Renault’s Record-Breaking Megane R.S. Trophy-R Is Here – For £72,000

Renault has confirmed a limited production run of the car that set a new Nurburgring lap class record, but it comes at an unexpectedly steep cost
Renault’s Record-Breaking Megane R.S. Trophy-R Is Here – For £72,000

The mighty hot hatchback that set new lap records for front-wheel drive cars at both the Nurburgring and Spa-Francorchamps has gone on sale to the public at last.

Just 500 examples of the Renault Megane R.S Trophy-R will be made, with 32 confirmed for the UK market. High-end supplier names are splashed all over it like a Fast & Furious sticker set: there are trick Ohlins dampers, a tailor-made Akrapovic titanium exhaust and a couple of carbon body panels – namely the bonnet and the rear diffuser.

Remote video URL

Brembo supplies epic brakes, Bridgestone the sticky Potenza S007 rubber and Sabelt the lightweight bucket seats, because racecar (for the road). The Trophy-R has cast 130 of the regular Trophy’s kilograms aside, partly thanks to a carbonfibre bonnet and matching rear diffuser.

Up front the 296bhp, 295lb ft turbocharged 1.8-litre petrol engine may not seem especially exotic when some all-wheel drive rivals are pushing 400bhp or more, but this car is all about cramming as much functional automotive exotica into one ultra-exclusive hot hatch as possible.

Renault’s Record-Breaking Megane R.S. Trophy-R Is Here – For £72,000

When you’re specifying one, though, the numbers involved are terrifying. The base car costs £51,140 on the road; about £5000 more than a base Alpine A110. To add the carbon wheel pack takes the price to £63,140 but saves 2kg per corner, while for the full-fat Nurburgring Record spec the total is £72,140. That is not a typo.

Remote video URL

Renault says the most expensive version of the stripped-out car is exactly the same as the one piloted to the two phenomenal lap records by Renault Sport test driver Laurent Hurgon. It gets huge carbon ceramic discs, gold-painted Brembo calipers and a ‘dynamic air intake’ that both saves 2kg and improves cooling.

Renault’s Record-Breaking Megane R.S. Trophy-R Is Here – For £72,000

Optionally, all buyers can swap the battery to a lightweight item that saves 4.5kg, six-point racing harnesses and a modified air intake. If you want a genuine racecar, brand new, perfectly focused and so rare that it makes rocking horse poo look like silver Ford Fiestas, what else can you pick for about £70,000?

Sponsored Posts

Comments

Anonymous

£72k? I think I’ll go for the new Corvette

07/31/2019 - 14:29 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

Fully optioned(almost) 330d Touring costs 72k€, that leaves 7k for M performance goodies

07/31/2019 - 15:00 |
2 | 0
Mr.Roberts

Biggest joke of 2019 for sure. 72k? Nah

07/31/2019 - 15:14 |
14 | 0
DL🏁

I’m sorry but thats nearly 718 GT4 money? Which is like a proper proper sportscar? And is faster?

07/31/2019 - 15:51 |
0 | 0
5:19.55

In to late to avoid comments forgeting the race car out of the factory bit.

07/31/2019 - 20:02 |
0 | 0
EJ22 (A&P Performance co-owner)

Imagine how much it will depreciate after the record is beaten…

08/01/2019 - 06:32 |
0 | 0
iWillGetAnR34GTR

Buy a base spec Megane and do some tasteful mods yourself. Save the extra cash, and still have a faster car. That price tag is preposterous

08/01/2019 - 12:19 |
0 | 0
It'sThatDamnGingerAgain

For the same price as that ($79,776.00), I can get my spec’d out Ford Raptor and have change to insure it and everything.

08/01/2019 - 21:04 |
0 | 0
Luke Wilson (BarbecuedPossum)

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

08/04/2019 - 11:30 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

The fact that this car costs over twice as much as the Civic Type R and only beat the civic by 3 seconds, makes the civic the clear winner here. If someone were to take a civic, strip it out and stick a phat turbo on it, the civic would probably beat the trophy r for less money

08/05/2019 - 12:20 |
0 | 0