Just when you thought the Renault Zoe was a cute, docile urban commuter, Renault went on to unveil this at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, the Renault Zoe E-Sport Concept. It’s the Zoe’s evil twin, and it packs some serious hardware underneath the carbon fibre skin.
A 40 kWh battery powers not one, but two electric motors that generate a combined output of 340 kW (456 hp) and 640 Nm of torque. Getting from 0 to 100 km/h is Nissan GTR-like quick at 3.2 seconds, and the Zoe E-Sport Concept takes less than 10 seconds to reach its limited top speed of 210 km/h.
All that jazz sits in a tubular steel chassis crafted by TORK Engineering, the same company who builds Renault Sport cars competing in hill climbs and ice races. Not only that, the Zoe E-Sport Concept can actually be used on a race track, as it’s also fitted with a roll cage with Kevlar panels that complies with FIA safety standards.
The interior is very minimalistic like that of a proper race car, featuring a couple of full-bucket Recaro seats with racing harnesses, and the driver gets a rectangular steering wheel and a compact digital instrument cluster.
Compared to the normal Zoe, the Zoe E-Sport Concept sits lower to the ground, has a much wider track and rides on a set of 20-inch wheels. The double wishbone front and rear suspension also features Öhlins four-way adjustable dampers, like the ones used in the Megane R.S. 275 Trophy-R.
And by the way, the colour is not called Sacre Bleu. It’s Satin Blue with yellow highlights, a nod to the reigning Formula E champion Renault e.dams team, which has inspired the guys at Renault to come up with another wacky idea for the Zoe. It’s a shame that it’s just a concept.
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