Transforming a small car into a racing car in no uncertain terms is an operation that Renault already succeeded in 1980, when the R5 Turbo was launched, intended in particular, and with great success, for competitions and “road” by passionate lovers of automotive hyperbole. After about twenty years, the French house returns to the theme with the Clio Sport V6, initially the protagonist of a single-make trophy dedicated to it and then distributed in a limited series since 2000.
The origins of the project
As for the previous model, also in this case the changes, compared to the base car, are substantial and very evident starting from the external appearance and the placement of the engine, in a rear-central position thanks to the elimination of the seat . On the outside, the features of the normal Clio are altered by massive interventions, functional to a completely different personality and substance, far beyond the more extreme variants already present in the range such as the 1.6 or 2-litre 16-valve. The whole, collected for a length of 3.80 meters, has the aggressiveness of an authentic racing car: the front features four round headlights in the oval seat and a grille with large air intakes in a spoiler-band, on the sides in addition to the side skirts and the enlarged wheel arches, two extremely showy air intakes for engine cooling, in the rear fascia-spoiler and two exhaust pipes, the 17-inch OZ alloy wheels with 205 front tires /50 and at the rear from 235/45.
Interiors
Inside, there are only two seats on high-containment seats upholstered in leather and Alcantara. The set-up takes up the essential elements of the second generation Clio, but with some sporty features, from the perforated pedal unit to the gear lever turret, from the three-spoke steering wheel with padded crown to the white background instrumentation and speedometer scale at 270 km/h . The space for luggage is almost non-existent and a utilitarian build quality is maintained in the rigid plastics and components, but all this counts for little in the face of the extreme vocation and technical prerogatives. The original scheme is completely distorted, like what was done at the time for the R5 Turbo but raising the bar a lot, with the rear-central location now of a 3-litre naturally aspirated V6, a development of the unit born from the collaboration with PSA and adopted by the higher-end models of the two French groups. The characteristics are refined, with two overhead camshafts per bank, 24 valves, electronic injection with three coils, for a power of 225 HP and 300 Nm of torque. They act as a corollary, suspensions front McPherson and rear with interconnected wheels, ventilated disc brakes with ABS, Power assisted rack and pinion steering and the gearbox is a 6 speed manual.
The performance of the Renault Clio V6
On the other hand, together with Renault Sport, Tom Walkinshaw Racing collaborated on the project, with a long experience in the competitive field, and the first Clio V6s were assembled in the Swedish factory of Uddevalla of the TWR, production then transferred to the Alpine factory in Dieppe . On the road, the car displays a brutal nature: the 235 km/h top speed and 6.4 seconds to burn the 0-100 correspond to a demanding drive for strong emotions, within the reach of expert drivers who need to tame a character difficult. In Italy there are few customers, willing to spend the considerable sum of almost 37 million lire, still less than that of less adrenaline-pumping Alfa Romeo GTV or Audi TT. Positive updates that have been implemented since 2002, after about 1,600 units built and starting from the new third generation of the Clio. The set-up has been revised, the rims are 18 inches with 40 bar tyres, and allow for easier control of a temperament further accentuated by 30 HP more, for 250 km/h and less than 6 seconds from 0 to 100. Externally, few the changes, especially in the front with the headlights inserted in triangular elements, while the side air intakes are painted in a color that contrasts with the rest of the bodywork. Improved, but still modest, finishes and equipment. Production continued until 2005, adding 1,300 units, and today, without having had any real heirs, the rare Clio Sport V6 has an assured future on the historic market.
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