Renault 17 returns as 270bhp electric restomod

By Ryan Standen

News

| 5 Sep 2024

Classic & Sports Car – Renault 17 returns as 270bhp electric restomod

The Renault 17 is back. Well, sort of.

A restomod based on the four-seater coupé from the 1970s has been revealed this week in the French capital.

It’s set to be part of Renault’s display at this year’s Paris motor show, which runs from 14-20 October.

French designer Ora Ïto worked with Renault to create this 1970s-inspired restomod

The reborn Renault 17 ditches the original car’s range of four-cylinder engines for electric power.

It has been created in collaboration with French designer Ora Ïto, whose portfolio includes watches, architecture projects and transport solutions.

Renault calls it a ‘sculptural retake’ on the classic two-door, which was launched in 1971 and was the marque’s first-ever front-wheel-drive coupé.

The reborn Renault 17’s digital dials are inspired by the original car’s dashboard pods

The Renault 17 show car is the fourth in a series of creations built by the marque’s in-house studio in collaboration with renowned designers.

It follows Mathieu Lehanneur’s Renault 4-inspired Suite N°4, Pierre Gonalons’ Renault 5 Diamant prototype and a Twingo show car by Sabine Marcelis.

“Revisiting an iconic vehicle like Renault 17 was a particularly exciting challenge,” said Ora Ïto.

“Working alongside Renault, I was able to articulate my artistic vision to create a sculpture in my own image.”

The modern-day Renault 17 echoes its predecessor in profile

The classic Renault 17 silhouette remains, with the electric restomod adopting its signature frameless doors, quad headlamps and louvred rear quarterlights, but using a carbonfibre chassis.

Still, there are a number of carry-over components from the ’70s model, including the doors, windows and some underbody parts. The Galactic Brown paintwork is an original colour, too.

The restomod’s body is 17cm (6.7in) wider, though, and it’s powered by a thoroughly 21st-century 270bhp electric motor.

The Renault 17’s cabin has been reimagined with different fabrics

Inside, there are four small screens behind the steering wheel which mimic the original car’s dashboard layout.

Renault has stressed that this is a one-off project and it does not hint at an upcoming production model.

“R17 was part of pop culture, an icon of the 1970s with its avant-garde design and bold personality,” said Arnaud Belloni, Renault Brand’s chief branding officer and vice president.

The electric-powered Renault 17 show car does not preview a future production model

More than 92,000 Renault 17s were built from 1971 to ’79.

In its original form, the Renault 12-based coupé perhaps peaked with the Gordini-badged model, which packed 107bhp – substantially less than this modern-day reinvention.

Although there are no plans for this show car to become a production reality, the marque has recently been busy reviving old names: new Renault 4, 5 and Twingo models are on the way.

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