The Clio is more than just the best-selling Renault French car of all time. Out of the 13 million ever sold, some examples of the breed were fitted with a 3.0-liter naturally aspirated V6, bang in the middle of the car. In the form of the Clio V6 RS, a hot hatchback legend was born. But now, though, a indirect successor is in the offing.
Having made its debut as a concept that marks the 40th anniversary of Renault Sport, the Clio RS16 has been touted to enter limited production. As fate would have it, the manufacturer released yet another tell-tale sign the RS16 is really going to happen. Titled “Can you imagine yourself at the wheel of this beauty? #ClioRS16,” the featured ad asks the viewer if Renault should build the Clio RS16? What’s more, the Paris Motor Show is incoming.
To understand the RS16, it’s best to view it as a Super Clio. Thanks to a six-speed manual transmission and the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder mill from the Megane RS 275 Trophy-R, the 2017 Renault Clio RS16 is exactly what the Clio V6 RS in the early noughties: a completely mental hatchback. Thing is, the Clio RS16 is a front-engined, front-wheel-drive affair, while the Clio V6 RS came exclusively as a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive belligerent.
In plain English, the 2017 Renault Clio RS16 has all the makings of the new record-holder. More to the point, you’re looking at what might become the quickest front-wheel-drive car to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife’s 20.81 kilometers (12.93 miles) of high-speed thrills and spills. As we speak, the record-holder in the FWD arena is the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S.
If our high-octane prayers will be fulfilled and Renault will indeed manufacture 500 examples of the Clio RS16 at approximately €40,000 ($45,000) a pop, then all will be right with the world. Can you imagine a supermini with 271 HP (275 PS) and 266 lb-ft (361 Nm) sent to the front axle? Exciting stuff, alright!
Here’s hope Renault won’t disappoint our expectations in Paris.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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