RSS Share 08/02/2006
Celebrating ten years of Renaultsport

From the Renaultsport Spider to next month's showroom debut of New Mégane Renaultsport, the last decade has seen the development of a brand that has kept fans enthralled, excited and energised. Renaultsport is 10-years-old.

From a simple idea, nonchalantly aired in 1993, to build a car for the 21st century few could have predicted the arrival in 1996 of the Renaultsport Spider. More than 400 appeared in European cities by the end of the year and UK motorists got their first glimpse of the unique styling in 1997.

While the Spider thrilled crowds at circuits across the country in the ELF Renault Sport Spider UK Cup, Renaultsport engineers were adding their individual touch to Clio 2 introduced in 1998. The launch of Clio Renaultsport 172 in March 2000 saw a 2.0 litre engine take hot hatches to a new performance level. It also heralded a return to the ELF Renault Clio Cup racing series fans know and love today.

Further development saw the release in 2002 of the Clio Renaultsport 172 Cup, which brought even better performance at an exceptional price. And when the time came for a new model, hot hatch fans were queuing up to buy the Clio Renaultsport 182 unveiled in January 2004. In September of the same year, Clio Renaultsport 182 Cup hit the UK market and the limited edition Clio Renaultsport 182 Trophy, described by Autocar as "The World's Greatest Hot Hatch," was launched in 2005.

For real petrol heads, the ultimate production model came in April 2003 when Renaultsport gave New Clio Renaultsport V6 255 to the motoring world. A 3.0 litre, 24-valve V6 engine delivered 255bhp at 7,150rpm and hit 62mph from standing in just 5.8 seconds. Building on the success of its predecessor, Clio Renaultsport V6 230, it was an exclusive sporting model that achieved its aim of providing the maximum driving pleasure.

But Clio is not the only model to receive the Renaultsport treatment. Mégane Renaultsport 225 was unveiled at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show and was followed by a limited edition Trophy version and, in June 2005, Mégane Renaultsport 225 Cup. A facelift model is on sale now and is featured in this month's e-Newsletter.

The wait is almost over for the next phase of championship racing with the ELF Renault Clio Cup set to use New Clio Renaultsport Cup, a modified version of the third generation Clio, in 2007. Fans eager to see the car in action sooner can watch the German and Spanish series, which will run the car in 2006.

E-Newsletters in the coming months will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Renaultsport by reliving some of the most memorable models and moments of the last decade. Let us know which model you want featured via the Community forum. We also want to feature Renaultsport members' cars, particularly those with unique features so if your Renaultsport car has the lowest mileage, most horsepower or jaw-dropping modifications, let us know.