31.08.2001 - Renault Design showed something new from the row of interesting vehicle studies on Frankfurt Motor Show Fair. It's called Talisman. This - meanwhile the last - design creativity object of Patrick Le Quément, drifts to the top class coupé equipped with a V8 engine with 4,5 litre volume (from the Nissan-Infinity stable) and oriented on meticulous design according to easy operation of the car.

The Talisman has an upwards hinged door with a length 2,450 mm, this dimension is only 500 mm shorter than the axle base - 2,480 mm. The overall car length is 4,805 mm, the width 1,950 mm, but when door opened, it increases up to 2,480 mm. The height is 1,380 mm, with opened doors 2,130 mm (pertinent owners ought to consider the largeness of their garage).

The body design is a very impressive combination of that how could the modern Renault Alpine look like, as far as the combination of glass elements and parts a la Gandini, at least what depends the view from the side and from rear. The front part cannot deny the former Renault studies of Vel Satis and Koleos.

The best view at Talisman is of course from above. Here the thin contours, the sharp angles together with unconventional shapes stand out at their best.

The whole vehicle stays at 21" aluminium rims with PAX Michelin tyres which make the run on blown-out tyre possible.

Very interesting is the interior too. Good access is provided by the just mentioned electro-hydraulical hinged door. After opening it, we establish that the customary door pillar B doesn't hamper - it would make the access into the cabin difficult.

Two rows of seats, very similar each other, make no difference between requirements of driver and fellow travellers. They could safely be part of a very modern office.

In the interior rules a top simplicity. Patrick Le Quément explain it as a necessity of an approach process of sophisticated technology towards their simple utilization. But as we say in Czechland : "In simplicity is strength". Cleanness of composition fascinates first of all. Look for instance at the shape of the gear shift lever - coated with fine leather, and just imagine as it would fit well in Your hand. Or look at the instrument panel with a shape of a streamlined wing, suspended on metal brackets and equipped with instruments made by Tag-Heuer. You need only a finger touch to operate a switch. The steering wheel is styled in conformity with driver's palm a fingers.

According to our available informations the job study was produced in the Italian G Studio in Turin.



Text by Viktor Kazda. Photo Renault