Why Would Renault Sport Ask Chefs to Drive Its $400,000 R.S. 01 Racecar?

As it turns out, we were wrong. That’s because what actually determined the French carmaker’s go-fast division to place gastronomy masters behind the wheel of the R.S. 01 was an event called “Le Volant des Chefs,” which was held in Champagne.

You know, the region of France that has lent its name to the drink we all love to sip when celebrating stuff.

The hostilities saw twelve Michelin star chefs and six racing drivers swapping places for 24 hours. As you’ve probably guessed by now, the drivers weren’t just there to offer tuition to the chefs. The Wheelmen also had to cook and they had to do it at an exceptional level.

To be honest, when a disk is cooked by a pair of hands that took six F1 wins over the years, we’d be curious to taste it. In fact, you can see how well this typical French adventure has gone in the video below.

Oh, and by the way, those of you who are unsure about what the R.S. 01 stands for should know that this still-young racing machine is quite an extreme contraption.

For one thing, Renault’s crown jewel sits above the specification of GT3 racers, with the most obvious way of telling this being to study its aerodynamic package. For instance, the racecar is able to deliver 1,700 kg (3,750 lbs) of downforce at 300 km/h (186 mph), the same as a Formula Renault 3.5 single seater.

The R.S. 01 tips the scales at 1,150 kg (2,535 lbs), while motivation comes from a reworked Nissan GT-R engine. The engine works with a seven-speed Sadev sequential gearbox, which the driver can control with the help of carbon fiber paddles.

Basically, this is every Renault RS driver’s rear-wheel-drive wet dream.