Renault’s 4L International festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with exhibiting the unique e-Plein Air Concept. The vehicle combines the iconic appearance of the old Renault 4 Plein Air with the modern Renault Twizy powertrain.
The new e-Plein Air is a truly splendid and exquisite ride born from a union between Renault Classic, Renault Design and Melun Rétro Passion, a company that specializes in selling aftermarket replacement parts for classical French vehicles – Alpine, Citroen, Peugeot and Renault among them.
The replica is almost identical to the original except for a few minor details. For one, being a pure EV, it doesn’t bother replicating the original front grille and boasts a plasticky white faux grille in its place. There is also a wicker basket sitting behind the seats where the retractable soft top used to be, held together with two leather straps.
While we don’t know the exact drivetrain specs of the e-Plein Air, the Twizy series can provide us with a decent estimate. As such, the Twizy Urban 45 packs a five-horsepower engine connected to a 6.1 kWh li-ion battery. It accelerates to 45 km/h (28 mph) at most. The higher-ranking Twizy 80 has 17 hp at its disposal and can therefore speed up to 80 km/h (50 mph). Both are limited to 100 kilometers (62 miles) of driving range under the best conditions.
Just in case you needed a reminder, concept cars like this one never, ever hit production.