What's the news?
That super-hot Clio we got wind of a few days ago? Well, now we know the full details and, good grief, has Renault Sport gone to town on the little B-segment hatchback. Clearly stung by criticisms of the regular 200 and 220 Trophy models, this is the storming RS16 - and it should answer all of our concerns about Renault's once-dominant compact hot hatch.
Exterior
Let's be clear, Renault Sport is still calling this thing a concept to celebrate its 40th anniversary, although following its debut at the F1 Monaco Grand Prix in the hands of Kevin Magnussen (to be clear: it won't actually be racing there...), we'd be very surprised if the French company didn't offer it as a limited edition model.
In order to fit the black 19-inch Speedline Turini wheels (clothed in Michelin Pilot Sport SP2 tyres) onto a car that was only ever designed to take 18s, the arches had to be first shaved and then fitted with carbon fibre extensions to make the Clio RS16's bodywork 60mm wider than before. It's painted Liquid Yellow, the famous Renault Sport colour and also the shade the RS16 F1 car is finished in, while the detailing is black. Note also the RS Vision light signatures at the front and the rear wing lifted from a Clio Cup, which adds an additional 40kg of downforce at 200km/h. Red Brembo brake callipers peep out from behind the wheels and it's fair to say the whole thing looks absolutely marvellous.
Interior
Little said about the interior, although we're not too bothered about that given the rest of the juicy details on offer. A pair of bucket seats with six-point harnesses emphasise the sportiness up front, while in a properly focused move the rear bench has been junked entirely to save weight, as has the air conditioning. Make this car a production reality, Renault. Pretty please.
Mechanicals
Lift an engine from the larger RS Megane, by all means, but the ultimate motor from the 275 Trophy-R? Wow, that's the sort of insane genius we haven't seen from Renault Sport since the Clio V6 went west in 2005. What we have here is a 275hp 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with 360Nm of torque acting as back-up. Fitting it was not the work of a moment, though, even if the project has been completed in five short months.
Taking the engine, gearbox and cooling system from the Megane Trophy-R (yes, gearbox; this Clio RS has a six-speed manual, not a flappy paddle EDC auto) meant some serious re-engineering of the Clio's underpinnings. The suspension takes parts from the Megane, as well as (bizarrely) the Espace and the Kangoo (of all things), using something called a 'PerfoHub' independent steering-axis front set-up to try and corral 275 horses running through the leading axle alone. The front splitter and much of the air vents on the car's nose have been adapted to get more cooling goodness to the 2.0 turbo engine too. The exhaust follows the same line as a standard RS Clio's, although it's now an Akrapovic item with twin silencers. Even the electronics needed massaging, as the systems on the Megane 275 Trophy R and Clio RS are not based on the same architecture.
The dampers on the RS16 Clio are the one-way adjustable shocks from the Trophy-R, while the brakes come from the hot Megane's Nürburgring pack, meaning 350mm steel discs on aluminium bowls. Renault Sport also used a lithium-ion battery, saving both 15kg and space in the engine bay. Meanwhile, the rear axle was lifted wholesale from the Clio R3T rally car. This is serious, serious stuff here.
Anything else?
"We all recalled the impact made by Clio V6," Patrice Ratti, RS Cars' MD, explained. "We wanted to create a technical concept car with extraordinary performance levels but which was more realistically priced. We therefore had to keep our feet on the ground and use simple, ingenious solutions to achieve a vehicle that could be type-approved. Furthermore, we wanted this project to be entirely developed by Renault Sport Cars.
"In theory, a Clio RS fitted with our most powerful engine - the 275hp, 2.0-litre turbo engine - was an attractive proposition, but we had to conduct more serious checks as regards its feasibility. In less than a month, a small team had completed a preliminary study that confirmed it was possible to house this engine under the bonnet. We therefore decided with Thierry Landreau, technical director of Renault Sport Cars, to take a gamble and actually produce this car."
Following the F1 debut, the Clio RS16 will go to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June in England. Whereupon we expect every car enthusiast in the land to get across the Irish Sea and badger Renault Sport into making this car a showroom reality. It's everything the Clio RS should be.