Chris Harris and mates at Portimao with his favourite cars from 2014. There’s no agenda, no forced result to pick a winning car. It’s simply a recipe for fun. Enjoy!
[Thanks to Richard for the tip]
Renault is bringing the Megane RS275 to Australia and we’re getting a fair whack of the limited edition model, too. Out of the 250 to be sold worldwide, 50 will be coming down under—Australia is one of the highest selling markets for Megane hot hatches.
As the image above suggests this car has lapped the Nürburgring Norschleife in under 8 minutes and lays claim to being the fastest front-wheel drive production car around the famed track money can buy. And to buy it in Australia you’ll need 61,990 monies.
For those monies you’ll get one RS275 Trophy R, with its race-tuned Ohlins suspension, super sticky Michelin rubber, crackly Akrapovic exhaust system and the weight saving benefits of throwing out the rear seat. Yep, the Trophy R is an out and out two-seater.
Also included in the asking price is the Nürburgring Accessory Kit, of which a Brembo brake kit, lightweight lithium-ion battery and six-point harness belts are the most notable items.
Australian deliveries of the RS275 Trophy R are scheduled for January 2015, so best get down to your local Froggie dealer soon if you want to be one of the 50 coolest hot hatch kids on the block.
Renault has revealed details for its Nürburgring conquering Megane RS275 Trophy-R. This is the #UNDER8 car the French hot hatch masters have been preparing ever since Seat stole its front-wheel drive Nürburgring record.
Like the R26.R before it this Trophy-R sheds weight in the chase for performance. At 1297kg it is 79kg lighter than the regular RS275 Trophy. Weight loss has been achieved by chucking out the back seats altogether and replacing the fronts with lightweight Recaro racing numbers. A lithium-ion battery sheds 16kg, while model specific Brembo brakes save a further 3kg.
Other standard features for the Trophy-R include the noted Cup chassis, a limited-slip differential), an Akrapovic exhaust, Öhlins Road&Track adjustable dampers with composite springs and sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.
Power comes from the 2.0 litre turbo found in the Trophy and as the model name suggests provides 275hp (202kW).
Put all that together with a French bloke named Laurent Hurgon (Renault Sport test driver) and you can lap the Ring in 7 minutes 54.36 seconds. That’s four seconds quicker than that pesky Seat and an impressive 14 seconds faster than the RS265.
Only 250 Trophy-Rs will be made, with reports suggesting 50 will come to Australia at a price of around $65,000 each. That’s a fair allocation and testament to this country’s proven love of Renault Sport product.
More pics, detailed press material and, of course, video of the Trophy-R in action can be found below.