Folks down at the salt flats in Utah are used to seeing all manner of machinery making high-speed runs, but this year they’re set to get an eye-full of European machinery. Not only is Skoda taking a modified Octavia to Bonneville, but Renault is now set to join the fray with a unique adaptation of the classic Renault 4.

The iconic car celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and one of the ways the French automaker plans on marking the occasion is by taking this modified example to the salt flats to see what she’ll do.

Underneath the classic bodywork sits a 290-horsepower turbo four from the 1983 Renault 5 touring car, with the gearbox and front brakes from a Renault 25 GTX Turbo and the rear brakes from a Clio. It’s also got a full roll cage, racing bucket with harness, fire extinguisher and parachute.

The special 4 was prepared by a special team called the Triplets of Bonneville, in a collaboration between Renault’s classic and motorsport divisions, and is expected to top 280 km/h (174 mph) when it hits the salt mid-August.

Renault 4 panel wagon headed to Bonneville originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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