| Racer for the Road Preview | Renault Clio Cup Racer |
Think the current crop of hot hatches is a bit soft? Then Renaultsport has just the thing. It's decided to let hardcore hot hatch fans have its Clio Cup race car in road-legal trim, giving track-day enthusiasts the opportunity to drive their car to and from the circuit. The Clio Cup has been a huge success for Renault, with over 300 built at Renaultsport's Dieppe facility in France since the new car was introduced in summer 2006. Most head for national championships to drivers battling to be noticed and wanting to break into big-time tin-top racing, but a good number are being bought by track-day fans wanting an inexpensive and hugely enjoyable car designed specifically for the track.
Based on the current Clio the Cup racer is stripped of all unnecessary weight. That means there are no seats bar a pair of racing buckets with full five-point harness seatbelts, while a simple digital dashboard and switches are there for only essential functions and information. There are no carpets, door or roof-linings and you'll need to be a bit of gymnast to get in due to the World Touring Car Championship homologated roll cage criss-crossing the door opening. Still, it'll be worth the effort, as with a weight of just 1,060kg, and a tuned 205bhp 2.0-litre engine mated to a six-speed sequential transmission, the Clio Cup is able to sprint to 62mph in an estimated five seconds and onto a top speed of around 135mph.
To enable owners to drive to and from circuits - and everywhere in between - Renault is putting the Cup car through Single Vehicle Approval. To pass the stringent tests for road use it'll need to have features like a handbrake, load-legal lights and exhaust and number plates fitted. Not the ones on the doors mind, ones for the Gatos to snap - if you're unlucky. If that sounds like fun to you (and it certainly does to us) let Renault know and it'll have the factory build you one. The racer costs £22,500 plus VAT, so expect the road version to be a touch more, but we can't think of anything more we'd like for Christmas...
Kyle Fortune - 7 Dec 2007
