Earlier this week I brought you news about Renault Sport teasing its new Clio concept car which has now been unveiled on the tight streets of Monaco. The new Clio R.S. 16 was driven around the famous Monaco circuit by Renault Sport Formula One Team’s Kevin Magnussen.
Inspired by Formula One
The Clio R.S. 16 gets its name from its Formula One counterpart and also features the same colour scheme. It will be powered by 2.0 litre turbo engine which produces a blistering 275bhp. I'm sure you'll agree that is more than enough for a car of this size but the Renaultsport have made changes to ensure the Clio can put this large amount of power down.
Changes have been made to the chassis and the suspension, help has drafted in from the Megane Trophy R to achieve this. The Clio R.S. 16 will use the same shock absorbers as the Megane Trophy R, as well as the optional Nurburgring pack which provides 350mm-diameter steel discs fitted on aluminium bowls. Unlike the latest generation of Clio RS, the RS 16 will feature a 6-speed...manual gearbox. It's good to see Renault have seen sense and gone back to a traditional gearbox.
Big power, big challenge
The Renault Sport team had quite the task on their hands as the concept got the go ahead in December 2015 but they wanted to unveil the finished product at the Monaco Grand Prix, giving them just five months. The challenges did not stop there though, thanks to the engine's new output a new powertrain suspension was needed as well as the exhaust system. The body of the Clio R.S. 16 is 60mm wider and sits on 19 inch alloy wheels.
“Our aim was to produce a concept car with genuinely outstanding performance credentials,” notes Patrice Ratti, Managing Director of Renault Sport Cars, leader of the project which particularly inspired the development team’s specialists. “On paper, producing a Clio R.S. powered by our most potent engine – namely the 275-horsepower two-litre power unit which delivers peak torque of 360Nm – was an extremely appealing idea, but we had to make sure it was feasible.”