When you think of Renault, odds are you picture a small, dinky hatchback with a sub-100-horsepower engine. The first-generation Twingo, perhaps, or the Renault 4 that was sold for over 30 years.

It’s doubtful we will ever see the likes of the Lotus 340R and Renault Sport Spider again – at least, not from their modern-day parent companies. Each was a courageous step into the unknown, led by a ...