Renault has unveiled a pair of Twingo rally cars intended as an affordable, modern and reliable way into entry-level rallying. The Twingo R1 and R2 will sit below the Clio R3 Access and Maxi rally cars to create a four-tier Renault rally line-up.
Of the two Twingos, the R2 is the more hardcore offering. Changes to the pistons, camshaft, flywheel, exhaust system and the addition of a specific air box give it a power boost of 27bhp over its roadgoing cousin. That means the Twingo R2 gets 158bhp, although peak torque remains static at 118lb ft.
Managing that power is a five-speed sequential gearbox with a ZF limited-slip differential that drives the front wheels. The suspension gets adjustable dampers, but the MacPherson front/ Torsion bar rear set-up remains.
The Twingo R2 is available from £25,399 before tax.
The R2's little brother, the R1, is fitted with the same roll cage and safety gubbins as the R2, but the engine and gearbox are identical to the road car's. The only difference is a tweaked ECU, which brings more torque at lower revs.
Renault says that, with its Twingo R1, it is the first manufacturer to get official homologation for a car in this entry-level motorsport category. Should you wish to push your rally Twingo harder, the R1 can be converted to R2 specification.
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1 1"%3E%3C/svg%3E)