RE: Spotted: Renaultsport Megane R26.R
Discussion
robinandcamera said:
[...] then when they do go balls out with cars like the 26.R people don't actually get it and don't buy them and say things like why not buy an e46. So of course they are going to start making 5 door paddle shift cars as their sporty options 
Couldn't agree more. People say they want hardcore. Most don't. The will is often there in the engineering teams (and especially Renault Sport Technologies) to do these things but unless you're, say, Porsche doing a sublime RS model which you can afford to offset through oodles of profitable Cayenne and massively highly specced 911 sales then quite often the business case isn't there... Shame.
don logan said:
Those pics and that story have given me the horn!
I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
Crickey thanks (I think)! I think I sold my megane after it was a year & 16,000 miles old I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
we were doing a lot of ring trips back then!LaurasOtherHalf said:
don logan said:
Those pics and that story have given me the horn!
I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
Crickey thanks (I think)! I think I sold my megane after it was a year & 16,000 miles old I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
we were doing a lot of ring trips back then!I remember you from the last round of R26.R bashing because I remember that we've had similar cars like a CSL and I've had a Z3MC and 911s too!
I couldn't resist giving my two pennies' worth and adding a link to the Car Pool piece on my car:
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...
I started off not quite sure just what the R26.R was, potentially a compromised track car and a compromise hot hatch, giving the best of neither world!? What I discovered was an amazing handling and throttle adjustable car, with no need to make any excuses about it being Fwd. Look on it as an extremely practical track car, not a compromised hot hatch.
It's my only car, it's used all year round and left outside, and is driven on track 3 - 5 times a year. I don't know what else covers this brief for the money? Z3M / Z4M Coupe, E46 M3, Caterham and a 5dr WRX Scooby... I've had the car over 3 years and keep scratching my head on where to go next, but have settled instead for a stage 1 map from K Tec, giving 250bhp and 290 lb ft.
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...
I started off not quite sure just what the R26.R was, potentially a compromised track car and a compromise hot hatch, giving the best of neither world!? What I discovered was an amazing handling and throttle adjustable car, with no need to make any excuses about it being Fwd. Look on it as an extremely practical track car, not a compromised hot hatch.
It's my only car, it's used all year round and left outside, and is driven on track 3 - 5 times a year. I don't know what else covers this brief for the money? Z3M / Z4M Coupe, E46 M3, Caterham and a 5dr WRX Scooby... I've had the car over 3 years and keep scratching my head on where to go next, but have settled instead for a stage 1 map from K Tec, giving 250bhp and 290 lb ft.
Edited by Gavin Blackwell on Thursday 25th October 23:11
don logan said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
don logan said:
Those pics and that story have given me the horn!
I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
Crickey thanks (I think)! I think I sold my megane after it was a year & 16,000 miles old I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
we were doing a lot of ring trips back then!I remember you from the last round of R26.R bashing because I remember that we've had similar cars like a CSL and I've had a Z3MC and 911s too!
In case of interest...
R26.R - 5th in EVO's Top 100 greatest ever drivers' cars
http://www.evo.co.uk/features/features/240343/top_...
BBC Top Gear TV feature on Focus RS v R26.R (3 parts)
http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/focus-rs-vs-megan...
R26.R - 5th in EVO's Top 100 greatest ever drivers' cars
http://www.evo.co.uk/features/features/240343/top_...
BBC Top Gear TV feature on Focus RS v R26.R (3 parts)
http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/focus-rs-vs-megan...
LaurasOtherHalf said:
don logan said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
don logan said:
Those pics and that story have given me the horn!
I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
Crickey thanks (I think)! I think I sold my megane after it was a year & 16,000 miles old I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
we were doing a lot of ring trips back then!I remember you from the last round of R26.R bashing because I remember that we've had similar cars like a CSL and I've had a Z3MC and 911s too!
Maybe a 1M with big brakes for you next? (I can't get past the price though)
mattbvw said:
robinandcamera said:
[...] then when they do go balls out with cars like the 26.R people don't actually get it and don't buy them and say things like why not buy an e46. So of course they are going to start making 5 door paddle shift cars as their sporty options
Couldn't agree more. People say they want hardcore. Most don't. The will is often there in the engineering teams (and especially Renault Sport Technologies) to do these things but unless you're, say, Porsche doing a sublime RS model which you can afford to offset through oodles of profitable Cayenne and massively highly specced 911 sales then quite often the business case isn't there... Shame.
I haven't bought CAR magazine for sometime, though I saw a wonderful quote on the Audi A1 in there a while back, along the lines of 'a £20,000 interior with a £10,000 drivetrain'.
Sorry, I went a little off topic there.
don logan said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
don logan said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
don logan said:
Those pics and that story have given me the horn!
I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
Crickey thanks (I think)! I think I sold my megane after it was a year & 16,000 miles old I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
we were doing a lot of ring trips back then!I remember you from the last round of R26.R bashing because I remember that we've had similar cars like a CSL and I've had a Z3MC and 911s too!
Maybe a 1M with big brakes for you next? (I can't get past the price though)
TameRacingDriver said:
Why? Can't see what was wrong with what he said.
I can see the appeal I really can, but... at the end of the day, as fast and capable as it is, it is nothing more than a stripped out version of what was already available. It costs twice as much than the model its based on, which is probably at least 90% as capable anyway, but will make a far better daily driver.
