The French have a weird history when it comes to cars. The lunacy that is baked into their cars has changed the industry on multiple occasions. The first significant use of front-wheel-drive in the Citroën Traction Avant or the first minivan, the Renault Espace are prime examples. However, they also had crazy moments that simply makes no sense. The Peugeot 1007 springs to mind as it was a small hatchback with minivan-style sliding doors.
However, the newest example from Renault, the 5 Diamant, is in celebration of the Renault 5's 50th anniversary and was in part designed by French designer Pierre Gonalons who is recognized as one of the top 100 creators of all time by Architectural Digest.
Drivetrain and exterior
The drivetrain is all-electric, with the motor placed under the hood. Renault did not provide details on the drivetrain, such as power, torque, or battery placement, but judging by how small the car is the battery can only be so large and it should not take much power to get it moving.
While the Diamant is still clearly a classic Renault 5, several key parts have been redesigned, specifically to replicate fine jewelry. The headlights and taillights protrude out from the body like gemstones on some gold and diamond necklace that used to belong to a rich European who died centuries ago.
The front and rear bumpers have been altered to have a more streamlined and simple shape. Smaller details around the car are different as well with the door handles being replaced with tiny gold spheres, the grill covered with a perforated gold plate, and the door mirrors looking like they came from the 1960s as they are small and circular.
The excellent wheels are from the Alpine version of the 5, with the outer half being white and the inner half being black with a sun in the center.
The paint is possibly the most incredible part of the one-off build. Renault says, "The exterior color is a combination of three layers of paint: golden pigments on a pink base, covered with frosted varnish producing a wide variety of effects ranging from golden dashes in the sunshine to bluer tones in the dark." They did not provide pictures of the car in the dark, so who knows how it truly looks once the sun goes down.
The bumpers and side skirts are painted a goldish-beige with the same finish, as are the door mirrors. A retractable roof and unique badging round out the exterior changes, as a result of all these the Diamant looks like something Barbie would drive.
Marble in the interior?
The interior is a whole other kind of wild. The standout feature here is the steering wheel, which looks more like a post-modern art sculpture. It is made of marble on carbon, Renault did not elaborate on how exactly they made that happen. The transmission tunnel is also covered in marble, and next to that on the floor are wool floor mats.
Gold covers the air vents and the brass spheres that replace the window cranks, gear stick, and door handles. The dashboard shares nothing with the original 5 with three digital dials that show speed, battery charge, and time, as well as a mounting point for a smartphone, which will also function as the infotainment.
Throughout the Renault 5's production run from 1972-1984, more than 5 million units were sold. In 2021 Renault revived the nameplate into an EV that is set to eventually turn into a production car that will have similar proportions to the original 5 but don't expect a marble steering wheel.