In 2008, the Renault Mégane RS R26.R became the king of the Nürburgring North Loop in the front wheel category, and it held this title until 2011, when it was taken over by the Mégane RS Trophy. However, at the beginning of the year, Seat , which drove the legendary track in 7:58.44 seconds with a Leon Cupra 280, burned the pond for both Frenchmen.
However, a month ago, when Renault presented the Mégane RS 275 Trophy , it was clear that it would take the record back. However, it wouldn't be Renault if it didn't impress with something. The record time of 7:54.36 seconds was set not by the 275 Trophy, but by its lighter sibling the 275 Trophy-R !
The weight of the R version has dropped by 100 kg compared to the classic 275 Trophy. Renault got rid of the rear seats , which were replaced by a reinforcing strut, the front seats were replaced by sporty Recara Pôle Position with three-point belts (six-point on request) made of polycarbonate, and 42 kg was immediately reduced. Another 18 kg was saved by the no longer existing sound insulation, 16 kg was removed by the smaller lithium-ion battery and 11 kg went down thanks to the removal of the radio, air conditioning and rear wiper. In short, this is the ultimate circuit toy and a true successor to the Mégane RS R26.R!
Standard is a Cup chassis including a limited-slip differential, equipped with adjustable Öhlins Road&Track dampers (20-position front and 30-position rear) and Allevard composite springs. As with the 275 Trophy, there is also a titanium tuned Akrapovič exhaust , which adds 10 horsepower to the two-liter four-cylinder with a turbo and takes 4 kg off the weight. The engine thus has 275 horsepower and a torque of 360 Nm, which is transferred to the front by a six-speed manual. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires were specially made for this car, which are shod on 19-inch Speedline wheels, reducing the unsprung weight by an additional 5 kg, in red or black. Stopping is handled by brake discs made of steel and aluminum with a diameter of 340 mm (350 mm diameter for an extra charge), which saved 3 kg on the car's weight.
Visually, the 275 Trophy-R is equipped with a two-tone body paintwork with an Etoilé Black roof and Pearlescent White bodywork. The Formula 1-style front bumper spoiler, as well as the checkered flag graphic on the front doors and stripes on the rear fender, are in Vif Red. The interior has an Alcantara-upholstered steering wheel and handbrake lever, the gear knob is covered in leather. Red stitching on the seats and steering wheel match the red stripes.
As I said in the introduction, the record time is 7:54.36 seconds , which is only less than 2 seconds slower than the new M4 Coupé . Only 250 of these beauties will hit the road. Sales will start in the second half of this year in 15 markets, and the base price in Great Britain has been set at 36,430 pounds (approx. 1,253,000 CZK). I hope that one of the fifteen markets will be the Czech one, because this car is ranked damn high in my imaginary wish list.
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Source: Renault
