This cheerful Renault Twingo is competing in the notoriously challenging Nurburgring 24 Hours.

      Rauh Racing

      Ferrari, Porsche, and Mercedes-AMG participated in the 2024 Nürburgring 24 Hours, with a private German team taking first place in an Audi R8 LMS Evo II. While this endurance race doesn’t receive as much attention as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it demands just as much from cars, drivers, and pit crews. Though not quite the ultimate challenge in endurance racing, it’s very close — and a German team named Rauh Racing is gearing up for the 2026 event with—drumroll, please—a Renault Twingo.

      The first-generation Twingo has no performance pedigree; it’s simply an affordable, cheerful city car. So why would anyone choose to race one? That’s a good question. I spoke with Filip Rauh, who is managing the project alongside his brother Felix, to get more insight into their plans for the race and the car itself.

      First, a quick recap. The original Renault Twingo was not officially available in the United States, but if you've traveled to France in the last 30 years, you’ve likely seen at least one. Launched in late 1992, this 135-inch-long hatchback boasted a friendly appearance, a surprisingly roomy interior, and an accessible price point. It was enjoyable in every aspect. By the time production wrapped up in 2007, Renault had manufactured over 2.6 million units of the first-gen Twingo. Many still exist today, and the model is transitioning from being a rusting, low-cost used car into a collector's item. I witnessed one being listed for $10,000 last month at the Retromobile show in Paris.

      I am unsure whether that car sold or at what price; however, the fact that the prestigious show allowed a Twingo into its venue speaks volumes. In France, the Twingo is increasingly seen as the people's car for millennials. Anyone born before the late 1990s likely has a Twingo memory. Perhaps your father drove you to school in one, or it could be the vehicle in which you learned to drive, or maybe you dated someone in college who owned a dilapidated Twingo. I recall peering over a relative's fence to admire a new Coral Red Twingo parked in a neighbor's driveway (in hindsight, it was likely one of the earliest models produced).

      Appropriately, the idea to race a Twingo came to the Rauh brothers during a road trip across France.

      “We're car enthusiasts, but we also ride motorcycles a lot,” Rauh explained. “Last summer, while on a motorcycle trip through France heading to the Atlantic coast, we saw a Twingo on the road near Bordeaux. That evening, while relaxing at a campground, we discussed what it would take to race one. We thought it would be incredibly fun—it’s such an iconic car, and it looks adorable. It really seems like the anti-race car," he added.

      Was the concept outrageous? Absolutely. Was it feasible? Surprisingly, yes. Rauh downloaded the Nürburgring 24 Hours regulations and perused the entire document while in his tent. The original Twingo qualifies to compete as it was produced after 1996 (its launch in 1992 doesn’t matter in this context), and modifications like engine swaps are permitted as long as the engine originates from the same manufacturer. You can't simply LS-swap a Twingo, but any engine from Renault’s extensive lineup of hot hatches is permissible.

      The project officially commenced when the Rauh brothers spent €1,000 (about $1,000) on a 1995 Twingo with approximately 67,000 kilometers (around 42,000 miles). They discovered it in Karlsruhe, a German city close to the French border, and struck gold. Few of these cars have been kept in good condition; they rust easily, and finding a clean, low-mileage example has become challenging. The one they found appears to be in excellent condition. It originally featured a 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine, generating 54 horsepower and 66 pound-feet of torque, routed to the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission.

      The original 1.2-liter engine was soon removed to make way for a 2.0-liter four-cylinder from a Renaultsport Clio 172. Rauh noted that he isn’t a mechanic, so he’s contracting the swap out to a German workshop named Rothe Motorsport, which typically specializes in exotic cars. The team there seemed unfazed by the ambitious idea. “They asked, ‘Does it fit?’ I replied, ‘Yes,’ and they said, ‘Alright, we’ll handle it,’” Rauh recalled. Installing the 2.0 required new engine mounts, shorter driveshafts, and a novel method for mounting the alternator.

      True to