The 2020s seem to be the decade of the restomods, with more and more classic cars receiving a modernised touch, both preserving their old-school analogue nature, while also giving them some quality-of-life updates. While I certainly won’t be able to afford one – given the price tag of your average restomod – I’m still nevertheless intrigued. A lot of restomods are your typical air-cooled 911s, but finally, it looks like it’s the turn of the French, with the new, and very cool Renault 17 electric restomod. To make this happen, Renault worked with Ora Ïto, known for his avant-garde approach to contemporary design, to bring back this 1970s legend.
If you’re looking to check it out yourself, the Renault 17 electric restomod will be showcased at the Chantilly Arts & Elegant Richard Mille competition, from the 12th to the 15th of September, as well as the Paris Motor Show, from the 14th to the 20th of October. The Renault 17 is a pretty neat car back in its heyday – and arguably, quite criminally underrated today – so it’s definitely worth taking a peek at this if you have the chance. It’s good to see that Renault and Ora Ïto can preserve the angular and dynamic silhouette of the original Renault 17, while keeping its frameless doors. Granted, they did add a wider, more aggressive stance to it.
Old-School On The Outside, Analogue On The Inside
The Renault 17 electric restomod is 17 cm wider (I wonder how they got that number, hmm?), and they’ve also updated the headlights, too. The latter was originally a set of 4 round lamps, but it’s now rectangular – a nice sci-fi touch, I think. Speaking of, there’s the taillights, which is now a single LED lightbar, which goes well with those new wheels. The cyberpunk-ness is a bit more interesting given that they’ve painted it in a very period-correct darkish brown paint. It’s even better once you step inside the new Renault 17 electric restomod, with a blend of the old Renault 17’s grand touring design, but with a lot of modern upgrades and new tech.
For example, you’ll find that the seats have been redesigned, though still retaining a really 70s look and feel, but with modern-day upholstery and more premium touches. I do adore the use of wool fabric and how it mixes with the textures in the cabin – it almost feels like a nice piece of fine furniture! Elsewhere, they continued to modernise the instrument cluster. So, instead of analogue dials, it’s been replaced with small, geometric screens. And, there’s the infotainment system, which replaces the old radio set-up from the 70s Renault 17, to basically the same old unit you’d get in modern Renaults. I really wish more cars had this kind of interior.
Electrifying A 1970s Grand Touring Legend
As the name suggests, the Renault 17 restomod is indeed an EV. It’s hardly a bad thing, I’m sure, given that the original Renault 17’s engine wasn’t anything to write home about. So, replacing it with an electric powertrain is, if anything, an improvement. Specifically, this Renault 17 electrified restomod outputs a decent 270bhp, and the motor is rear-mounted. Given how relatively light it is, courtesy of a new carbon-fibre chassis, 270bhp should feel fast in this thing. Alas, as much as I’d love to drive Renault’s fetching electric restomod here, this is a concept car, so it’ll be confined to car shows. Still, I reckon it’ll be fun to drive.
Even with a big battery pack underneath, the Renault 17 electric restomod weighs around 1.4 tonnes, making it lighter than most sports cars and hot hatches today. Aside from their use of advanced materials, Renault was really keen to optimise the aerodynamics of the old Renault 17 shape and bodywork as much as they could. They were able to manage this by keeping the flush lines as tight as possible, which also helps with cleaning up the bodywork, too. This new Renault 17 electric restomod is a very nice balance between old and new, and I’m gutted that it’s not going into production, but here’s hoping Renault might change their mind.
