Renault Honors Half Century Of ‘5’ Car With Glistening EV That Has Marble Motifs
To commemorate 50 years of the Renault 5, the automaker teamed up with French designer Pierre Gonalons to create a luxurious electric iteration of the vehicle, combining both automotive and interior design sensibilities.
The designer, inspired by decorative arts and fine jewelry, reimagined the 100% electric model in a sophisticated manner, choosing to coat the vehicle in three layers of paint—golden pigments on a pink base, finished with a frosted varnish that gives rise to shimmering dashes in the sunlight and deeper, blue tones at night.
Furthermore, the car’s head and rear lights are adorned with gem-like faces, with a sun motif—a symbol special to Gonalons—featured at the center.
According to Renault, the design purposefully only kept a handful of specific elements, such as a special steering wheel made from recycled French Grand Antique d’Aubert marble. The door handles, window winders, and shift lever all feature brass coated in pale gold, adding to the sense of luxury exuded by the car.
In fact, the fabric covering the car’s seats were made by Métaphores, the only textile workshop in the world that still weaves horsehair by hand. These intricate details are complemented by interior decorations including a mohair wool carpet made by a tapestry artisan, and a monogram on the bonnet by an atelier in Paris.
While the special-edition car will not be available for sale, Renault and Gonalons are working together on an NFT collection that will be unveiled in September, which will then be put up for auction together with the vehicle.
