Text & Images: Rina Smit
Motoring When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane. I could not repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
Renault
Twingo Gordini RS • • •
Rebirth of the Gordini name revives the brand's glorious motorsport heritage Offers an even more exciting variation of the popular Twingo RS Visually striking, thanks to exclusive colour, sporty detailing and chic trim
Text & Images: Renault South Africa
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Will attract customers seeking a distinctive, compact performer hatch Headlines styling, specification and technical updates for entire 2010 Twingo range
The Renault Sport range is already revered for its
exceptional combination of dynamic styling and segment-defining driving enjoyment. And now Renault South Africa has upped the ante with the addition of the spirited Twingo Gordini Renault Sport (RS) – a car that revives one of the most legendary names in motorsport. Indeed, Amédée Gordini, who developed almost 200 000 Renault cars for racing over a 20-year period, achieved some of the brand’s greatest sporting achievements. The revival of the Gordini label pays homage to this proud legacy, while building on the renowned expertise of Renault Sport and offering a fresh interpretation of its values. "The Twingo Gordini RS is the most exciting and dynamic rendition of the Twingo range to date,” explains Renault SA managing director, Xavier Gobille. “It introduces a new, even more exclusive and distinctive alternative to the rapidly growing 'hot hatch' market," Gobille adds the Gordini RS is the most expressive interpretation yet of Renault’s drive to produce an
was commonly known, to develop its rear-engined Dauphine sedan into a competitive rally car. And the rest, as they say, is history. Gordini subsequently reworked the Renault 8 into a formidable rally contender from 1964 and, along with the Gordini-fettled Renault 10, ensured that Renault became a prominent and highly successful feature of the racing and rally circuits – especially in SA. The Renault 8 Gordini, with its bright blue paintwork and twin white stripes, was one of his most successful and iconic creations, finishing 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th in the 1964 Tour of Corsica rally. In 1966, the 1300 cc version starred in the first Gordini Cup one-make race series, which would become the blueprint for all single-make motorsport championships. At the end of 1968, the Gordini company was merged into Renault, and it became the foundation for Renault Sport Technologies – a division which has produced the impressive and prized Renault Sport (RS) versions of the Clio, Mégane and Twingo over the years. It's fitting, then, that Renault pays homage to Amédée Gordini and the legendary cars that proudly carried his name with the relaunch of the Gordini label as the most exclusive, fashionable and sporty rendition of
inherently sporty range of cars at affordable prices. “We believe that image-conscious buyers in SA will be drawn both to the Gordini's bold athletic flair, and its esteemed racing heritage." HISTORY
the Twingo RS.
Amédée Gordini was born in Bazzano near Bologna, Italy, in 1899. From an early age he had a strong fascination with cars and motor racing, and began living his dream by working as a mechanic in his teens. After World War I he settled in Paris and competed in various forms of motorsport, including grand prix racing and the legendary Le Mans 24-hour.
Although comparatively new to SA buyers, following its local launch in October 2008, the Twingo has been a dominant player in Europe for many years. It is the best-selling small city car in France, accounting for almost a third of this highly competitive segment.
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To ensure that it reflects the Gordini's glorious
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He later established the Gordini company that transformed production cars into accomplished racers, modified regular engines for competition in endurance and grand prix racing, and even built specialist racing cars under his own banner.
Equally, the Renault Sport version of the Twingo (launched locally in May 2009) is the sector’s bestselling small sporting model in its home market, contributing significantly to the Twingo's dynamic image.
motorsport heritage, the new addition to the Twingo range is based on the same highly rated performance and equipment package as the proven Renault Sport version, as developed by the renowned Renault Sport Technologies team. The acclaimed Sport chassis and suspension of the RS are retained, but given even greater handling prowess with the inclusion of 17-inch wheels and lower 40-profile tyres. However the commendable ride quality of the RS ensures that it's perfectly suited to everyday use. Feisty performance characterises the 1,6-litre 16-valve fuel-injected engine employed in the RS, delivering a distinctive, specially tuned engine pitch under acceleration to suit its sporty demeanour. This unit is credit with a peak power output of 98 kW at 6 750 r/min and a lively 160 Nm at 4 400 r/min. Notably, in its updated 2010 model year evolution this powerplant boasts reduced CO2 emissions, dropping from 165 to 160 g/km. Combined cycle fuel consumption is rated at 7,0 l/100 km. PRICING AND VALUE Despite the exclusive visual interior and exterior enhancements, matched to a significantly higher standard level of specification, the Twingo Gordini RS represents exceptional value at a recommended retail price of R214 900. This represents a justifiable R15 000 premium over the standard RS, but remains well below the price positioning of its mainstream rivals. Peace-of-mind motoring is naturally standard fare as part of the Renault Confiance all-encompassing care package, which includes a three-year/60 000 km Service Plan and Renault's five-year/150 000 km warranty. RM TWINGO MODEL RANGE 1.2 Dynamique Plus R139 900 1.6 Renault Sport R199 900 1.6 Gordini Renault Sport R214 900 For further information, please contact: Alyson Strever Tel: +27 11 607 7306 Email: alyson.strever@renault.com
Mazda BT 50
“Active Lifestyle Vehicle” Text & Images: Mazda South Africa
Mazda is proud to announce a brand new direction in the utility market. At this year’s Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, Mazda is unveiling the All-New BT-50 that signifies a new direction in the utility segment. It was developed as an “Active lifestyle vehicle,” and is intended to further extend the appeal of a utility from traditional business users to a wide range of customers, including families and pleasure-seekers.
