RENAULT

The curious lozenge brand prototype presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1998

Every day cars are more similar to each other, both within a brand's own line and between products from different manufacturers, but there was a time when each brand did things in its own way and almost all cars were very different from their own. rivals.

On this occasion we show a curious prototype of French origin that was presented at the 1998 Geneva Motor Show.

We are talking about the Renault ZO Concept, which has nothing to do with the Renault ZOE, which is a more modern, electric car and totally different in every way. In the 90s of the last century, the creativity of designers seemed much freer, as demonstrated by the appearance of this Renault ZO Concept, as striking as it is unusual, but certainly fun and with its own personality, although it never came to fruition.

Although it was undoubtedly an extravagant vehicle for the time, with a three-seater roadster format, the truth is that later on, models with a certain ZO air appeared on the market, such as the Ariel Atom, the KTM X-Bow and the BAC Mono. , considering the distances.

The model, which inherited its chassis from the Renault Sport Spider unveiled at the 1996 Geneva Motor Show, was also a technological showcase, as it had, for example, a pneumatic suspension that made it possible to regulate the ground clearance while the car was in motion.

The heart of the ZO Concept was a 2.0-liter diesel engine from Renault, with 4 cylinders, 16 valves and offering 135 hp of power. In addition, it was coupled to an automatic transmission. The passenger compartment, with three seats, also had only three clocks for the instrumentation panel, dedicated to the speedometer, the tachometer and the fuel level indicator.

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