One-off Electric Renault 5 Diamant

In a world still dominated by macho, powerful looking sportscars (possibly the remaining legacy of the initial perception that electric cars couldn’t be exciting or interesting), it’s rather refreshing to see an unashamedly pretty car. This Renault 5 Diamant one-off EV is a manifestation of continental summers and lazy picnics, where time doesn’t matter.

In case it has escaped anyone’s attention the diminutive Renault 5 supermini is 50 years old, and to celebrate this fact Renault has created the 5 Diamant show car, a one-off celebration of the lighter moments in life, resplendent in icy pink. The attractive result of this is courtesy of a collaboration between Renault and Pierre Gonalons, artist, visualiser, and interior and product designer. Gonalons’ input was to visualise, in his own unique way, how the Renault 5 might look in the future.

That’s not too far-fetched of course, seeing as Renault plans to revive the Renault 5 in 2024, though how much of that production vehicle will take on board what the R5 Diamant offers remains to be seen, especially considering there are major discrepancies between the concept and this car – I’d at least like the unusual colour make the transition and brighten up our roads. One thing I think we can be sure will not make the grade is probably the world’s most unusual steering wheel, which looks more like the aftereffects of a children’s balloon animal maker hitting the rum punch too early; practical it is not. Interestingly though, it’s made of marble so is itself a feat of artistic creation to be marvelled at.

Renault says that much of the inspiration has come from the world of jewellery design, with champagne gold/rose-gold offsetting the sunny pinks perfectly (from watches to cooking utensils rose-gold is in, don’t you know). The dash features another impractical design using a horsehair weave as a very tactile cover which also matches the warm colour scheme perfectly. It was woven by the only remaining place in the world still able to do this by hand. It’s another fantastic display of craftsmanship, though long-term might be difficult to keep clean. Meanwhile, complimenting the icy pink glow is gilding created by a design studio based in Paris, while inside, the mohair carpet was created by artisan designers based more centrally in France.

The overwhelming result is smile-inducing; I’m not sure how anyone could dislike the Renault 5 Diamant show-car. Somehow, it’s ostentatious without looking too over-the-top (well, maybe just a little). Yet, another soul-destroying hunt around the motoring article comments reveals that the little car is proving rather divisive. Shame on you all! The real deal, when released in 2024 is likely to feature far less subjective design cues and a price tag hovering around the £17,000 mark.

Either way, whatever you think of this one-off ragtop R5 Diamant, it will be very interesting to see how the new Renault 5 shapes up as it heads closer towards production over the next few months.