RENAULT RETURNS TO ITS QUEST FOR BREAKING SPEED RECORDS WITH THE FILANTE RECORD 2025

The Filante Record 2025 is a laboratory on wheels, basically, with a length of 5.12m, a height of 1.19m and a width of 1.71m. The car is designed to be as light as possible considering what it needs to achieve its goals and tips the scales at 1,000kg. Extensive use of carbon fibre Scalmalloy and other advanced lightweight materials contributes to the car’s low weight, without compromising structural rigidity. The exterior is optimized to be as aero-efficient as it can be, which is the reason for the remarkable length versus width ratio. A longer car is aerodynamically more stable than a shorter one, to make it simple.

Tucked away underneath elongated fairings are special friction-reducing wheels by Michelin. The front end shows a sharply penned centre “fuselage”, with large round headlights mimicking the ones on the 40 CV des Records. Around the back, the fin-like tail section of that historic machine also makes a spiritual appearance. When viewed from the side, you can definitely see the car’s lineage to the earliest of Renault’s record-breaking vehicles. The cockpit is covered by a glass canopy that narrowly pops up over the front section of the bodywork. The seat is a combination of carbon fibre blades and stretched canvas, and all the controls are positioned within easy reach of the driver. The steering, acceleration and braking control are integrated into the steering yoke, which is fully steer-by-wire. In fact, there is zero mechanical connection between the driver and the car, as everything is wire-controlled.

Renault remains a bit hush-hush on the performance of the car, other than mentioning it has an 87 kWh battery, similar in capacity to the Scenic E-Tech. No power output, no acceleration times, no top speeds, no range goals, no efficiency targets, nothing… The only detail they claim is that the battery pack weighs 600kgs, so it’s more than half of the weight of the entire car. It’s also not stated what specific efficiency or range records Renault is chasing. Time will tell though, if they achieve their goals or not. Until then, we can just admire this crazy-looking machine and hope some of the design details make their way to Renault’s road cars in the near future!