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The current BT-50 is Mazda’s only offering in the utility segment. It is an established one-tonne utility that has won numerous awards and gained a strong following all over the world. In developing the new model, Mazda intended to expand its appeal to customers who lead active lifestyles and have needs that cannot be met by conventional utilities. It offers all the functionality required for business use combined with passenger car-like comfort for family use; and for active customers in Australia and Europe, it is the perfect answer for all kinds of outdoor leisure activities. In
this way, the new BT-50 has been developed to fulfill the varied requirements of customers in every market. To ensure all these aims were met, the all-new BT-50 was developed under the theme “Active lifestyle vehicle.” The result is a utility that offers unique value; it has refined and expressive styling; a comfortable, high quality interior; a smooth ride with the feel of a passenger car; sporty and responsive driving dynamics that reflect Mazda’s DNA; and outstanding environmental and safety performance. Design: “Sophisticated Beast” We wanted to design a truck that car lovers would be deeply pleased with and proud to own. We targeted a unique and expressive design that people would find desirable, and we also wanted it to be seen as strong and dependable. This led us to define the design concept as a “Sophisticated Beast.” As Ryo Yanagisawa, chief designer of the all-new BT-50, explains: “Mazda’s brand message is ZoomZoom, which refers to the emotion of motion first experienced as a child. With the All-New BT-50, we aimed to express this emotion through the design,
to get in and drive. The crisp lines will have owners looking on with pride. The finished car has a beauty and individuality that can be recognized at a glance from any angle, even up to 100 meters away. Dynamic wedge-shaped proportions evoke an image of a large carnivore about to pounce on its unsuspecting prey. This is unlike any other utility. Casting off the conventional boxy image of a utility, sporty and dynamic lines are in tune with the rest of Mazda’s passenger vehicle lineup. Further evolving Mazda’s traditional prominent fenders, muscular lines flow from the fenders along the body sides. A Front Fascia with a Bold, Overwhelming Presence and an Individual Rear End Mazda’s family face, the five-point grille, is further evolved for a more imposing expression with the headlights and a chrome crossbar forming a large pentagon.
and we drew a lot of inspiration from various “movements” in the world around us. For example, we had a photograph of a lion. He looked like a magnificent predator with his muscles all bunching up as though he was about to pounce on his prey. His sinews were stretched taut ready to strike, and his mane framed a sharp, masculine countenance that seemed to say, ‘I am the proud king of the beasts!’ In profile, that lion appeared to be both intelligent and powerful. I really wanted the design of the truck to project that kind of image. This kind of inspiration was the basis of the emotional design that we worked so hard to achieve with the all-new BT-50.” Exterior – Lively and Imposing Styling
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Without detracting from the strength or the level of functionality, we wanted to give the exterior of the All-New BT-50 an athletic design, overflowing with movement, that would make people immediately want
The headlights have a bold boomerang shape, elaborate details and a functional beauty.
A first in the segment — the taillights are
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stretched horizontally, reaching around the corners and across the tailgate, for a sporty and refined rear view that is similar to a premium SUV. Interior – A Sporty and Personal Space We wanted to give the interior of the All-New Mazda BT-50 a more sporty and personal feel to complement the dynamic exterior image, and create a comfortable space to rival Mazda’s current passenger car standard. The cockpit is designed to wrap around the driver and provide an environment that supports enthusiastic driving. It raises anticipation for a sporty and responsive driving experience that goes beyond any conventional utility. The flowing design smoothly connects the center of the instrument panel to the raised center console, which has never before been seen in a pickup truck. The dashboard has an asymmetric design to create optimal space on each side; it reassuringly wraps around the driver and provides an open space for the passenger. Four bold metallic panel strips on the door trim and sides of the center console express dynamism and seem to be supporting the interior space. A metallic outline highlights the two cylindrical meters and connects them via a center strip to improve readability and enhance the sporty, driver-oriented impression of the instrument panel. The audio control panel and the climate control switch panel, which has independent driver- and passenger-side temperature controls, form a beautifully designed human interface. With modern and refined styling both inside and out, the All-New Mazda BT-50 will raise the bar in the utility segment and for the first time provide a realistic alternative to the family wagon and 4x4 SUV. RM
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083 276 8419 ruanm@wizard.za.com
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