The Renault 8 Gordini Concept isn’t just a salute to French motorsport heritage — it’s proof that true icons never fade. Renault continues to revive its legends with bold, future‑minded design, creating a seamless dialogue between legacy and innovation.
Renault 8 Gordini Concept is part of this approach. This concept car is set to become part of the brand’s history and heritage, taking up a position alongside the historic models, archive material and artworks that will be brought together at the future Renault Collections museum in Flins, set to open to the general public in around 15 months’ time.
Launched in 1964, Renault 8 Gordini featured a 95 hp rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel-drive layout. Delivering real racing performance, but requiring advanced driving skills, it was an efficient but demanding drive. Renault 8 Gordini (“la Gorde”) was a superb “training car” for a generation of drivers, including Jean Ragnotti.
By giving the Gordini name to a sporty version of a production model, Renault made advanced performance affordable a decade before the GTI phenomenon took off. The hallmark double white stripe became iconic.
As part of a similar approach, Renault is now revisiting this iconic model with an exploratory project, for the delight of motoring enthusiasts everywhere.
Unlike the R17 show car, which was based on a collaboration between well-known designer Ora Ito and the brand’s design teams, Renault 8 Gordini Concept is 100% Renault in its design.
The project began with an in-house competition at Renault Design, which generated a huge wave of enthusiasm. Over 300 sketches were spontaneously submitted by brand designers. Every avenue was explored: from classic retro to futuristic styling, concepts fusing heritage with modern edge, or GT-inspired looks. From these 300 or so proposals, two projects were selected for development as 2:5 scale mock-ups. This made it possible to compare the two and create a new blueprint, bringing together the best of each one.
Renault 8 Gordini Concept is 4.12m long, 1.88m wide and 1.27m tall, with particularly compact and dynamic proportions. Shod with 19-inch wheels at the front and 20-inch wheels at the rear, it sits squarely on the road, much like today’s rally cars. This two-door coupé is far more dynamic than the original four-door model, with an aggressive prow, accentuated by the V-shaped design, and six headlights.
The rear end is wide, muscular and strongly sculpted, hinting at the rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel-drive layout that characterised the original model. The difference today is that the vehicle is powered by a 270 hp electric motor. Further underlining the performance of this concept-car, the rear end features a slight rake, absent from the original model.
GR Snippets
- Over the past five years, Renault has been exploring its 128-year history, reviving some of its iconic models in the form of one-offs. With these reboots, the brand is continuing to bring its heritage to life, ahead of the opening of the future Renault Collections museum in Flins in around 15 months’ time, when the vehicles will be made accessible to the general public
- Following the R17 electric restomod x Ora Ïto concept car, and Renault 5 Diamant – an art car created in collaboration with Pierre Gonalons – this latest model is a reboot of the iconic Renault 8 Gordini
- A two-seater electric coupé with real character, Renault 8 Gordini Concept gives the legend a new look, with a design inspired by motorsports
- With its low, wide body, radical stance, electric powertrain, and 270 hp of power, it resembles a modern rally car in every way. Fusing heritage with contemporary edge, the clean lines of its “café racer” inspired design bring the Gordini spirit to life
- Set to be unveiled on 24 September at the Renault Carwalk, Renault 8 Gordini Concept will then be displayed on the Renault stand at the Paris Motor Show, from 12 to 18 October 2026
