The Renault 8 Gordini became one of France’s most iconic performance cars during the 1960s, turning a compact family sedan into a lightweight sports machine and an effective school of driving for a generation of racing drivers.
Now, Renault is reinterpreting that legacy for the electric era with the Renault 8 Gordini Concept, a fully electric two-seat show car that takes some of the most recognisable elements of the original Gordini and transforms them through modern proportions and technology.
The result is a compact electric coupe with a low, wide stance, a motorsport-inspired design and a 270 hp electric motor. It is a concept rather than a production model, but Renault is using it to explore how the visual and emotional character of the Gordini name could be translated into a contemporary electric vehicle.
Renault 8 Gordini Concept: a modern interpretation
The original Renault 8 Gordini was a four-door saloon, while the new concept takes the form of a two-door, two-seat electric coupe. The change in architecture gives Renault considerably more freedom to create a low and wide sports car while retaining visual references to the historic model.
The project was developed entirely within Renault following a design competition involving the brand’s designers. More than 300 proposals were submitted before the final concept was selected.
| Renault 8 Gordini Concept | Specification |
|---|---|
| Length | 4.12 m |
| Width | 1.88 m |
| Height | 1.27 m |
| Power | 270 hp |
| Body style | Two-door electric coupe |
| Seats | Two |
Six headlights and the signature Gordini stripes
The front end is one of the clearest links between the concept and Renault’s motorsport heritage. There is no conventional grille, while the rounded nose is combined with a V-shaped design and six round headlights that reinterpret the visual identity of historic Renault rally cars.
The rear of the concept is equally important. Its bodywork becomes significantly more muscular towards the back, with pronounced volumes that reference the architecture of the original Renault 8.
The historic car used a rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive, and several details of the concept deliberately evoke that layout. The rectangular wheel arches, tapered mirrors and ventilation grille at the base of the windscreen all contribute to the connection with the original car.
A ventilation grille is also retained at the rear, serving both a functional purpose and providing another visual reference to the classic Renault 8.
Perhaps the most recognisable feature is the double white stripe, one of the defining visual signatures of Gordini. On the concept, the stripes are integrated into the overall design rather than simply applied as exterior graphics.
The lines continue into the cabin, where they transition from white to blue across the upper section of the dashboard.
A minimalist two-seat interior
The interior follows the same philosophy as the exterior, with a focus on driving rather than technology for its own sake.
The Renault 8 Gordini Concept is a strict two-seater. Its cabin is deliberately minimalist, with the number of elements kept to a minimum and a strong emphasis on tactile materials and driver-focused controls.
The dashboard is dominated by a large horizontal panel made from brushed aluminium. Several circular instruments are integrated into it, initially appearing to be conventional analogue gauges.
They are actually digital displays, creating a deliberate contrast between a classic visual language and modern technology.
Aluminium, Alcantara and a racing-inspired cockpit
Brushed aluminium is used extensively throughout the cabin, including around the controls and across several surfaces. It is combined with Alcantara to create a more technical and motorsport-oriented environment.
Renault describes the design approach as being inspired by the café racer philosophy, with conventional plastic surfaces largely removed from the cabin.
One of the most distinctive details is the red-dot stopwatch button positioned in the centre of the dashboard. It is a small feature, but one that directly references the world of competition and timed driving.
The door panels are finished in Alcantara and feature a stitching pattern inspired by the kerbs found on racing circuits.
The sports seats also reinterpret the original Renault 8 Gordini. Their central sections are covered in blue ribbed velvet, while the surrounding structure is finished in black.
Digital technology without a giant screen
The concept’s digital technology is deliberately understated. The digital instrument displays provide the modern element, while indirect ambient lighting is integrated underneath the dashboard.
There is no large central touchscreen dominating the cabin. Instead, Renault has chosen an almost analogue-looking approach in which each element appears to have a specific function.
That decision is consistent with the wider philosophy behind the concept: rather than simply recreating the Renault 8 Gordini as an electric car, Renault is attempting to preserve the driving-focused character and visual identity of the original while using contemporary technology.
From rally legend to electric concept
The original Renault 8 Gordini became famous for making performance and motorsport more accessible. Its rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and demanding handling characteristics made it an important stepping stone for many drivers and helped establish the Gordini name as a symbol of French performance.
The Renault 8 Gordini Concept takes a very different technical approach, replacing the combustion engine with a 270 hp electric powertrain. Yet the design retains several of the cues that made the original recognisable, from the blue-and-white colour scheme to the muscular rear section and motorsport-inspired interior.
For now, the Renault 8 Gordini Concept remains a design study rather than a confirmed production model. Its significance lies in the question it raises for Renault: how can the character of one of its most celebrated performance icons survive in an increasingly electric automotive world?
