Renault Clio Williams | PH Private Area
Perhaps Renault's most iconic hot hatch is now 30 years old - time to mark the occasion
There’s a very strong case to be made for Renault to be named the greatest hot hatch builder ever. Its legacy is unrivalled, from mid-engined, rear-drive rally cars to a trio of Nurburgring record breakers. Short of a four-wheel drive mega hatch, Renault did it all, from city slicker pocket rocket in the shape of the Twingo 133 to stripped out specials like the Clio Cups. And, credit where it’s due here, it looks like that expertise should survive the transition to electric, certainly if cars like the new 5 EV and Alpine A290 are anything to go by.
Even in that illustrious back catalogue, however, the Clio Williams stands out as a hero of the breed. It’s now 30 years old, too, in case we needed any more reason to celebrate it. Back when hot hatches were enjoying something of a slump, the Willy was a beacon of hope. Times could have been better, the competition stronger, and the blue-and-gold Clio would still have been the cream of the crop. That’s just the Renault way.
You’ll likely know the story now, but a brief reminder if not. The Williams was built to fulfil homologation requirements for Group A and Group N rallying, back when the French manufacturers were mildly obsessed with building front-drive rocketships to embarrass the 4WD stuff on tarmac (see also: Peugeot Maxis). For that, 2,500 2.0-litre cars would have to be built. Starting from a 1.8 16v, Renault absolutely went to town on the little Clio - as is also the Renault way. To make an F7R engine from an F7P, the Clio got bigger valves, new pistons, cams and conrods, a lightweight exhaust manifold and a stronger crank as well as being bored and stroked for the larger capacity. Power was 150hp at 6,100rpm, with 126lb ft of torque at 4,500rpm, with 85 per cent from 2,500rpm. The Clio Williams weighed 981kg, which almost feels a misprint now.
Making a rorty hot hatch of the Clio proved a huge success; to the chagrin of those collectors who thought they’d got one of very few special editions (just 400 right-hand drive cars were allocated here originally), a Williams 2 and Williams 3 followed and 12,000 were eventually made. Though fundamentally the same car, it’s those originals that are now most highly prized, and that’s exactly what we have here.
Resplendent in Metallic Sports Blue (the only colour for the first two batches; the Williams 3 was Monaco Blue), this Williams is a really, really early one - car number 30. It’s 29 years old in 2023, has been with the current owner for 13 years, and in storage for the best part of a decade. Which doesn’t sound ideal for anyone hoping to jump back in and relive a misspent youth, but this one has undergone a chunk of work for its MOT, with lots of big jobs done that the next owner won’t have to worry about.
They include (but aren’t limited to) a new cat, a new cambelt and water pump, a new radiator and some welding to deal with the inevitable bad bits of bodywork. With 130,000 miles under those gorgeous gold Speedlines, this Williams won’t ever be a concours one, but it does look very, very good. Exactly the thing to drive and enjoy as one of the hot hatch heroes, a reminder of just how good Renault is at this sort of car. Don’t be surprised, either, if it’s even more covetable as the electric hot hatches come on stream…
SPECIFICATION | RENAULT CLIO WILLIAMS
Engine: 1,988cc, four-cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 150@6,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 126@4,500rpm
MPG: 30ish
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 1994
Recorded mileage: 133,000
Price new: £13,275
Yours for: £16,000
As said, rear arches rust a lot and you can't get spare arches any more, thankfully the fronts are plastic.
Nice novelty that got loads of attention but by the time I had driven mine home I was over it and sold it again fairly quickly.
What I will say though is that I believe you could make a case for the Williams being the best looking hot hatch ever. With the blistered arches, bonnet vent, Speedline wheels, blue paint, it just looks brilliant. The proportions are just right, the stance is good. What a great looking little car.
That said, though only 9-10 years /50k miles old at the time, my parents’ brand new basic Clio showed what a difference fresh suspension makes.
Sold it for a Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo, which was slightly cheaper for a considerably faster car at the time (…and, as an aside, those were in hindsight probably the best of days for style and speed with an incredibly modest outlay in today’s terms). Fastest FWD car of the time, coachbuilt by Pininfarina, for £4,600!!
The 80’s and 90’s produced the best era of cars imho, no excessive size, or weight because bureaucrats want to account for morons who step in front of speeding cars, little in the way of expensive tech to go wrong, and cars that were fun without being monumentally powerful or fast.
I remember my first new car, a Mk2 XR2 in 1984 was fun even though it had 96bhp, ditto the subsequent RSTurbos I had (132bhp) and even a 3dr Cosworth and an RS500 (204 & 220bhpiirc); modern ‘small’ hot hatches would leave them for dead but I k ow which I’d enjoy most.
Rose-tinted specs? You betcha…
Suddenly, from behind comes the noise of a powerful engine being worked hard. I glance in my mirror and see a then-new Clio Williams speeding past the line of traffic, the first I've seen in the flesh. As it approaches the junction, the driver pulls hard on the handbrake and flicks the car left, scurrying away in a blur of blue, gold and tyre smoke. The rest of us, including the Police who are marshalling the recovery of a broken-down car, are speechless, marvelling at the driver's Ragnotti-esque driving skills and audacity.
These things certainly make an impression.
To be fair, the Sunny was a great car and one of 24 UK cars in red. One I wished I had never sold.
On a separate note, was it even pitched as a fast car when it was in production? I assumed the whole point of it was down to handling rather than speed.
A Williams 3. At the time I managed to get some discount and paid a bit over £14k.
I’d sold my low miles PAS equipped 205 1.9 in order to fund the purchase. I got around £7k for that at the time. In know way did I ever feel the Clio was ‘twice’ the car the 205 was. Despite being 20bhp down, the 205 also felt just as quick. And it had a better gear change.
I sold it after 6 months. Always thought they were massively overrated.
As said, rear arches rust a lot and you can't get spare arches any more, thankfully the fronts are plastic.
Nice novelty that got loads of attention but by the time I had driven mine home I was over it and sold it again fairly quickly.
How times change !
The Clio still looks good today. Always wanted a 16v but at the times (when they were new) I just couldn't afford the insurance on top of the purchase price.
You know, like those two little girls killed by a Defender the other week, were they morons ? Or the countless people hit by people who have been drinking ?
Imagine if you hit someone, posts like that could really come back to haunt you, or if someone you know gets hit, would you send them a "Get well soon, moron" card ?
At the time, I didn't really get the hype. Until he took me out in it. That thing handled like it was on rails, it hugged the road and the engine just loved to sing at the red line.
It felt like a proper go kart and after that passenger ride, I 'got' what the car was about.
I would love one, in this colour combo only.
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