Renault Unveils Twin Turbo V6 Concept Car

By Motoring Channel Staff - 11/Sep/2006

Paris, France — The Paris Motor Show is often cited as the best place to show off a concept car or an avant garde prototype, and the 2006 exhibition continues this practice as a range of wild designs have already been unveiled on the exhibition floor.

The three mainstream French marques have the added burden of having to outshine their international rivals as the event is held in their backyard, and the pressure is on for Peugeot Renault and Citroën to make a big impact. 

Peugeot has already showed off its V12 diesel powered super car, the Peugeot 908 RC concept, and Citroën has unveiled its dynamic diesel-electric hybrid concept, the C-Métisse, and now Renault has also taken the wraps off its own concept car, called the Nepta.

Unlike the other two French car maker's designs however, the Nepta appears to be less vibrant and brings few new ideas to the automotive world, offering only a direct injection engine, 7-speed gearbox and relatively restrained styling as its cornerstone features. 

The Nepta's styling will attract a lot of attention at the French motor show, as will its biturbo 3.5-litre V6, featuring a sleek super car look at the front that's contrasted by the luxury touring inspired rear end.

Renault describes the Nepta as an elegant four-seater cabriolet, and an expression of Renault's vision of driving pleasure. Wave-shaped side panels give an impression of fluidity says the French company, and help to highlight the Nepta's long body shape. This effect is further enhanced by the special anodic aluminium colour treatment on the lower part of the body shell, the mud flaps and the front and rear spoilers.

Renault says the front end is simple yet expressive, and we tend to agree. Featuring bold LED headlight pods made up of three assemblies - the daytime running lights, the dipped and main beam headlights and the steering lights - and use a technology based on the reflection and propagation of light. Renault explains thusly: the light beam from the main headlights is reflected by crystal-shaped transparent blocks that are electronically controlled for more precise lighting, so that the quantity and distribution of the light automatically adapts to the driving conditions. 

Tracing the car's body shape from the grille-less front end, the rounded forms of the front quarter panels work well with the headlight units though the long and tapered rear end isn't as flattering as the front. It has a long tail with extreme rear overhangs giving the vehicle an ungainly presence, but at the same time this strange rear end does manage to fascinate. Renault says that the Nepta is an echo of the golden age of automotive styling, while remaining resolutely modern and innovative.

The stretched brake lights manage to take away some of the weirdness of the rear end, and the large exhaust outlets allude to the vehicle's powerful engine type, which will give showgoers something to talk about when the conversation strays away from the incredibly long rear end.

The Nepta sits on ultra-large 23-inch alloy wheels (Eolus style) and features a canvas roof to keep occupants dry when it rains.

Not quite jaw-dropping, but not terminally ugly either, the Nepta concept car's flamboyant styling reflects Renault's philosophy of doing things differently; the French car maker describes its Nepta concept as combining a dream car with the love of fine mechanical engineering. 

Part of the car's engineering includes a powerful new engine, mounted longitudinally and displacing 3.5-litres. The V6 petrol engine is connected to a pair of turbochargers which help to boost peak power to 309kW (420hp), which has similar output levels to Audi's RS 4, powered by a 4.2-litre V8. 

With its more than 300 kilowatts and 560Nm of torque, the carbon-bodied 1490kg Nepta concept takes 4.9 seconds to reach 100km/h from a standing start, and coupled to a 7-speed automatic gearbox with flick-shift controls mounted on the steering wheel, the direct injection petrol engine combines fortuitous acceleration with a significant reduction in fuel consumption and noxious emissions.

Renault mentions that the Nepta is a dream car packed with many innovative features and useful mechanical engineering, and two prime examples of this are the motor-driven gull wing doors. These doors add an exotic flavour to the French concept car and cover both front and rear seats and even the engine bay. The long doors also have useful anti-pinch devices to stop fingers getting severed and there's also electronic obstacle detectors integrated into the doors that alert drivers to possible dangers on the road.

The doors pivot on centrally-mounted door hinges that are covered by polished aluminium panels that Renault claims is supposed to represent a shooting star that runs the full length of the front bonnet. Like many custom concept cars, a lot of money has been splashed on the Nepta, and this can be seen in the interior of the vehicle that features what Renault calls 'discreet technology' for greater on-board comfort.

Once inside, the driver is confronted by the instrument panel that appears to be completely suspended, and the extensions of the windscreen illuminate the lower areas of the cabin to make for a bright and clear driving station. The tachometer and speedometer are  cone-shaped instruments surrounded by leather trim, and are punctuated by LED displays in their centres, and this combination of analogue and digital displays is further evidence of Renault's desire to create a modern performance car with a classic car feel. 

The intuitive controls are inspired by the Touch Design approach, which is Renault's attempt at centralising vehicle functions. There's also a rotary gear shift that sounds like a bit of fun to use, and things like the conveniently positioned multimedia information controls can be easily reached, and the stalk switches and control paddles mounted on the steering wheel are ergonomically designed to better match the shape of the driver's hands. 

The dashboard features special storage compartments for glasses and other personal objects, while the central console also has a sliding cubby located between the rear seats. The red leather upholstery creates an impression of continuity between the vehicle interior and the engine compartment and both bench seats are coated with decorated print patterns just for something different.

DVD screens with folding protective covers are installed in the upper sections of the backs of the front seats to provide rear seat occupants with something to pass the time during longer journeys, who are also protected against turbulence by the transparent air deflectors positioned between the front and rear seats.

Renault's Nepta concept car, a 4-seater luxury sports cabriolet, is hard to ignore. The low-slung body shape and classically-styled rear end are the hallmarks of a top-end model, but would the company have been better off focussing on its motorsports triumphs? Looking like conquering the Formula One Championship for a second year in a row, Renault may have been wiser to create a tribute to its unbeatable  F1 engine, perhaps creating a super car concept like the Audi Le Mans.