MORE IMAGES OF THE NEW GORDINI HERE

'PANT, PANT, RUSTLE, rustle'. Not the late-nite movie, just the sounds amplified in my head. It’s bloody warm in this thing, and incredibly difficult to see out of. But I’m not taking the paper bag off just yet.

I’ve always argued that the Renault Twingo was far too effeminate to be taken seriously as a real driver’s car. For that we already have the Suzuki Swift Sport with its no-nonsense looks, eagerly revvy engine and a taut little chassis that can take a fair amount of punishment. In stark contrast, the last Twingo I drove had a special holder for lipstick and make-up as standard. Mercifully this Gordini is a very different beast.

To clear up any confusion, the Gordini is essentially a stickered-up Twingo RS with some limited edition bits and bobs tacked onto it. You’ll have noticed that it’s blue and trisected by a pair of racing stripes – a throwback to the race-prepped Renaults of yesteryear. And that’s of course why I’ve given my paper bag helmet a similarly sporty treatment.

I’m the first to admit my long-standing love/hate relationship with Renault’s cars as a result of the polar differences between their everyday hatches and those breathed on by Renaultsport. The Gordini convincingly plays in the latter camp by virtue of the accomplished RS on which it is based. So what’s in the R15 000 premium? The main event is that Gordini Blue paint job complete with snazzy white vinyls repeated on the leather steering wheel and white-faced tachometer. Plus a Gordini gear knob bereft of a gate graphic, so good luck finding reverse, first-time Twingo driver. Leather bucket seats also get the blue and white treatment but you’ll be hard pressed to see them through the car’s midnight tint windows. Bespoke 17-inch alloys wrapped in Conti SportContact 3 rubber complete the Gordini cosmetics.

It’s a good aesthetic further enhanced with starkly contrasting white details such as the fog surrounds, mirror covers and boot spoiler – a look that manages to rescue the baby Renault from boutique obscurity, if somewhat diluting a great name in motoring. Gordini was assimilated into the Renault brand in 1968 and essentially evolved into Renaultsport as we know it, so I’m willing to forgive the flagrant marketing exercise and focus on the great chassis beneath.

GETTING TO GRIPS

Climbing into the little Renault is easy enough, with a familiar cabin to greet you. The blue stitching and Gordini trimmings are a nice touch, the ergonomics of the Euro style controls hard to fault. Those national flag buckets grip convincingly, but I cannot get low enough, so am left perched atop the best seat in the house. Dip the clutch and fire up the 1-6-litre four, and you awaken 98kW and 160Nm. Pile on some throttle, drop the clutch and with little protest the Renault pounces. The exhaust note is deep, gear changes from Renault’s five-speeder are positive, and by the time I’ve snatched 4^th I’ve also eclipsed 100kph in a commendable 9.2 seconds. The quarter-mile is trounced in 16.7 seconds and the Twingo will keep going to its 201kph maximum.