Auto & Car Blog

Paris 2008: Renault Megane Trophy concept

Sunday, October 5th, 2008

Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Euro, Paris Motor Show, Renault

Click either image for high-res gallery of the Renault Megane Trophy concept

We’ve said it before but it warrants repeating: Renault makes some of the meanest hot hatches in the business. The (very) outgoing Megane RS has been a favorite among the track day crowd and really any European customer looking for a fast ride with sharp handling that can still serve on the daily grind. With the new Megane now out in the open, the big question on the minds of Renaultsport fans is what manner of fire-breathing demon will follow the established favorite they know and love? Clearly this isn’t the answer, but if the production Megane III RS comes even remotely close to this concept car, we’ll have yet another European machine to lust after.

The Renault Megane Trophy concept features a Nissan-sourced 3.5-liter V6 mounted amidship like in the old Renaultsport Clio V6, but producing a prodigious 360hp driving through a six-speed sequential gearbox, all wrapped in a competition-grade body with more wing than the Concorde and more louvers than a Parisian museum tour. Currently the car is just a concept, but could end up going into limited production for a spec racing series. Check it out in the gallery below and rest assured that it looks even more awesome in person.

Gallery: Paris 2008: Renault Megane Trophy Concept

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Posted in Uncategorized, Renault, megane, renault megane, renault megane III, RenaultMegane, RenaultMeganeIii, megane rs, MeganeRs, renault megane rs, renault megane trophy, renault paris, renault sport megane, RenaultMeganeRs, RenaultMeganeTrophy, RenaultParis, RenaultSportMegane | No Comments »

EU patent office reveals production Renault Megane Coupe

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

Filed under: Coupes, Euro, Hatchbacks, Renault, Rendered Speculation

Click above for gallery of the 2010 Renault Megan Coupe

Recent snooping at the EU patent office yielded an application revealing the 2010 Renault Megane 3-door Coupe. The images (most likely shot of a clay model) show a much tamer production version when compared to the Renault Megan Coupe concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. Sleeker than the 5-door Megane shots leaked a couple weeks ago, the coupe’s C-pillar differs most noticeably as the window glass sweeps to a clean point as it meets the rear hatch. The best guess is that the coupe will see a range of engines from 1.4-liters up to 2.0-liters rated between 100 and 160 hp, depending on the model. Look for it on sale next year, but sadly not on our shores.

Gallery: Renault Megane Coupe

[Source: EU Patent Office via Carscoop]

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Posted in Uncategorized, coupe, hatchback, Renault, concept, geneva, megane, 3-door, new model, NewModel, renault megane coupe concept, RenaultMeganeCoupeConcept, revealed | No Comments »

Geneva Motor Show: Renaultsport Clio F1 Team R27

Wednesday, December 31st, 1969

Filed under: Geneva Motor Show, Hatchbacks, Renault

Click on the image above to jump to our gallery of 16 high-resolution images

Enthusiasts and consumers may contend that F1 racing provides only negligible benefit to road cars, but automakers evidently think otherwise, as more and more buy into the top-tier motorsport each year. Each has its own way of bringing its racing success to the road: Ferrari makes nearly-unobtainable supercars; McLaren’s even more so. Renault, on the other hand, translates their immense success on the F1 circuit into some of the hottest hatchbacks on the market (even if they’re not currently offered stateside).

Renaultsport launched the Clio F1 Team R27 edition to coincide with the racing team’s launch of the R27, the Formula One single-seater they’ll be fielding in the 2007 season that kicks off in a week. The new hot hatch made its public debut at the Geneva motor show last week. Along with special decals and a “Sirius yellow” finish, Recaro racing buckets, lightweight 17″ anthracite rims and a few other special touches, the Clio R27 gets an upgraded “Cup” suspension. The limited series goes on sale this month, and once it’s been sold out, the Cup suspension will be made available on the “ordinary” Clio Renaultsport.

The Clio R27 follows on the same formula as last year’s Megane Renaulsport F1 Team R26, featuring the same livery and treatment, which was displayed alongside the new Clio R27 and the new F1 car on the Geneva show floor. Check out all the action in our high-resolution image gallery below.

Gallery: Renault R27 F1 at Geneva 07