The Renault Twingo has long been a bright star in the sky. Renault Germany underlined this role in 1994 with the very first limited series of the cheerful three-door. One of the last remaining examples of the Twingo Galaxy can be found in Genk, Belgium.
Text: Tony Vos - Photos: Automedia
It is Gerry van Galen, co-organiser of the 30 years of Twingo event in Amersfoort on 30 April last year, who managed to pick up this example just over the border. "My car has always stayed in the same family. And within this family there have been two owners. The car has now covered around 110,000 kilometres. And because it has always been used, it is in good condition and drives as well as ever.
Photo: Gerry van Galen.
For many years, Renault Deutschland has been based in Brühl, home to the famous Phantasialand theme park. In 1994, some time after the launch of the Twingo, the park opened a new attraction, the Galaxy. Visitors took a virtual trip through space,yes, we are talking about the past, because the Galaxy was demolished in 2016 to make way for something new. Renault and the park got together, partly because of their shared location, and a special series was born: the Renault Twingo Galaxy. Exactly two hundred were made. The most unusual thing is that Renault Germany sold this version only in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Photo: Stars on the bonnet add to the Galaxy-ness of the Twingo.
Now we have to remember that in 1994 the Twingo was on the market for a relatively short time and with its cheerful looks it managed to seduce many customers on its own. So what to add to this car? The Galaxy was always painted black. Remember, we are only talking about the very first type of the Twingo. The most striking feature of the Galaxy are the shining stars on the bonnet and rear fenders. On closer inspection, the four rays per star appear to have been stencilled, while the round shape in the middle of the stars was obviously airbrushed. Gerry knows that it was the transporter Walon who did this transformation, which was certainly not uncommon in those years.
Photo: All other details refer to the first version.
Finally, the name Galaxy is written in large letters on the flanks, in exactly the same font used by Phantasialand. And in a slightly smaller version to the right on the boot lid above the Twingo door.
This example has a glass Hollandia sunroof which could be opened with a green lever, the same colour as all the buttons and levers in the rest of the car. However, it was not standard equipment on a Galaxy. The original invoice lists this roof separately.
Photo: The Hollandia sunroof was an option at the time.
Gerry is crazy about his particularly rare Twingo. "Naturally, I searched the internet for items that I could use to dress up my car. One of the things I came across was the new mascot for the Galaxy attraction. This green dragon, called Alex, now sits neatly in the seatbelts in the back. I am also very happy with the original Phantasialand key ring, which is a must".
In September 1994, Wolfgang Jonietz from Cologne, Germany, received his Twingo. Almost 25 years later, he handed the car over to his nephew Daniel from Kaiserslautern. As the car remained in the same family, Gerry received not only the purchase invoice from the official Renault dealer in Cologne when he bought the car, but also numerous invoices that give a good impression of the car's maintenance.
Gerry: "I found my special Twingo on Ebay classified ads. A Twingo has been part of my life since the beginning, hence my keen interest. I regularly browse the sales sites with the keyword Twingo. I bought this car based on the pictures. That was at the beginning of 2023 and on 19 February the car was delivered to my home by a van".
When Gerry shows the photos from the ad, it is clear that the Galaxy was still on its standard wheels without the distinctive caps. His other Twingo is an extremely rare first edition in Jaune India. It runs on four new wheels with the original Kléber tyres that Gerry has salvaged over the years from the spare wheel bins of scrap yards. For the report, he briefly fitted the wheels from the yellow Twingo underneath.
Gerry: "The papers show that my car has had a new subframe over the years under the second owner. My impression is that it was probably sold because it had cost a lot of money and when the next, perhaps smaller, investment was made, it was decided to sell it".
Before finding it on Ebay, Gerry had never heard of this version. Once he had it, he started looking for other copies. Do others exist? Through the Twingo Tuning Forum he got in touch with someone who owned a Galaxy 10-15 years ago. This man later bought another black Twingo. He still drives it. This car is adorned with the Galaxy bonnet, which he has always kept.
Gerry now realises that the first owner from Cologne drove the car until a few years ago, when it was passed on to a cousin. Gerry: "When the car was delivered to my home, it refused to start. The solution was to fit new spark plugs. I also gave it a good clean and fitted new bumpers. The body still needs some attention here and there. The car has a few scratches and other signs of use. But I'd like to keep it as original as possible”.
En détail…
Engine:
Type C3G-A700, 4 cylinder petrol, 8 valves, bore x stroke 74 x 72 mm, displacement 1,239 cc, compression ratio 9.2:1, monopoint injection. Power 55 hp (DIN) at 5,300 rpm, torque 92 Nm at 2,800 rpm. Environmental standard: Euro 93
Gearbox:
Type BJ1, manual with 5 forward and 1 reverse gears, fully synchronised. Speed in km/h at 1,000 tr/min (air-conditioned version): 1st - 6.87, 2nd - 12.50, 3rd - 19.37, 4th - 26.49, 5th - 32.21.
Suspension: front independent MacPherson, coil springs and vertically mounted hydraulic shock absorbers, rear semi-independent, coil springs and hdraulic shock absorbers. Tyres: 145/70R13S. Brakes: front discs (238 mm), rear drums (180 mm). Top speed 150 km/h, acceleration 0-100 km/h in 14 seconds, consumption 5.1/7.0/7.4 litres/100 km (90/120 km/h/city)
Dimensions/weights:
Length 3.433 metres, width 1.630 metres, height 1.423 metres, wheelbase 2.347 metres. Front track width 1.416 metres, rear 1.374 metres. Weight: 790 kg, payload 385 kg, luggage volume 169 - 1,096 litres. Tank capacity 40 litres, cooling system 6.3 litres, oil sump 3 litres.