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Renault Wind is the most fun French car you’ve never heard of. “Renault what?”. Renault Wind, a car that left as quickly as it came and wreaked havoc on our souls.

Launched in 2010 on the Twingo platform, the Renault Wind is one of the most exotic cars on the market. Built just for the European market, this mini-coupe convertible is truly a toy that looks fresh even today. In fact, it looks so fresh you can serve it in the pubs of the Old City center. What’s more, for the full cocktail and the huge bill, the Renault Wind came with a metal roof, not fabric, so you didn’t get any rain in your car or noise when the roof was pulled up.

And the bill was really ridiculous because the Renault Wind suffered from the same syndrome as the Twingo and came at an inflated price. The Wind started at €16,000 around 2011, and to spend €16,000 on a two-seater Twingo that was essentially a city toy, that’s what it means to be aspirational. That’s why the Renault Wind is a rarer car than my moments of lucidity when writing these articles.

Otherwise, what else can you say about having two available engines, reliable and tuned mechanics, and great looks. And big money. Very big. Unimaginably big. I remember that 16000 euros could buy you a Duster Laureate around 2011 or a modestly equipped Golf VI. Or a Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo. Or about 19,000 0.5L cans of beer.

Renault Wind Engines

Petrol

• 1.2 TCe of 101 horsepower – By far the most popular engine in Clios and therefore the Wind, this engine was the seed of discord between Renault and Nissan. Nissan complained that this engine was leaking fluids faster than a student who mixed 5 beers with 5 shots, but no such cases were reported in Renault’s backyard.


• 1.6 MPI of 133hp  – The same 1.6 MPI in the Twingo RS Gordini and a standard naturally aspirated petrol that only needs occasional coil packs and extra oil late in life. However, the Gordini RS variant costs over €20,000 which was far too much for a Twingo convertible, so good luck finding one.

Renault Wind General Issues

• As with any Renault of that era, expect various issues on the electrical side, but without any spectacular problems.


• The metal roof needs regular maintenance. Too few things in life can be fixed withsome vaseline and an open mind.


• The EDC automatic transmission is a questionable choice on the reliability side, but still, the chances of finding a Renault Wind with an automatic transmission are less than the chances of seeing Salma Hayek in your neighborhood.


• Rear visibility, or rather the lack of it, could be a problem for the less experienced in driving. Still, good thing at least a Renault Wind is the same size as a pallet of beer and easy to park.

Renault Wind Verdict

I’d say more, but essentially the Wind remains an expensive toy and that’s about it. Today it may make sense to buy a used Wind because prices have come down a lot. But to have spent a minimum of 16,000 euros when it was new, you must have had some mental challenges. Still, the world has no shortage of such people and there are still occasional cars for sale. However, if you have the money for such a model, then you will have one of the most fashionable and exclusive cars on the streets of our country. And you won’t even break your bank account with the car’s maintenance, because mechanically it’s very resilient.

What engines do I recommend? Ideally, it would be a 1.6 MPI Gordini RS, but most likely you’ll go for a 101 horsepower 1.2 TCe.