Renault Sport have unveiled a new concept car on the streets of Monaco’s famous Grand Prix circuit to celebrate Renault Sport’s 40th anniversary and return to Formula 1. The Clio R.S.16 is the highest performance Renault Sport road-going vehicle ever and its reveal in 2016 celebrates both 40 years of Renault Sport and Renault’s return to Formula One as a constructor. The concept was driven by Renault Sport Formula One Team’s Kevin Magnussen.
On paper, producing a Clio R.S. powered by a 275-horsepower two-litre power engine which delivers peak torque of 360Nm. With the new working procedures involving teams from the worlds of motorsport and road cars, the development of the highest-performance road-going Renault Sport car ever took just five months from start to finish.
Renault technicians have housed the engine, transmission and cooling system of the Mégane R.S. 275 Trophy-R while the exhaust system was also revised as a function of the engine’s potential. The suspension was engineered to match the car’s outstanding performance characteristics. An Akrapovič twin exhaust system was selected for the concept.
The design and development team dealt successfully with the constraints inherent in the Clio R.S. 16 project (body widened by 60mm, 19-inch wheels and optimisation of the engine cooling system) to produce an expressive, sporty stance. The result is enhanced by an LED R.S. VISION chequered-pattern lighting signature featuring exclusive multi-faceted reflector technology.
Renault Sport’s trademark Liquid Yellow has been combined with gloss black details to mirror the livery of Renault Sport Formula One Team’s R.S.16 F1 single-seaters. After its first public airing in the streets of Monaco, the car’s next official appearance will be the Goodwood Festival of Speed on June 23-26.
