When hearing the name “Twingo”, many people do not think of the current model of this small car, but of the popular first edition from the 1990s – a milestone in automotive design at the time. Now, Dutch designer and artist Sabine Marcelis and Renault have revived the model as a study of an electric city car to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Twingo’s introduction in 1993. The project follows in the footsteps of Mathieu Lehanneur, who marked the 60th anniversary of the Renault 4 with the “Suite No. 4”, and Pierre Gonalons, who marked the 50th anniversary of the Renault 5 with the “R5 Diamant”.
Elegant shapes, pure materials and light are the defining elements of Sabine Marcelis’ work. All three are now also central to her interpretation of the Renault Twingo. In an interview with designboom, Marcelis explained that restrictions are often a real boost to creativity, as you have to deal with the details that can make all the difference. She said it was very enlightening for her to rethink the iconic details of the Twingo. She wanted to preserve them, but present them in a new, unexpected way.
Her electrically powered Twingo show car is also characterised by the harmony of the vehicle’s materiality and the light that transcends it. The choice of materials alone emphasises the alternation between liveliness and transparency and thus creates a powerful effect. In doing so, the designer picks up on the silhouette and the tail lights of the original Twingo as well as the frog-eye headlights and elements of the interior such as air vents and buttons. “My challenge,” says Marcelis, “was to enhance these elements without losing their unique identity, and to lift all the elements into a more luxurious world activated by light and materiality.
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