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3 Hot French Hatchback Hits from Renaultsport
Speaking with U.K. publication Autocar at this year’s Formula 1 launch, Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo indicated that it might be time to pull Renaultsport out of the “fridge.” In case you missed the announcement a few years back, Renault rolled its storied Renaultsport brand under the Alpine umbrella, the better to benefit from all that money spent in F1. However, with the Renault 5 back in EV form, and a hot version on the way, it might be time to wind the time machine back.
Obviously, you don’t have to rely on Renault’s execs to do so, because Renaultsport’s portfolio has some classic humdingers in it, just ripe for collecting. Indeed, if the door is closing on the golden age of JDM imports, then a fenêtre is opening into the world of fast Frenchness, with lots of tasty Euro fare. Some of it is already here, some of it is on the way, and the Renaultsport-branded machines that are aging into importability present some really appealing collectibles.
Here, we’ve gathered together three cars that represent some of the best of the Renaultsport spirit—a Three Musketeers of French vehicle élan. (I don’t know where D’Artagnan is. Probably off swanning around in a Sport Spyder.) All three belong to the same owner, Leonard Jang, who drives each one regularly, and is just the sort of generous enthusiast you hope to meet. In order to deal with the logistics of ferrying these hot hatchbacks around various photo locations, he called up a couple of friends, and so in the backdrop of these shots please imagine two young gearheads bubbling over their first time piloting some of the coolest cars they recognize from playing Gran Turismo.
1985 Renault R5 Turbo II
The R5 Turbo II is the lunatic linchpin to this grouping, the first to get Jang’s attention. As you might have guessed from the red paint, the original inspiration behind acquiring this car was seeing its appearance in Never Say Never Again, the ideal deranged ride for femme fatale Fatima Blush as she chased Bond on his motorbike.
If ever a car was a marriage between a hamster and a father who smelled of elderberries, then the R5 Turbo is it. It is tiny, delicate, almost ethereal despite its bulldog-squat appearance. As a forty-year-old car now, it’s probably the most brittle of the three, and keeping it running well requires a bit of black magic know-how.
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160 turbo-laggy horsepower comes from a 1.4-liter four-cylinder. It’s got a curb weight of around 2100 lbs. If you’d like to better understand the R5 Turbo’s handling at the limit, then best to head over to Sam Smith’s Death Eaters series, where phrases like “snarfing up pavement in lungy little chomps” get thrown around.
Technically, the R5 Turbo II is slightly more conventional than the original, with more steel instead of aluminum used in construction, and an interior that’s a lot less bonkers-French. Doesn’t matter: This is such an iconic madcap little car that it draws eyeballs like few other cars. It’s bursting with both boost and charisma.
R5 Turbos have been collectible for ages, but as the Turbo II is slightly less sought-after and not hugely rare (about 3200 built), it’s an investment you can drive. There aren’t many hot hatchbacks, French or not, that pull up to the curb with the presence of a Ferrari, but this little terrier manages it.
2001 Clio V6 Phase 1
A faithful tribute to Renaultsport’s first hatchback, the Clio V6 was built in two editions, referred to as Phase 1 and Phase 2. You can think of these two as analogous to the 2.0-liter and 2.2-liter versions of the Honda S2000, with the first car being the more knife-edged and raw experience, and the later car slightly tamed. Slightly.
The first thing to know is that this thing looks, as the Brits would say, mega. Especially from the rear three-quarter view, which emphasizes those big haunches. Custom F1 team graphics enhance the presence here, but they’re just icing on the mid-engined hatchback cake.
Putting a 3.0-liter V-6 in a compact European hatchback where the rear seats are supposed to be involves some compromises, and both generations of Clio V6 have some idiosyncrasies. The turning circle is ridiculously large, like that of an ocean liner. Almost all the cargo-carry capacity is moot. There’s more cabin space than in the R5, but you could also say that about a Miata. You sit very upright, conscious that the V-6 is in the cabin with you.
Before the road cars, the Clio V6 was a racer, made for a one-make series. Most of the racers loved it because it was challenging, but as a result the road cars have a bit of a reputation for handling trickiness. Finding the limit is an experts-only affair.
Having said that, driving a Clio V6 is great fun, and the cool factor is off the charts. Again, we have Playstation to thank for this car’s outsize reputation—very few are present in North America, but plenty of younger enthusiasts know exactly what it is. The Phase 1 model years are 2001 to 2003, so these are just aging into importability, and are likely to rise in value as more collectors become aware of them. The Phase 2, which saw many suspension changes for greater handling predictability, and a bump in power from 227 hp to 252 hp, runs between 2003 and 2005, so isn’t quite U.S.-importable yet. There are around 3000 cars between the two Phases, so rarity will make them potentially a true heir to the R5 Turbo in both concept and collectability.
2008 Megane R26.R
Last of our tricolore trio is a car that could boast the fastest front-wheel-drive lap of the Nürburgring when new. A hardcore, stripped out version of the Megane R26, this car is basically the 911 GT3 RS of the French hot hatchback game. Think of this as a best guess as to the future of collectible Gallic performance cars, as it’s only just aged into legal registration under Canada’s shorter fifteen year regulatory rules.
The Megane R26 is not so much a direct heir to the R5 Turbo, as it is front-wheel drive, but you just have to pop open the hatch to find a bunch of roll-cage tubes that tell you how serious this Renault is. The engine is the same 227 hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder as in the standard R26, but Renaulsport managed to chop an astounding 270 lbs out of the chassis, a 10% reduction in mass.
At eight minutes, sixteen-point-nine seconds for its N-Ring lap, the R26.R just barely beat the contemporary Porsche Cayman S around the track. However, the time doesn’t tell the whole story, as the driving experience is routinely praised as being both utterly exhilarating yet also invitingly capable. If the R5 is an icon to be revered and the Clio V6 to be respected, the R26.R is the one you can blast through the corners with confidence.
More of Renaultsport’s greatest hits are on the way—the Clio 200 Cup, for instance—and some of the best are already importable. The aforementioned Sport Spyder is a roomier Elise, and other hot Clio variants are within reach.
With this garage full of hits, it makes sense that Renault might bring back the Renaultsport badge. After all, across the Atlantic, its fans are already legion. Why not put a little vive-la-difference in your garage?
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