To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its iconic Renault 5, French automaker Renault has teamed up with designer Pierre Gonalons to create a sparkling concept.
And unlike the approximately five million units sold worldwide between 1972 and 1984, this one is fully electric.
Gonalons was given carte blanche to design the car of his dreams, rooted in his vision of the future. “In my eyes, the R5 embodies a pop, optimistic, resolutely contemporary life,” he says. With the Renault 5 Diamant, I wanted to pay tribute to its revolutionary design while translating my universe of shapes and colors into the automotive world. »
Photo: Renault
His inspiration came from the decorative arts and more particularly from fine jewelry. While preserving the characteristic lines of the original, he streamlined the bodywork, then faceted the headlights and taillights like precious stones. The wheels, inherited from the Alpine version, have been smoothed and signed in their center with the sun dear to the designer.
As for the color, it is the result of a triple layer paint made of golden pigments on a pink base, then covered with a frosted varnish which gives a very changing effect under the sunlight.
Photo: Renault
Inside, Gonalons was able to simplify the car by keeping only very specific elements. The door handles and window controls as well as the gear lever are made from a truncated sphere, treated like very Parisian references in brass gilded with pale gold, stainless and very durable materials.
That said, the highlight of the show is definitely that spiral-shaped steering wheel made of carbon and marble. Behind, three circular indicators celebrating watchmaking display essential information: speed, battery charge and time. As for navigation and infotainment, everything goes through the driver’s smartphone, which sits in a dedicated location in the middle of the dashboard.
Photo: Renault
In addition, the seat fabric and the horsehair fabric on the dashboard are made by Métaphores, the only workshop in the world that continues to weave horsehair by hand. The mohair wool floor rug is made by Pinton, one of the last French art tapestry manufacturers.
Finally, as a sign of modern times, Renault and Pierre Gonalons will also develop an NFT collection inspired by the Renault 5 Diamant, which will be unveiled in September. The car and its digital counterpart will be auctioned a few weeks later and the funds will go to Give Me 5, Renault’s new social responsibility project dedicated to young generations through sport and music.