Even though Renault predominantly builds urban runarounds that take you from A to B as economical as possible these days, the RS skunkworks division is hard at work, coming up with hardcore versions of nameplates such as the Twingo, Clio and Megane. Nevertheless, Renault Sport can do better than the Clio RS, and the RS 01 is a prime example of that.
Inspired by the 2012 Renault Alpine A110-50 concept vehicle and set to compete in a dedicated racing seried dubbed 2015 Renault Sport Trophy, the Renault Sport RS 01 is one helluva machine that respects FIA LMP1 2014 safety standards. Wanna guess what's hiding under the hood of this black and yellow racer? Why it's a detuned version of the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 that makes the Nissan GT-R as fast as a stabbed rat. Output? "Over 500 hp" and "more than 600 Nm" of torque, which slots it between a GT3 racecar and a DTM machine.
That twin-turbo tower-of-power is handled by a seven-speed paddle-shift sequential gearbox supplied by Sadev, that uses a clutch developed by ZF Race Engineering. With that sort of power comes great responsibility. That's why the RWD racer from Renault Sport is fitted with a limited slip diff, double wishbone / pushrod suspension, Ohlins two-way adjustable dampers and PFC six-piston caliper brakes with 380 mm discs. If that wasn't impressive enough, the Frenchies say that all that kit adds up to a curb weight of under 1,100 kilograms, including 150L of fuel.
“Renault Sport RS 01 marks the start of a new line. For this reason, it was named in tribute to Renault’s very first Formula 1 car. We wanted to design the best racing car in order to bring to light the best talent and prepare the next generation of drivers. Renault Sport RS 01 is a vehicle of exceptional performance and the World Series by Renault will be its showcase," explains Patrice Ratti, Renault Sport Technologies CEO.
Renault Sport Technologies design director Eric Diemert added that the project was completed in just five months. How can you not love these guys? The only thing that we don't love is the whopping £282,000 ($468,000) Renault Sport asks for the car and entry in the racing series.
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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