Where the heck is Raza? He would love this.
RWD Renault Clio V6 Is The Weirdest Hot Hatch You'll Ever See
Renault has built a name for itself as a manufacturer of great hot hatches and while the current Clio RS has drawn some criticism, mainly for its dual-clutch transmission, it is still a force to be reckoned with.
(https://images.carscoops.com/2018/10/ed893d2f-2002-renault-clio-v6-1.jpg)
Previous iterations of the Clio were better received, and that gave the French automaker the confidence to go ahead and build something different.
What it did was turn the hot hatch recipe on its head: Renaultsport, who's responsible for all hot versions of the brand, took the Clio Mk2, installed a V6 engine behind the front seats, and made it rear-wheel drive.
The Clio V6 stayed in production between 2001 and 2005 and, for the era, it was pretty fast, hitting 60 mph (96 km/h) in 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 146 mph (235 km/h).
(https://images.carscoops.com/2018/10/110fa3b6-2002-renault-clio-v6-5.jpg)
This special Clio was powered by a 3.0-liter V6 engine that came straight from the top-range Laguna. It produces 230 PS (227 hp / 169 kW), or 10 PS (10 hp / 7 kW) more than the latest Clio RS 18, which is a few tenths of a second slower to 60 mph and has an identical top speed.
Thanks to its mid-engine arrangement, the Clio V6 is seen as the indirect successor of the Renault 5 Turbo and, along with the Peugeot 205 T16 homologation special, is the third-ever production supermini to adopt this layout – and the only one with a V6.
This example is hitting the auction block at SilverstoneAuctions on the 10th and 11th of November. It was made in 2002, has 50,172 miles (80,744 km) on the odo, and comes with the service book, invoices and original book pack.
(https://images.carscoops.com/2018/10/03999c6f-2002-renault-clio-v6-13.jpg)
The vendor says that it's "in beautiful overall condition", although the right-hand drive might be a drawback if you live in mainland Europe. Also, at £18,000-£22,000 ($23,267/€20,372-$28,438/€24,899, it's not a steal either, as that's about as much as a new Volkswagen Polo GTI or Ford Fiesta ST in the United Kingdom.
However, this is absolutely not your run-of-the-mill, take it to the grocery shop hot hatch, as a. it's strictly a two seater and you'd have to be creative to put those groceries (the engine's in the back, remember?), and b. its layout made it far from easy to drive. And the latter is a big part of its appeal, as you had to really work to get the best out of it.
Link: https://www.carscoops.com/2018/10/rwd-renault-clio-v6-weirdest-hot-hatch-youll-ever-see/
That was one of my favorite cars in a lot of the racing video games I used to play. Love those things.
Quote from: giant_mtb on October 29, 2018, 09:51:09 AM
That was one of my favorite cars in a lot of the racing video games I used to play. Love those things.
GO-KART feeling, right? :praise:
Renault has a reputation in Europe for making some seriously fun hot hatches. Check out this video of Harry Metcalfe of EVO Magazine praising his Clio, which apparently could lose a Lamborghini Gallardo in the twisties... :lol:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTTI-aMKn60
I've heard these cars are very unforgiving to drive.
Quote from: 2o6 on October 29, 2018, 01:30:30 PM
I’ve heard these cars are very unforgiving to drive.
Yup. They're fantastic.
Quote from: Rockraven on November 01, 2018, 10:15:03 AM
Yup. They're fantastic.
Fantastic? Or troublesome? I mean I remember them being notorious for snap oversteer and being undrivable at high speed unless done by a professional.
Apparently, the facelift cars (2002+) are better to drive, and Porsche helped with a lot of that car.
Quote from: 2o6 on October 29, 2018, 01:30:30 PM
I've heard these cars are very unforgiving to drive.
That's true of most mid-engine cars.
They do sound great.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHi0bjocXTE
Some reviews. ;)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjcbCUaonuI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQe1lI43E6E
Quote from: MX793 on November 01, 2018, 10:53:48 AM
That's true of most mid-engine cars.
Short wheelbase, softly spring cars with a high center of gravity triply so.
Snap oversteer will always be considered a "manly" flaw amongst the convalescent race driver crowd.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on November 02, 2018, 06:48:09 AM
Short wheelbase, softly spring cars with a high center of gravity triply so.
Snap oversteer will always be considered a "manly" flaw amongst the convalescent race driver crowd.
Convalescent? As in, they're recovering from injuries from prior snap oversteer?
Quote from: Laconian on November 02, 2018, 02:14:04 PM
Convalescent? As in, they're recovering from injuries from prior snap oversteer?
Yes
I was always a fan of these in the Gran Turismo games. Especially the Phase 2, which was much less prone to, you know, spinning and putting you into a wall.
Quote from: Raza on December 22, 2018, 02:34:16 PM
I was always a fan of these in the Gran Turismo games. Especially the Phase 2, which was much less prone to, you know, spinning and putting you into a wall.
I could never get it to handle right. I just remember understeering or spinning. Yes, it was attracted to walls.