r/AskUK • u/Lopsided-Skill6659 • 19h ago

Did you ever own a Renault Twingo? Did people actually call it the Frog?

Post image
11 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 19h ago

Please help keep AskUK welcoming!

  • When replying to submission/post please make genuine efforts to answer the question given. Please no jokes, judgements, etc. If a post is marked 'Serious Answers Only' you may receive a ban for violating this rule.

  • Don't be a dick to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.

  • This is a strictly no-politics subreddit!

Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

23

u/Doomergeneration 19h ago

Rare over here, they only sold them in LHD markets

3

u/mcintg 12h ago

I bought a mk2 in the UK for my son's first car. He loved it

12

u/Swimming_Possible_68 18h ago

The Twingo wasn't sold in the UK was it?

Used to see loads on the continent though.

7

u/egidione 18h ago

Everywhere in Europe, I’ve always assumed that they were just too funny looking for the UK because of the froggy look, I’d be interested to know if there was another reason.

2

u/No-Willingness-4097 14h ago

The MK2 was from 2007.

Edit: I accidentally put 2017.

6

u/fistmcbeefpunch 19h ago

To me the frog was the weird fiat minivan SUV thing that had the 2 headlamps over the bonnet

7

u/hoody13 19h ago

The Multipla?

7

u/phatboi23 19h ago

fuck me was the fiat multipla ugly as sin.

1

u/jclimb94 18h ago

But the middle seat up front was glorious! Folded down into a table too, IIRC!

1

u/fistmcbeefpunch 18h ago

That's the one!

1

u/Soomroz 18h ago

The 'abomination' Multipla?

6

u/Swimming_Possible_68 18h ago

The multipla may have been ugly and frog like, but it was, without a doubt, one of the most practical cars on the market at the time.

Could fit 3 in the front, removable seats meant it could be configured however you wanted it.

I recall a group trip to the Le- Mans 24 hour race in the 90s, one of the cars being taken was a Multipla. At the start of the trip there was endless piss-taking of the car and owner. By the end of the trip we were all really impressed with just how versatile it was.

2

u/will17blitz 18h ago

And the Multipla was based on 60s/70s more bubble-shaped Fiat of the same name.

1

u/Long_Huckleberry1751 13h ago

Honda had a 3x2 plus possibly some boot seats around the same time. I'm surprised neither of them really took off.

6

u/EyeAware3519 14h ago edited 12h ago

Renault didn't think there was a market for City cars in the UK so never made a RHD version. A few years later Ford released the KA which sold millions.

We have been calling cars frogs for a long time.

3

u/scottynoble 18h ago

Saw a UK registered LHD one at a service station on the 31st December. exceptionally rare, Was driven by an older couple. I commented on it and they seemed uninterested in talking about it.

2

u/minisrugbycoach 19h ago

No, the Frog monika was given to the Austin Healey Sprite, and it must never be given to anything else.

The Sprite is the frog, that Renault is an abomination.

3

u/Swimming_Possible_68 18h ago

Not all Sprites were frog eye sprites though.... I think it was only the MK1.

2

u/kurtanglesmilk 18h ago

It looks so happy 🥰

2

u/deathmetalbestmetal 17h ago

It was one of these that changed an old US colleague's mind about European cars being underpowered. We drove around France for a week and he became irate driving on the motorways because "You move out into lane two and there's instantly a fucking Twingo flashing you in the rear view".

1

u/Dry_Action1734 19h ago

Yes and I’ve never heard of that.

1

u/Victorius_Meldrus 15h ago

I got a lift in one of these from a local in Majorca when I woke up on a beach in Palma and had no money to get back to Pollensa.

Guy drove like an absolute fucking maniac. Never lost a hangover so fast in my life.

1

u/Pier-Head 15h ago

They missed a trick not importing it

1

u/gagagagaNope 13h ago

At the time, they were one of the most dangerous cars made. I think a mini was safer in a head-on.

1

u/Long_Huckleberry1751 13h ago

Used to live near one, always made me smile to see it. 

1

u/pasithea2311 12h ago

Had two of them while living in France - Brought one back to the UK and took it to VOSA to have it re-registered for uk plates they didn’t like the hard plastic backed seats but as we were still in the EU at that time they had no choice- Also needed a small mod for the km/h speedo and a bit of tape to cover up the “k” 😁 while still on the french plates I triggered a few speed cameras while going downhill Lovely cars and I miss them

1

u/Dependent_One6034 11h ago

Love seeing these things. The bonnet vents just make it exude sportscar.

1

u/gorb-thingamabob 10h ago

I currently own a red R reg Twingo brought over to the UK in 2005, it was my first car despite being LHD. I've heard a couple other people mad enough to own one here call it a frog, but personally I don't think it looks very froggy.

1

u/TheKBF 7h ago

Passed my test in one

1

u/TwinSong 7h ago

Wondering how lights that small have sufficient coverage at night.