Start with what the Renault Nepta is: a 2-door convertible with 3.5L VQ35DE V6, built from 2006, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Patrick le Quément.
The story
The Renault Nepta was a concept grand tourer made by Renault which was presented at the Mondial de l'Automobile 2006. It was designed by Patrick le Quément and was unusual for Renault in that it was rear-wheel drive with a large petrol engine.
What is underneath
The engine is 3.5L VQ35DE V6. Drive goes through a 7-speed automatic. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Audi R8, the Nissan Qashqai, the Kia Sportage. Nearby in the Renault catalogue sit the Renault 10 and the Renault 10CV.