PH Carpool: Renault Sport Spider
When window shopping goes bad (...or should that be good?)
Alex, trapped in a Spider's web. Groan...
*****
"No doubt a large number of us have spent many a lunch break flicking through the pages of a motor mag, though this seemingly innocent time-killing exercise is responsible for my forking out a considerable sum on this little French beauty. Seemingly content with my humble 106 XSi, I stumbled across this particular example in the pages of Top Marques. Tempted by the attractive price tag and spurred on by fond childhood memories and fascination at this slightly bizarre Elise alternative, within days I'd committed myself to four years of finance. But it was worth it!
"Unleashed to an unsuspecting public at the Geneva Motor Show over 15 years ago, the Spider boldly launched the Renault Sport brand. Not one for playing things safe, Renault neglected to equip the Spider with any creature comforts; no roof, no windows, no heater, not even servo-assisted brakes, though thankfully for us Brits, cars destined for UK shores were blessed with a windscreen. For me it is this total lack of goodies, the back-to-basics concept, that give the Spider its almost unique appeal, especially when you consider that such a product emerged from a mainstream manufacturer. Thanks largely to these facts, ownership of the Spider has proven really quite uneventful in terms of annoying niggles and dramatic failures. Sharing its 150bhp power plant with the iconic Clio Williams, maintenance and servicing is reassuringly inexpensive.
"Twice has the Spider accompanied me on a continental adventure, the most recent of which saw us covering a distance of almost 3,000 miles passing through 9 countries and taking in some of the most spectacular Alpine mountain passes. With a third trip planned for this summer, the fun looks set to continue.
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I was at Renault when these came out, we struggled to sell them mostly because the Renault brand wasn't considered sporty and the car was less practical than a Caterham. I do like them for their basic appeal and rarity.
I never understood why the quoted 0-60 time was so high, given the reasonable power to weight ratio and (presumably) good traction from the drive-train layout.
How much do they trade for in the UK? I looked in the PH Classifieds and none for sale. Here in Switzerland I found a few but asking prices seem very steep (£28K), which can't be much different from their new price. I suppose rarity might be keeping the prices up.
Top marks for managing a European trip in one....not sure if that shows total commitment or a need to be committed....
Had a quick look over it, I'd never seen one in the wild before...
I think the back of the car looks slightly feminine, and also the interior looks very toy car, but i suppose that it has waterproofing properties... but that's not the purpose of this car, this is surely a driver's car just like an MX-5 or an Elise
/me likey
Real shame there aren't more about, I very occasionally have seen a yellow one at some shows, but can't even recall the last time that was.
Is yours stock or have you tinkered with it?
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