The Renault Sport Clio V6 was meant to be a nod to the old (not that the Clio V6 isn't old as well now) Renault 5 Turbo. Still, because it was such an insane build at a time when cars, particularly small hatchbacks, were becoming more and more boring, it became a reference point in the automotive history in itself.
Considering that, it's funny how nobody has tried to copy the recipe since then. Well, we say that, but we also know the V6-powered Clio made no sense. It was based on the Clio hatchback, one of the French carmaker's cheapest models, which meant you were likely to find dozens of them in any French supermarket car park. It was a no-frills car you would get out of need, not desire.
Then, the French took out the rear seats, all but canceled the trunk, and stuck a 3.0-liter V6 engine in the vacated space to turn the hatchback into a rear-mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive hooning mobile. A wider track, double exhaust, and air inlets on the side just behind each of the two doors completed an unmistakable look that hadn't been seen on a hatchback since, well, since the Renault 5 Turbo, probably.
Now, a group of British enthusiasts—at the request of the car's owner—are working on an early 2000s Ford Fiesta that seems to follow into the Clio V6's footsteps. It has a naturally aspirated V6 inside (more on that later), it sits behind the front seats (though a lot further to the back than in the Renault), and it has rear-wheel-drive as well. What it lacks, though, is character. And speed.
The original plan was to take the 2.5-liter V6 stripped off a Ford Mondeo (what we call Fusion in the U.S.) and replicate the process used by Noble Automotive for its M12 sports car to get at least 350 hp out of it. Somewhere along the way, the wheels fell off that plan, so the Fiesta is now severely underpowered, especially compared to what you would expect from its description.
However, what you see now is just an intermediary phase. The guys over at Motor Addicts are supposed to take the V6 out and replace it with a Honda K20 four-cylinder and add a turbocharger. Think what they did to the Toyota MR2 we showed you recently—only tamer. The aim is to get around 450 to 500 hp, which should be more than enough for the stripped hatchback.
Until it's ready, you can watch the Motor Addicts guys (no Owen, sadly, though we can fully understand why they're not letting him drive anymore since his record of breaking cars is now two-out-of-two) moan about how bad the car is in its current state while they cook inside the tin oven.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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