Photo: Stefan Baldauf/Guido ten Brink
Earlier in September, our shutterbugs caught the prototype for the Renault Clio RS16 doing its thing. And although the Renault stand at the 2016 Paris Motor Show reads “Concept Renault Clio R.S. 16,” the show floor buzzes with the certainty that the one-off hot hatchback will enter production at a certain point next year.
Patrice Ratti and the other Renault Sport big shots at the show refuse to confirm or deny if the Clio RS16 will be offered as a limited-run model. From my point of view, that decision will come sometime during or right after the show, as long as the French manufacturer receives enough positive reactions from potential buyers. Another hint that sort of confirms the road-going version will indeed happen comes from the big kahuna of Renault Sport:
"We all recalled the impact made by Clio V6. We wanted to create a technical concept car with extraordinary performance levels but which was more realistically priced. We therefore had to keep our feet on the ground and use simple, ingenious solutions to achieve a vehicle that could be type-approved.”
"In theory, a Clio R.S. fitted with our most powerful engine - the 275 bhp, 2.0-liter turbo engine - was an attractive proposition, but we had to conduct more serious checks as regards its feasibility. In less than a month, a small team had completed a preliminary study that confirmed it was possible to house this engine under the bonnet. We therefore decided with Thierry Landreau, technical director of Renault Sport Cars, to take a gamble and actually produce this car,” concluded Ratti. Hopefully, that's not wishful thinking.
Let me highlight some words: "realistically priced," "type-approved," "feasibility." In my mind, this seals the deal. But then again, nothing is for sure as of yet because Renault has yet to make an announcement. Fingers crossed it won’t be long now. If all goes according to plan and the light turns green, then expect 500 units of the thing, priced from €40,000 a pop.
"We all recalled the impact made by Clio V6. We wanted to create a technical concept car with extraordinary performance levels but which was more realistically priced. We therefore had to keep our feet on the ground and use simple, ingenious solutions to achieve a vehicle that could be type-approved.”
"In theory, a Clio R.S. fitted with our most powerful engine - the 275 bhp, 2.0-liter turbo engine - was an attractive proposition, but we had to conduct more serious checks as regards its feasibility. In less than a month, a small team had completed a preliminary study that confirmed it was possible to house this engine under the bonnet. We therefore decided with Thierry Landreau, technical director of Renault Sport Cars, to take a gamble and actually produce this car,” concluded Ratti. Hopefully, that's not wishful thinking.
Let me highlight some words: "realistically priced," "type-approved," "feasibility." In my mind, this seals the deal. But then again, nothing is for sure as of yet because Renault has yet to make an announcement. Fingers crossed it won’t be long now. If all goes according to plan and the light turns green, then expect 500 units of the thing, priced from €40,000 a pop.
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