Gallery: Is the Renault Trezor the coolest concept car ever?

Last year Renault unveiled this incredible beast at the Paris Motor Show. It’s the Renault Trezor – quite possibly the best-looking car that the French firm has ever made. That may seem like a bold statement at first, but just take a look at the gallery above and we’re sure you’ll agree.

Rather than the herald of yet another 3-door hatchback, the Trezor is a futuristic concept with no doors designed to tantalise rather than preview. 

Yes, you read that right, it’s got no doors. Sure many concept cars don’t have working doors, but the Trezor has dispensed with them completely. Instead, its elegant profile actually splits down the middle, arcing the entire roofline up and away from the cockpit to reveal one of the most astonishing interiors we’ve ever seen. It might not be particularly practical when parking up, but you’d definitely make an impression.

Were it be built it would feature an all-electric powertrain, pumping out around 350bhp – drawing inspiration from Renault’s efforts in Formula E. 350bhp may not sound an amazing amount for such a long vehicle, but it’s built from state-of-the-art materials to be as light as a feather. And by state-of-the-art we mean wood.

Yes, you read that right, wood. Influenced by bike manufacturer Keim, Renault have built wood into the very core of the Trezor’s wonderful interior. While other companies are rejecting wood as too heavy to use in a 21^st-century sportscar, Renault insists it is very much part of the future, and the Trezor’s inside is carved from laminated ash.

You can read all about the Trezor right here but GRR were lucky enough to stumble across the Trezor in the flesh recently at Retromobile in Paris. So, of course, we took the opportunity to spend some time with it and explore every stunning detail in the metal.

It’s safe to say the car is even more impressive when you see it in real life than in images. The long bonnet and gracious curves reflect such icons as GT cars of the magnificent pre-war era and style icons like the E-type or Ferrari’s 250 series. With the addition of that low-slung roof and red-tinted windows it’s an intoxicating vision.

We can only hope that at least some of the design will carry over into a future Renault sportscar.

Photography by Tom Shaxson