Renault has an incredible history in F1. With over 160 race wins as a constructor and engine supplier, it’s captured eleven driver titles over the years.
It’s a history Renault is fond of celebrating with special edition cars. Arguably the most famous was the Renault Clio Williams in 1993. This hot hatch may only be warm by today’s standards, but it’s a much celebrated and very sought-after machine.
Indeed even today, Renaultsport badges its hot hatches in honor of its F1 race cars. Take the Megane R26, named for the 2006 championship-winning R26 F1 car, or the Clio RS18, which bears the name of the current F1 car.
As Renault headed to the F1 Fan Festival in Marseille, ahead of the French Grand Prix last weekend, rumors suggested it was preparing another F1 special. What could it be? Another Clio? An upgrade for the Megane RS? Nope, it was an Alaskan pickup truck.
Of course Renault has form on making extremely fast cars from unsuitable vehicles. Remember the Espace F1? That was a people carrier body (albeit constructed from carbon fiber reinforced plastic) glued on top of a V10 Williams-Renault FW15C.
This Alaskan… isn’t that. Dubbed the Formula Edition, the F1-themed Alaskan seems to be a paint job. It borrows its color scheme from the 2018 Renault Sport R.S.18. That means the body is largely black, and Renault has added some gold flashes to various bits like the fog light surrounds.
It still has the same chassis, derived from the Nissan Navara, and “sports” a 2.3-liter DCi diesel engine. Renault doesn’t appear to have done any significant suspension work either, although the Formula Edition does seem to wear smaller wheels than usual.
For now you can’t buy this truck — it’s for show and events only — so you’ll have to form an orderly queue.
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