RENAULT Megane RS Coupe 2009-2013 Photos, engines & full specs

When Renault introduced the first generation of the Megane Renault Sport, it became the ultimate hot-hatch on the market and remained there until its successor arrived in 2009.

The Renault Sport department proved that its products were from a different planet, not only postal code than the rest of the products built by the French carmaker. Not only that, the Megane RS was not bland; it was fierce and proved that beating many sports cars on the famous Nurburgring race track. It was the fastest front-wheel-drive car in the world and overtook the Lamborghini Diablo SV, the Porsche Boxster S, and the Dodge Viper GTS in the process.

Unlike its predecessor, the 2009 model featured rounded shapes all over the body, with swept-back headlights and a piano-black grille at the front flanked by the mandatory daytime driving lights. Also, Renault Sport offered a Trophy package which lowered the car even more. At the back, the car featured a tailgate with a roof spoiler at the top. Unlike the rest of the Megane Coupe range, the RS version sported a single tailpipe in the middle, under the rear bumper, flanked by a diffuser.

Inside, the carmaker installed bucket seats with an option for a sport version with integrated headrests and high bolstering on the sides. Its instrument cluster featured a white-dial tachometer and a centered black-dial speedometer, while on the left side, the carmaker installed an LCD for the onboard computer.

But the most important part of the car was underneath it. Renault Sport developed a two-liter turbocharged engine that provided 250 hp for the normal version and 265 for the Trophy one. A hard-core version named Cup was also on the offer, which came with a limited-slip differential fitted as standard.