If there's one criticism to be levelled at the excellent
Renaultsport Twingo 133
, it's that the chassis could always handle a little more power. But of course, a faster Twingo risked upstaging the more expensive Clio Renaultsport, and so a Twingo Trophy or similar has never materialised. A stiffer Cup chassis is the extent of it.
What the current Twingo 133 looks like...
Step forward renowned Renault tuners K-Tec Racing and its '163' package. It takes the Twingo's K4M 1.6 from 133hp to 165 (or 163 of your brake horsepower) and torque from 120lb ft to 142lb ft. With power and torque peaks delivered at 7,000 and 4,250rpm, it's clear the 133's rev-happy, eager nature most definitely remains.
K-Tec's 163 upgrade comprises three parts; a stainless steel exhaust system, uprated cams and an ECU remap. The exhaust includes a new manifold and 3.5-inch tailpipe but also comes with an 84db noise rating at 4,500rpm so it won't infringe any track day noise limits. Very thoughtful K-Tec, thanks.
The more aggressive camshafts come from Cat Cams and are said to offer significant increases in lift and outright duration without the excessive lumpiness at idle associated with some aftermarket items. The remap is there to calibrate the fuelling and such like with the new components.
...or go used and retrofit the kit
Because of the thorough nature of K-Tec's Twingo 133 upgrade, it doesn't come cheap. The transformation from 133 to 163 certainly sounds riotous fun, but £2,625.60 is a whole heap of cash for a car that's now available from
just £4,000
around £11,000
Are prospective buyers really likely to spend such a significant percentage of their initial outlay on tuning a junior hot hatch? The word from K-Tec, as you might expect, is yes. It has already sent out DIY kits to customers, as well as fully fitting the 163 upgrades at its Dorset base.
And why has it taken so long? Well, because Cat Cams are a Belgian company, K-Tec had to wait for sufficient demand in Europe for the camshaft upgrades to be developed.
Maybe a Clio Trophy instead?
Furthermore, it says many customers wait until their car is out of warranty to undertake serious changes, plus cambelt changes are often performed if the cams are changed, so it again makes sense on older vehicles.
The kit can be divided into the exhaust system (£1,186.80 fitted) and the camshaft/ECU tweaks (fitted for £1483.80 with a new cambelt) if the full 163 spec if too costly.
However, the bigger issue is perhaps that £2,625.60 actually buys a good Clio 182, the car the Twingo will always remain slightly in the shadow of. Up the budget to £5K and the delightful 182 Trophy becomes available. Still, we can hardly turn our noses up at a Twingo with 157hp per tonne so, if a 163 is available, we would really, really like to try one!