Is Renault’s 2.0-litre turbo Clio concept too mad for production?

THERE are few things as satisfying as setting to work under the bonnet of something saucy, fettling a few parts, swapping some oily bits and ending up with more kilowatts than the manufacturer originally intended.

Boosting the power from an engine is one of the ultimate expressions of personality but, as anyone who has twirled a spanner knows, tuning is a game of diminishing returns and at some point, the pursuit of power requires more drastic measures.

Sometimes, the only way to take grunt to the next step is with straight up, no-nonsense engine swap and that’s exactly what Renault has done with is already feisty Clio RS hot hatch.

Renault’s latest concept takes the cheeky Clio hatchback and adds some serious Renault Sport grunt.

With 147kW from its 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, the smallest Renault Sport model is no sloth in ‘standard’ trim, but at this year’s Monte Carlo Formula One Grand Prix the French car-maker revealed its Clio RS 16 concept that borrows the engine from its Megane RS big sister.

By transplanting the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder from the Megane RS275 Trophy-R into the experimental Clio, the one-off car that hit the road in Monaco has a whopping 201kW and 360Nm.

The Clio RS 16 has some serious potential with the transplanted Megane F4RT engine under bonnet. No that’s not a typo – but the unfortunately named RS engine is more than hot air.

Renault has not confirmed performance figures for the car, but with about 200 fewer kilograms to haul around than the Megane small hatchback, the Clio is likely to smash its zero to 100km/h acceleration time of 5.8 seconds.

But unlike some backyard hack-job engine swaps, the team of Renault Sport engineers made the custom car a holistic project and modified the rest of the car to cope with the mighty step up in performance.

Vehicle stability was increased by widening the track by 60mm, which required a swelling of the wheel arches around the wheels. The extra body width also allowed an optimisation of the cooling system, says Renault.

Renault hasn’t released performance figures for the RS 16 but it is likely to give some serious sportscars a run for their money.

The Clio features 19-inch wheels, a revised chassis, a custom Akrapovic twin exhaust system, and the hatch is decorated in the same Sirius pearlescent yellow of the 2016 RS 16 racecar. The Clio RS 16 was created to celebrate the French brand's 40th anniversary and a return to Formula One racing.

Its “sporty stance” is complemented at the front end by a signature chequered flag lighting pattern in the foglights, AeroCatch bonnet fasteners and conspicuous RS 16 livery.

At the back end, the Renault Sport stickers continue, along with a more aggressive rear diffuser and Hello Kitty-ear roof-spoiler.

The same steroid pumped stance continues at the back end, but is it just us that thinks the spoiler looks like the ears of the Japanese character Hello Kitty?

Officially, the special Clio is just a concept at this stage, but by proving the mightier engine will slot under the little Renault’s bonnet, the door for a production version has been left open.

Revealing hot cars at the Monaco Formula One is becoming somewhat of a trademark for the French brand. Iin 2013 Renault revealed its bonkers Twin’Run concept by staging a street race between the show car and two of its spiritual predecessors.

A wild street race through the narrow streets of Monaco sounds like the stuff of movies, but Renault actually did it to debut its Twin’Run concept.

The manic street race was a spectacle in itself but also served as a reminder for spectators that Renault is no stranger to seriously high-performance hatchbacks, such as the barmy mid-engined  Clio V6 and, before that, the rally conquering Renault 5 Turbo.

Think a 2.0-litre turbo in a Clio is overkill? Renault once slotted 3.0-litre V6 in the back that sent power to the rear wheels! (left) The Renault 5 Turbo (right) was the company's foray into mid-engined hatchbacks.

And it wouldn’t be fair to not mention the boy-racer’s favourite Renault 5 GT Turbo that carried the brand through the 1980s turbo hatch era.

But if all this concept car teasing is too much for your hot hatch lust to take then perhaps the latest production Renault option will keep you happy.

It’s not quite a full RS Renault yet, but by adding a GT badge and a bit more grunt, the Twingo has gone from sensible city car to potential performance proposition.

Renault has confirmed that it will introduce a feistier version of its tiny Twingo city car that wears the Renault Sport GT badge and packs more power, a tuned and lowered suspension set-up, larger wheels and conspicuous looks.

The Twingo GT will make its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kingdom later this month, where it will use its 82kW 898cc turbo engine to complete the iconic hill-climb in the company of some far more powerful machines.

Renault’s front-engined turbo hot hatch era was forged by the charismatic Renault 5 GT Turbo which used a blow-through carburettor to boost its 1.4-litre engine to 85kW.

Before the warmed-up GT version had been officially confirmed, Renault Australia’s managing director Justin Hocevar had said the company would be interested in a more performance-focused version of the Twingo if it were available, which has so far failed to make it Down Under in its more pedestrian guises.

Would you be excited to see a spicy version of Renault’s tiny rear-engined three-door Twingo on Australian roads or are you holding out for a production version of the bigger, but still bantamweight, Clio RS 16?

Daniel Gardner GoAuto.com.au

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