Cancelled 86... This instead...
 

I canceled my order for a GTS about six weeks ago. I just lost interest to be honest, because while fun to drive it didn't push any buttons in the styling department, nor the grip stakes. I wanted a car that still had practicality to go with that track prowess. There weren't many options that ticked both boxes, not even Volkswagen. They just aren't good enough on the track.

So what an I taking delivery of next week?







This...

A Renault Clio RS200 Red Bull.

One of only 35 that came to Australia. I'll post a few more details after collecting the car on Tuesday.

not bad!

Nice score - I wouldn't have even known these existed.

How does it go?

Mate of mine had an RS200 for a few laps around the nurburgring and enjoyed it thoroughly.

also what's the difference between this and a regular RS200? love the accents. though not too sure on the chequered roof.

You chose that over the 86 based on styling? Wow...

To each his own, of course! Probably a super ride!

Nice! What's that worth?

I'm sure this is a great car and one of only a few in oz does make it special and unique. Still its a hot hatch and not for me.

I know is a pain to wait for the 86, I wait eight months myself. Sure for the track it's not yet as quick as some but it the first year of production and there are many more things on the way for the 86.
I look forward to getting my 86 just the way I want it.

Congrats on your new car I hope you enjoy every minute.
thanks for sharing.

Cheers

Congrats! Bring it to one of the meets. I'm sure everyone would be keen to have a closer look. =D

Yes I did. I've never liked Japanese cars design. I was buying the 86 for driving, not the way it looks. The Clio still is the best hot hatch and performance wise punches way above it's weight. It's a little more hard edged than the Megane.

The other draw card was exclusivity. Less than 150 Clio are sold in Australia each year and just 35 Red Bull models came to Australia. I'd be surprised if I ever see another one.

The Red Bull is a Cup chassis with the black 18" wheels, yellow mirrors, front vent and rear diffuser, yellow Recaros, and Red Bull Racing badges. They were built to celebrate winning the 2011 F1 constructors championship.

Power comes from a 147.5kW 2 liter engine. High compression and high revving up to 7,900rpm. Brembo brakes and RenaultSport tuned chassis and suspension. Not many people know this, but its actually built by RenaultSport, not Renault. RenaultSport are the largest motorsport operation in the world.

Oh shit!! This makes me want the MR Clio (u know what I'm talking about)
Awesome car!! Congrats!! More pics please :D

Nice choice!
I am waiting for an 86 GTS MT
Currently drive a 2006 Renaultsport Clio RS182 Cup
It's faster in a straight line (0-100km/h in 6.9) and has more mid-range punch & grip than the 86 I drove
Gave serious thought to the Renaultsport Clio & Megane, but went with 86
I am sure you'll enjoy the Clio
They're awesome cars

Same price as a GTS, give or take.

same power, same capacity... So the engine is nothing toooooooo special?? Similar compression and cam profiles to the FA20 I would pressume?? Power delviery similar?
So in a straight line it will be similar, maybe a little quicker if it is lighter, but it is FWD.
Sure, it has better brakes and "racing tuned suspension", but that's easy on an 86 too.
Congrats on the new purchase, but I just don't get it.

Jelly.

America has a pretty crappy car line up compared to Europe and Asia. :(

I blame a shitload of regulations and import taxes for our cars

Only 35 in the country. If it's a car you already like and they have a very special edition I can see how this would guide your purchase away from the twins.

Yea its already hard to get in on the twins in a decent time frame so people are going to plan B. Fair enough. That Clio looks very nice. He should have good fun with that. But I will wait it out for my 86. 27 DEC they say. :burnrubber:

You don't have to "get" it. Its an out of the box track car with more space and a bigger boot. Its easier to get in and out of and I prefer the styling over the 86. I'm not trolling by posting this. The 86 isn't the game changer some people thought it was. There were already cars in the market with great performance at this price point, and with better practicality.

now you're trolling :laughabove:

isnt the game changer people thought it was? its still the only RWD car you can buy that handles this well for anywhere near the money.

Its already started to clean up the COTY awards out there and will probably continue to do so for the rest of the year.



You bought a diff car, you're not gonna get the excitement about it on here. Maybe try EST. ;)

*for the record i think the Megane RS etc are great lil cars.. just personally not a fan of the clio.. still too bubble car-y for my tastes.*

or the reliability/resale of french cars, but hopefully the redbullness combats some of that for you

I'd also looked at the Clio and Megane before putting my deposit down. Great performance and internal trim, but I just couldn't dig the bodywork.

Nonetheless, congrats on your purchase! I think you're right in your guess that you won't see too many of them rolling around - very unique.

