I'm into French hot hatches since forever. This is my current toy.
It's a Clio RS (3rd Generation, Phase 2) from 2012. In the English speaking world it's also called a "Clio 200" because it has 200hp (on paper). Mine is a limited version called "Sport Auto Edition". 99 cars were made for a German car magazine called "Sport Auto". This edition only comes in matt grey and with basically all options. It also has the so called "Cup chassis" which has a slightly lower and stiffer suspension and a slightly quicker steering rack compared to the standard RS versions. For it's age it has a relatively low mileage and is in quite good condition.
It has some upgrades like:
- KW V3 Clubsport coilovers
- Akrapovic Evolution exhaust system
- Wiechers strut brace (front)
- Wiechers "Club Sport" rolebar (rear bench removed and re-registered as two seater)
- Ferodo DS 1.11 pads (front)
- Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 (not really happy with these)
It comes with proper Brembo 4-piston brake calipers in the front and has an actually functional diffusor that produces 40kg extra downforce at 160 km/h IIRC.
The wheels (rims) are Speedline Interlagos in 8x18" with 215/40 R18 tyres. They're actually OEM and were first introduced with the Megane R26.R but later also got used for a couple of Clio special editions. They're quite heavy and there are better alternatives but I keep them because I like the look.
It also has Recaro Sportster CS in a nice leather finish with RS imprinting. I also have Sparco "screw-in" 4-point harnesses for them.
I'm mostly using it for out of city tours and on our local track from time to time. I also visit Renault Sport & Alpine meetings and such with it. The car got signed with two autographs by Jean Ragnotti himself during an event in France a couple years ago.
Some data:
Engine: 4-cylinder 1998ccm F4R engine (naturally aspirated)
Power/Torque: 201hp / 215Nm (158.5 ft-lb)
RPM: 7500 rpm (with hard limiter and acoustic shifting indicator)
Gearbox: 6 gears
Topspeed: 225 km/h (140 mph)
0-100 km/h: 6,9 sec. (~0-60 mph)
Weight: ~1280kg (~2820 lbs)
Since it's naturally aspirated you have to keep it over 4.500 rpm to keep it moving. It's by far not the fastest in a straight line but the corner speeds you can achieve are impressive. It's home are twisty country or mountains roads and tracks with not too many topspeed parts.
These Clios are great out of the box already and have a quite good price-performance ratio. That's why you saw and still see them around the Ring for example. Some people with experience actually call it "the pocket GT3 RS".
