Reffro

Here's the press release from Renault, it sounds pretty trick for a £15.5k car...

A LIMITED EDITION CLIO RENAULTSPORT 182 TROPHY DESIGNED FOR THE BRITISH ENTHUSIAST

The UK market is the most important in the world for Renaultsport as we take 50% of all production from the Renaultsport factory in Dieppe and the most popular model has been the Clio Renaultsport, launched as a 2-litre 172 in 2000.

The key ingredients of the Clio Renaultsport have always been true sports car dynamics and driver feedback in a compact and practical size. A recipe that provided the most fun you could have behind the wheel of a car – well without needing a second mortgage – so a very special version has been developed to mark the end of production of the current Clio II Renaultsport.

Currently leading both Driver’s and Manufacturer’s F1 Championships, the Renault F1 Team drivers Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella unveiled the new Clio Renaultsport 182 Trophy in Monaco during the Grand Prix weekend. Quite appropriate for a car with the brief of being the finest handling, most fun front wheel drive hot hatch ever.

Clio Renaultsport 182 Trophy

Available to order from Monday 30 May 2005, only 500 Clio Renaultsport 182 Trophy will be produced at the Renaultsport factory in Dieppe between June and September as production of all Clio Renaultsport finishes in September. Priced at £15,500 on the road, Clio 182 Trophy is the most technically advanced Clio 2-litre ever produced and was designed to a specific brief for British drivers, being sold only here, with a small number of left hand drive for Switzerland.

The Trophy version represents the pinnacle of the research and development that has gone into the Clio Renaultsport 2-litre since its launch in 2000. Trophy has a specific chassis set up designed to optimise the handling of the car on the road and on a track using race car technology.

Specification

The Trophy is based on the Renaultsport 182 Cup with the following changes: Externally, the Trophy is finished in Capsicum Red – a bright solid colour - with Trophy logos at the rear of both side sills. At the rear, the rear spoiler is larger than that fitted to the Cup and is the same as used on the Clio Renaultsport V6 255.

Inside for the first time, Recaro Sport Trendline seats are fitted, upholstered in Black. These lower the driving position by 10mm. They also have far greater lateral support and adjustment to the squab depth. The steering wheel is upgraded from the Cup using that fitted to the Clio 182, leather with rubber thumb grips. The doorsills have Renaultsport-branded protectors.

Only 500 right hand drive Trophy will be produced (with Switzerland the only other country to market the car) and a plaque is fitted to the driver’s seat base showing the production number of the 500-run.

Suspension

The suspension is based on the Cup set-up. As a reminder, over the normal Renaultsport 182, this has lower ride height, stiffer springs (20% front, 15% rear), re-rated dampers (+20% front, +10% rear), strengthened front wheel hub carriers and revised steering geometry.

The Trophy suspension is lowered a further 10mm at the front with shorter springs. The dampers are supplied by Sachs Race Engineering and have a unique damping force/velocity curve. Normally only used in competition cars, these dampers cost 10 times more than a conventional road car damper and feature a remote reservoir to accommodate nearly 50% of the oil and gas. This remote reservoir provides three benefits:

It liberates enough space to package a thicker and therefore stiffer damper rod, thus increasing camber compliance. The increased oil volume brings better thermal stability, to enable the damper to maintain optimal performance at all times. The space liberated allows the hydraulic components and damper valving to work more effectively

Another unusual feature of the damper is that a hydraulic bump stop replaces the usual physical elastometric one. This gives a much more progressive stiffness rate once the bump stop starts to work and thus allows a lower ride height without compromising bump travel. The objective of the lower ride height is to improve the turn in and reduce understeer.

Overall, these chassis modifications give the Trophy much improved damping control at all speeds, improved traction and reduced body movements (roll and pitch). This is particularly noticeable on poor quality roads i.e. typical English B roads

These dampers are much more expensive than those normally used on road cars and their use will always be restricted to specialist performance cars.

The wheels are Speedline Turini in anthracite (these are the same design to those used on the Renaultsport 172 Cup, though with a different offset and new colour). These wheels save 1.3kg each and this reduction in the unsprung weight further improves the wheel control and therefore handling.

Performance

The engine remains unchanged but with a 2-litre 182hp, 200Nm torque engine providing a 0-62mph time of 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 140mph, Clio Trophy is all about ultimate control.

The Clio Renaultsport 182 Trophy has been produced especially for the British enthusiast and should help to seal their love affair with the Clio Renaultsport.

ENDS

Andrew Dixon

Here it is ...



I like!

More here.

MickyQ

If only it was racing blue

Jap2Scrap

You can get a new 182 Cup on broadspeed now for £11010, so £4,500 seems a bit steep for some stickers on the sills and a bigger spoiler.

Dream Weaver

I guess you missed the whole paragraph on the suspension mods then

Jap2Scrap

Virtually the (very able) cup suspension with some trick front dampers which no doubt would require a remortgage to replace in a few years

Scooby-Mark

Sounds like a top bit of kit

Pity its in red though

Mark

zoog

It is a lot of extra cash for 1cm shorter springs and posher dampers, plus parts-bin cosmetics. i t will be a great hatch though.

Andy M3

It makes me laugh really - for a start that is the best colour ever offered in the sport range - by a mile.

Secondly if you took every press clipping related to this car and cut out "this new car is 10mm lower than the previous" you would find this trophy sits lower than an Exige !!!

I am sure it will be well recieved though, and if it is as much as a hoot to drive as previous models, all 500 should sell by a week friday - although the price is another issues.

Civic Type R anyone !?!?

P.S I would straight swap my Fabia vRS for one though

chris n`nic

It`s ok saying you can get a new 182 with cup suspension for 11K but thats not the original dealer price....these won`t be 15k at motorpoint etc. and will probably drop like a rock when the new shape Cliosport comes out

Chris

Jonto

My 172 cup was cutting edge when is came out, 18 months later it has been superceeded by the 182, 182 with cup pack, 182 cup and now the 182 trophy. I sold it for £7 and a bit k. I agree they will be amazing to drive but in 18 months time worth 27p.

C2forWRX

crap. id rather have a 182 cup with the optional recaros for bout 12k

C2forWRX

why cant they just have a 1.6 turbo or sumit. will never be like R5 without the old turbs

dtriggs

However much they dress it up it is a way of getting rid of the last 182s. As soon as the new model is released it will have very little value. I really dont believe these supposed very expensive suspension mods will make the blindest bit of difference on the average Uk road either.

Sorry for being cynical but Renault dont do this type of thing for the love of the Uk driver, as they seem to want us believe.

Daz34

Much prefer a big normally aspirated engine in a FWD hatch. More fun & far less pant filling.

Clio_V6_255

Or even better a big mid-mounted normally aspirated engine driving the rear wheels!

Just like the Clio sat menacingly on my drive.

Hmmmm

Peter

stuartjw

I bet they still rattle at the set of traffic lights as you pull out of the garage (although my scoob rattles like hell!!!!) And no renault car can make the dealers any better - I had a clio 172 cup and swear I will never buy another renault as customer service (In this area anyway) was the worst I had ever experienced.

Although the 255 would tempt me if I could afford one!!!!!

jonc

..and no xenon HID lights!! How are we supposed to drive in th dark?

mattvortex

Totally agree about Renaults terrible customer service. Remember how bad when i used to own a Clio Williams-To get a customer service job with Renault, you have to be totally incompetent,arrogant and a complete to$$er-then your in!