£15K gets you into much more focused machines if thats what you want. Many of which will also sound better, as reportedly the Meganes sound s
t - although thats true of most blown 4 bangers.
It seems neither here nor there, but then it is rare, and I suppose that's what keeps the value up. Can't see the appeal personally.
You can level those comments at extreme versions of any car eg m3 csl, gt3 rs, rs500 etc. You have to doff your cap to the manufacturers for building them though surely? The R looks fabulous in white fooking mental in blue and performs at the outer edge of what was/is possible in a small fwd hatch. Floats my boat I can see the appeal I really can, but... at the end of the day, as fast and capable as it is, it is nothing more than a stripped out version of what was already available. It costs twice as much than the model its based on, which is probably at least 90% as capable anyway, but will make a far better daily driver.
£15K gets you into much more focused machines if thats what you want. Many of which will also sound better, as reportedly the Meganes sound s
t - although thats true of most blown 4 bangers.It seems neither here nor there, but then it is rare, and I suppose that's what keeps the value up. Can't see the appeal personally.
TX.
LaurasOtherHalf said:
don logan said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
don logan said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
don logan said:
Those pics and that story have given me the horn!
I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
Crickey thanks (I think)! I think I sold my megane after it was a year & 16,000 miles old I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
we were doing a lot of ring trips back then!I remember you from the last round of R26.R bashing because I remember that we've had similar cars like a CSL and I've had a Z3MC and 911s too!
Maybe a 1M with big brakes for you next? (I can't get past the price though)
I learned a lesson with Integrale EVOs and would really love another but unfortunately I can't have EVERYTHING!
Might take a while to find your next R but I'm always amazed how great condition / low mile cars suddenly come out of the woodwork!
mattbvw said:
In case of interest...
R26.R - 5th in EVO's Top 100 greatest ever drivers' cars
http://www.evo.co.uk/features/features/240343/top_...
Trouble is I dont trust the reviews in Evo as it seems that the 'best' cars also happen to be part of the editorial garage R26.R - 5th in EVO's Top 100 greatest ever drivers' cars
http://www.evo.co.uk/features/features/240343/top_...
LaurasOtherHalf said:
don logan said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
don logan said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
don logan said:
Those pics and that story have given me the horn!
I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
Crickey thanks (I think)! I think I sold my megane after it was a year & 16,000 miles old I've done 14k miles in mine and at least 10k of those have been in France and Italy, I kind of wish I'd bought an LHD R, particularly if you look at the prices of them in France!
we were doing a lot of ring trips back then!I remember you from the last round of R26.R bashing because I remember that we've had similar cars like a CSL and I've had a Z3MC and 911s too!
Maybe a 1M with big brakes for you next? (I can't get past the price though)
kambites said:
braddo said:
Buckets/harnesses and back seats are mutually exclusive (especially if not aftermarket).
They don't have to be, but it does make it a bit harder. Surely the harnesses will be anchored either:
- around the rear seat base (so the rear seats can't be sat on)
- around the parcel shelf (so rear seat passengers pop their heads between the harnesses?
)- to a harness bar (making rear access impossible and which the rear seat passengers would headbutt in a crash)
A car manufacturer would be leaving themselves wide open to litigation if rear seat passengers were somehow injured as a result of the front seat harnesses.
braddo said:
How could back seats possibly be useable when there are harnesses for the front seats?
Surely the harnesses will be anchored either:
- around the rear seat base (so the rear seats can't be sat on)
- around the parcel shelf (so rear seat passengers pop their heads between the harnesses? )
- to a harness bar (making rear access impossible and which the rear seat passengers would headbutt in a crash)
A car manufacturer would be leaving themselves wide open to litigation if rear seat passengers were somehow injured as a result of the front seat harnesses.
Well I suppose there's a few options - you could set it up so the harnesses aren't used when there's people in the back (have both kinds of seat-belt); you could anchor the belts to a bar up near the roof of the car so they're well above anyone in the back seats (or even have a bar that slides up to the roof for access, then down to the back of the front seats for use); you could make the seat-backs strong enough to be the anchor point themselves (not sure if that's legal?);...Surely the harnesses will be anchored either:
- around the rear seat base (so the rear seats can't be sat on)
- around the parcel shelf (so rear seat passengers pop their heads between the harnesses?
)- to a harness bar (making rear access impossible and which the rear seat passengers would headbutt in a crash)
A car manufacturer would be leaving themselves wide open to litigation if rear seat passengers were somehow injured as a result of the front seat harnesses.
I'm sure it could be done, if they really wanted to.
Edited by kambites on Friday 26th October 09:44
mattbvw said:
I love these things, admire the balls it took to do it and have always thought they would become the CSL, RS2, Clubsport, RS of their hot hatch era. Just wish I had one now!
All the original press cars together when new.
Memorable day in Snowdonia.
I have a similar picture taken near ZigZag Hill during a 6am Saturday morning Hoon!All the original press cars together when new.
Memorable day in Snowdonia.
We have hired an R26R for the past few years at various times on the N'Ring NS. They are fantastic cars for this type of driving and in the right hands embarrass a lot of much more expensive machinery.
As a DD I wouldn't bother, but as a track-day car you will certainly have lot's of fun with reasonable times too. That is if you can appreciate how well a sorted FWD car goes compared to a std RWD layout.
As a DD I wouldn't bother, but as a track-day car you will certainly have lot's of fun with reasonable times too. That is if you can appreciate how well a sorted FWD car goes compared to a std RWD layout.
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