine used by their larger sister the Clio. Nevertheless beauty sells better than technicalities, so the Twingo was in instant hit. Despite three mild facelifts, the car remained basically the same for fifteen years, quite a feat nowadays as life expectancy for a new model has seriously reduced. By the end of model year 2007, almost 2.5 millions had been built, when a brand-new Twingo 2, unveiled at Geneva a few months before, hit the market with the task of renewing its predecessor’s success. This should be difficult: now facing much stronger competition, the Twingo 2 appears way too shy and, though its range has considerably extended, doesn’t really add anything of value to the original concept.
About the model
Model: Renault Twingo
Year: c.1996
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in July 2006, in Brive, France
Nothing exceptional about Cararama’s rendition of the Twingo. On the other hand, apart perhaps from the rear lights, there isn't much to reproach to this die-cast, which is probably cheaper than any other model of this car. I’ll give it an 11/20 rating.
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