Let’s Look At The 1992 ‘Renault Zoom’ Electric Car That Could Literally Shorten Itself By 14 Inches

Many concept cars throughout history have previewed a future that never materialized. The GM Firebird III anticipated autonomous freeway driving back in 1959 and we still don’t have eyes-off autonomous guidance at freeway speeds today, let alone crazy canopy styling. Then there are the concept cars that preview technology that’s just a few years down the road. The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics’ performance plug-in tech was later used in the i8. However, it’s rare that a concept car occupies both categories simultaneously. The Renault Zoom is one of those rarities.

This city car concept was both largely ordinary by today’s standards and a car from a future that never existed. It was a scissor-doored oeuf designed to make urban parking easier for Mylar-clad cosmonauts, using the unique concept of a variable wheelbase.

See, the entire rear axle of the Zoom was hinged so that when driving, it sits well behind the tailgate. However, if the driver of the Zoom found a spot that’s just a little bit too tight for the car, it was possible to tuck the rear axle underneath the car, increasing ground clearance while shortening the car by almost 14 inches, all the way down to a total length of 90.6 inches. The zany Swiss scientists at Rinspeed may have come up with a variable-length car called the Presto in 2002, but Renault’s take came out a full decade earlier in 1992. How’s that for forward thinking?

While the adjustable wheelbase arrangement may not have caught on, the Zoom’s choice of power most certainly has. This little egg on wheels was all-electric. Granted, it did run on fairly antiquated nickel cadmium batteries and only had a 25 kW motor, so expect a top speed of just 74 mph (120 km/h) and a range of only 93 miles (150 km). Still, do you really need to go much quicker if you never plan on going beyond city limits. Renault touted that the electric motor was 90 percent recyclable, which really isn’t bad at all. Weight wasn’t bad either at just 1,764 pounds (800 kg).

On the inside, the Renault Zoom sported some novel ideas for 1992. In the middle of the funky transit-like bench seat sat a hands-free telephone system, while a navigation system was on hand for directions. These are features you’d find on any new luxury car, brilliant equipment for a little 30-year-old city car concept. Need to crank up the tunes? No worries, the Zoom had a CD player for your copy of Selected Ambient Works 85-92.

Oh, and there’s something else quite interesting about this tiny French car. Dear reader, the Renault Zoom was built in collaboration with Matra. Yes, that Matra, the same company that designed and engineered the Renault Avantime and built the three-seat Murena coupe. Perfect for polycules, I guess. As such, the Zoom’s weirdness really shouldn’t be surprising, nor should the weirdness of the press photos.

Look at all these sunglasses-wearing people in metallic morph suits, looking like they just got in on the red-eye flight from Neptune. They’ve taken a fondness to our electronic beats and our vast quarries, yet they believe our city cars are somewhat lacking. You know what? I reckon they’re right. Oh sure, the original Mini is a masterpiece of packaging and the Fiat 500 is incredibly cute, but neither of those cars are truly weird. Bravo, funky spacepeople, wherever you may be now. The Renault Zoom really suits your style.

Lead photo credit: Renault