Renault Sport Clio 200 | Spotted
It seems old, fast Clios are getting more valuable by the day, but canny buys remain out there...
A perfect storm has formed to surge values of classic Renault Clios. Firstly, the Renault Sport brand, beloved in the UK by dedicated enthusiasts, is being retired in favour of the Alpine badge. And while the A110 is a wonderful sports car, with some fine heritage of its own, there probably isn’t the enthusiasm for an Alpine hot hatch right now that there once was for a Renault Sport one. Even with an electric Alpine pocket rocket not all that far off.
Add into all that the reverence that still surrounds Williams and the V6, plus now the 182 Trophy as well, and it’s no surprise that pretty much all the old 2.0-litre stuff is appreciating. The future is unknown and scary; much better to put hard-earned money, (however much it might end up being) into what is already known and loved.
Goodness gracious, though, it is a lot of money. A £20k Williams no longer really registers, but when there are 182s at £10k and Trophys approaching 100,000 miles for almost £15k, you know something’s up. Perhaps the rise of the Renault Sport Clio was inevitable, as the darling of the hot hatch and track day crowd that was also prone to being crashed, but current values can still seem a shock to those of us fondly recalling a good selection at little more than Shed money.
So why not try something newer? No doubt the Clio purists will deride the later 200 as portly and aloof against the old school, but these things are all relative; the 2009-on car was still F4R-powered, still screamed past 7,000rpm and still drove better than anything else that was available for a similarly small amount of money. Nobody will ever, ever accuse it of not being a proper Clio R.S., especially with the worthwhile tweaks it introduced to the gearing and steering (including the PerfoHub struts) to bring out the best in the close-but-no-cigar Clio 197. Let’s not forget what followed the 200, either - the turbocharged, auto-only, five-door-only Clio R.S. As the last of its breed, it would be no surprise to find the 200 coveted one day in the not too distant future.
This one looks good, a 2011 car with just 36,000 miles and the desirable Recaro seat option. It isn’t a Cup of any kind, which at its most committed meant a 36kg lighter Clio as well as a stiffer one, but there will be a whole host of options from the aftermarket for those wanting more edge. Which will probably cost less than getting some good Recaros. Anyway, it’s turned out nicely in rally-car-without-sponsors white, it’s had two owners for its 11 years and it has an advisory-free MOT (after an initial fail) until next May. There’s surely a lot of fun in store here for the next owner.
And it’s £11,500 before any negotiation, which doesn’t seem like loads in the mad world of quick Clios - even if it’s not an awful lot less than would have been paid in 2011. For a slice of old school French hot hatch genius with some modern usability baked in, it’s hard to think of much better. And you can thank us later if it’s worth just as much (or maybe a bit more) a few years down the line…
SPECIFICATION | RENAULT SPORT CLIO 200
Engine: 1,998cc, four-cyl
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 200@7,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 159@5,400rpm
MPG: 34.4
CO2: 195g/km
Recorded mileage: 36,000
Year registered: 2011
Price new: £15,750 (2009, Cup)
Yours for: £11,500
I also want to correct another endlessly repeated error - the 197 DOES have PerfoHub front suspension. ALL Clio 197s and 200s have it (apart from the R3 Maxi rally car). I don't know where journos have got this from, but it seems to come up every time these cars are mentioned.
There were some changes to the chassis over the years. The 197 Cup had slightly different spring and damper settings over the regular 197 (and also introduced the revised gear ratios that were carried over to the 200). The 200 brought slightly different dampers again, while the 200 Cup had a thicker front anti-roll bar (I can't remember if it was 1mm or 0.5mm larger, but not a huge amount either way). There was also a 7.5% quicker steering rack for the Cup, along with another set of spring and damper rates. The front top mount design changed in around 2010 too, but they were the same across all 197s and 200s prior to that. Revisions to the cylinder head account for the power difference.
The differences between the 197 and 200 are pretty minor in reality, and most of the parts are interchangeable. My 197 had 200 Cup dampers (on aftermarket springs). All of the bushes were refreshed from Renault, and all of the part numbers were the same between 197 and 200. I would be willing to bet that, if I had done the Pepsi challenge and put a journo into my 197 and told them it was a 200 Cup, most of them probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference, especially 10 years after it went out of production.
Buying one today, where many of them will be due a freshen up of the suspension, it really doesn't matter which model you buy, as you can just fit all of the most desirable suspension bits as you go. None of them are that expensive anyway.
Apart from that - you're spot on. I also might add that I've heard from multiple sources that a 197 has a sweeter top end than a 200 (sacrificing a small amount of bottom end grunt).
It drove amazingly on the road, quite stiff but handled bumpy B roads really well but found it disappointing on track, the lack of torque and weight held it back.
I'm now in a Megane RS250 Cup for £10000.
The sort of people paying £11.5k for a Clio 200 specifically want the best Clio 200 they can find and would be more likely to spend £20k on their Megane mk3.
Apart from that - you're spot on. I also might add that I've heard from multiple sources that a 197 has a sweeter top end than a 200 (sacrificing a small amount of bottom end grunt).
I think if I was buying one, I'd probably choose a 197 over a 200, as they tend to be a bit cheaper and, with the aforementioned need for a suspension refresh on most anyway, you can get the 200 suspension and still have saved some cash. I prefer the looks of the 197 too really.
Porsche 968 Club Sport, R26.R, 182 Trophy, Impreza P1/RB5...all canonised by journalists and worth big money as a result, when the reality is base models are 98% as good and with a few mods better.
It drove amazingly on the road, quite stiff but handled bumpy B roads really well but found it disappointing on track, the lack of torque and weight held it back.
I'm now in a Megane RS250 Cup for 10000.
The sort of people paying 11.5k for a Clio 200 specifically want the best Clio 200 they can find and would be more likely to spend 20k on their Megane mk3.
It's possible we've just been lucky. The box in particular doesn't crunch in the slightest although the permanent fix is only £800 or so now if that happens.
I'll probably put a new rad support next year as some corrosion but I might even powder coat the original.
It's possible that the previous owners have had all the issues too!!
The sort of people paying 11.5k for a Clio 200 specifically want the best Clio 200 they can find and would be more likely to spend 20k on their Megane mk3.
Conversely someone who pays 11k for a Megane 250 Cup will probably only want to pay 6-7k for their Clio 197/200. It's a different target buyer.
The past few years I've had a several high performance German cars all north of 400bhp the last being a M235i which turned out to be a huge disappointment, I decided I needed to scratch the N/A hot hatch itch as I'd never had a small hot hatch (closest being stage 2 Golf R) and after going for a ride in a friends 200 Cup i was sold, the BMW was gone within a week and I was on the hunt for a 200 Cup.
I purchased my 2011 with 75k on the clock for £6500 from a dealership 3hrs away in Peterborough, the drive home was an absolute blast and of course I chose the scenic route home via Matlock which truly offers some amazing drivers roads, an hour in to my journey I was fully in love with little French Baguette, the way it holds the road it truly amazing (even on the four odd budget tyres) and the thrill and feedback it delivers just blew my mind!
Its not been without its faults though, it had a very bad flat spot between 2000-3000rpm which almost felt like a misfire but after a quick search online and a quick look under the bonnet discovered the map sensor which plugs into the inlet manifold was loose which is a common fault, ordered an aftermarket bracket that holds this tight in place which instantly solves the running issues.
Next up is to swap the resonated miltek exhaust back to a standard one as its far too loud and obnoxious (i am 36 after all) fresh rubber then hit some track days!
Couple of pics below with our Recaro Mx5
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