Interesting choice in them defaulting to black paint; given it's a RBR commemorative car they had the perfect opportunity to paint it in that midnight blue which may have boosted it in the collectable stakes.

Its a pity to hear you pulling the plug on 86 GTS, but you made a wise choice in choosing Renault Clio RS

Congrats M0nty :thumbup:

But, there's no rear wing... I thought Red Bull gave you wings?!

You're right. The last bit was. But the point was that you don't have to dedicate yourself 100% to one particular brand/car. I've owned an Evo, DC5R, VE SS and now a Renault. I ousted here because I'm a member and thought people would appreciate something other than an 86. I actually think the Clio and 86 share a very similar concept. Fun, small cars with the focus on the driver. It doesn't matter that one is front drive and the other rear. Fact is most people can't even feel the difference, much less understand how to drive them properly.

In relation to COTY, of course it was going to clean up. It certainly had its own market sewn up this year. Lets see what others do now.

YUK ! Would have preferred a Meganne Sport Coupe Cup Trophy, but still 86 over anything else :thumbsup:

not wanting to wait is understandable.

saying the 86 is not as/or more stylish than a clio... ehh idk.

Really Sam? How is the 86/BRZ not a game changer? Its the only affordable RWD Car on the market besides a Holden or a Ford. They have also proven that people want an afford Rear Wheel Drive Coupe.

But great buy! Keen to check it out also been a fan of the RenaultSport stuff. They really know how to make a hot hatch!

Now that would have been seriously awesome. Might even have swayed me in wanting to purchase one. (Not that I even knew about them until now so I might have had to cancel my 86 order)

Congrats on the purchase and I'm sure you will get just as much pleasure as the 86 owners here.

It's a great car Will. No doubt. But cars like the GTI will continue to out sell it by some margin. Its has given enthusiasts from all demographics a car that is attainable. I personally think the GTI changed cars more than this has. What the 86 did was give manufacturers a wake up call. I bet they're all tripping over themselves to come up with their own versions right now. We know Nissan are.

Styling is matter if opinion. We both have one if those.

Agreed. I'm actually really surprised they didn't use the blue.

The RS265 Trophee is about $7k more. Quicker, but nowhere near as much raw fun.

Awesome!

I really love the RS clio/megane... I seriously thought about a S/H Megane RS250 instead of the 86... But the GF is going to get one next year instead, so it works for me. I'll get to play with both.

Keen to hear how it goes for reliability... I've heard some bad stories but it's probably just internet bullshit - just like how the RB26DETT is unreliable in the R32 :wankwank:

I'm happy for you I genuinely am you seem to have found just the right car to suit your needs but.. couldn't disagree more.

You would be surprised how many people come into my work thinking the GTI and Scirocco are rear wheel drive or don't even know the difference in drivetrain set up on different cars. Its funny the elitist mentality from rear wheel drivers when it comes to this stuff. "it's all about the purity of it all bla bla bla".

Its true that in an ideal world rear wheel drive is better, but there are many great front drive cars on the market too.

You're right - the GTi changed the motoring landscape. Past tense.

You then go on to say that the 86 is giving the other manufacturers a wake up call, who are scrambling to emulate it. Sounds like a game changer to me.

Also, don't equate sales volume to impact on the motoring market. The Beetle sold 21 million units, but that doesn't mean we're all punting around with rear mounted engines, does it.

I think you made a great choice!

I was torn between this and the Megane RS.
Even after putting my deposit down on the BRZ i kept thinking i made a big mistake haha.

Only a couple of things sent me to the BRZ, first was the RWD, second was Renaults reliablity.

But i drive past a RS250 every day and drool..
I look at them how others look at my BRZ haha.
and i keep seeing a satin red Clio and it looks soo tough!

Which has still changed the game, especially in the aftermarket scene.

I am also guessing your selling more DSGs then another else? Thats the reason why there is such a large demographic buying GTIs. Most don't know that all they are buying is a European Corolla. Only recently after the MK5 did VW start to get popluar.

The price and popularity of the 86/BRZ has really made other car makes re think how they are going to price or rather its worth going back into the RWD Coupe market. Yes most don't care what drives the wheels but some enthusiasts do. I am glad Toyota and Subaru had the balls to go back to basics and not build something around technology or out right power.

as much as i love the renault sports models (i really really like them), i just can't get myself to buy one.

the main reasons are the horror stories with maintenance and resale price. the strange driving positions don't help either.

i hope Renault can build up a following with these and sometime in the future i can actually buy one. i must say if i'm living in Europe now i'd definitely be driving one.

Nissan S16 hrm.....:D