Thursday 5th March 1998

Renault launched the Zo concept car at the Geneva Motor Show, to celebrate the marque’s centenary. Inspired by motorcycle scramblers, the all-terrain vehicle had special 43 cm (17 inch) Michelin tyres designed to use the inner side for road driving and the outside for off road and terrain surfaces. Its three seats were all in a row, with the driver’s in the centre and slightly further forward than the others. The Z0 had no windscreen or roof, but instead an aperture directing the air over the passengers heads. Powered by a new 2-litre engine with direct fuel injection, it had a four-speed automatic ‘intelligent’ gearbox and a chassis with hydraulic pumps to enable the clearance height to change within a range 15-28 cm.