RE: Renaultsport Megane R26.R | Spotted
Discussion
lord trumpton said:
plenty said:
lord trumpton said:
It's also a skill flattering car to drive fast!
Exactly. In an RS I feel like a hero. In a Lotus I'm reminded that I'm very ordinary.Just be quick witted in the wet!
I had a short drive of one of these in my early 20's. A friend of a friend had one and he told me to have a go. At this point in my life i had very limited experience of fast cars and took a few corners as if i was in my car and you could just tell it wasnt even at 40% of what it could do.
I kept getting told to take the corners faster by the owner but wasnt confident in doing that in someone elses 20k car i couldnt replace and quite quickly swapped back out of respect. He drove it a lot better and it was an awesome thing. It also had the optional titanium exhaust, it sounded strange but really good.
I kept getting told to take the corners faster by the owner but wasnt confident in doing that in someone elses 20k car i couldnt replace and quite quickly swapped back out of respect. He drove it a lot better and it was an awesome thing. It also had the optional titanium exhaust, it sounded strange but really good.
SidewaysSi said:
Get it properly set up by someone who knows what they are doing and you can drive them as hard as anything.
I've not driven an NA Lotus but I've no doubt that's true of NA cars. In a supercharged car, particularly in a V6, you'll be going so quickly that you have be very good indeed to feel comfortable driving close to the limit particularly in conditions that aren't dry and warm.I returned to hot hatches because I can drive them at 8 or 9 tenths and feel like I've still got a good margin of safety in doing so.
Water Fairy said:
I get it. You had one, you loved it, and I'm pleased for you. But.......... referring back to my original post, IMHO I cannot understand the idea of a 2 seater HH regardless of hoe good it is to drive. Out of interest hw much does a rear seat/ seatbelts weigh? Does it really make that much difference? If you could use this as a family daily then everything changes. They'd have sold more and they'd be cheaper 2nd hand possibly? Anyway without getting too deep into it I'm glad they exist but never my COT.
And I disagree everyone looking at the thread is interested in buying
Have you ever heard of the word "marketing"? Cars like this are designed to create a stir, to get people excited by a brand and hopefully help to sell the regular models. It doesn't have to make objective sense, or appeal to everyone, or even fulfill any particular criteria for its segment.And I disagree everyone looking at the thread is interested in buying
Just be glad it exists, because cars are only going to get more dull and formulaic.
SidewaysSi said:
Yep I can certainly see that. The right spec Lotus is not really a hard car to live with at all but I can see why you can just jump in the Meg and thrash it mercilessly in all conditions with little care.
The Lotus demands more concentration/skill to extract its highs which is good or bad, depending on one's viewpoint.
Controversial The Lotus demands more concentration/skill to extract its highs which is good or bad, depending on one's viewpoint.
Plenty of front-drivers require a good chunk of skill. All configurations have their challenges.1974foggy said:
It looks like a childs toy
That's a good thing. Don't we all want to feel excited like we did when we were little kids sometimes?Always thought of this car as the big brother to the R53 Mini GP. The mini rivalled the clio and the megane was in the class size above.
I've always reckoned Renault got the idea from the engineers over in germany, the GP came out in 2006, before that was there any 2 seat stripped out hot hatch specials?
I've always reckoned Renault got the idea from the engineers over in germany, the GP came out in 2006, before that was there any 2 seat stripped out hot hatch specials?
I think the Mini GP's an interesting parallel to these - another hardcore two-seat hatchback. The difference is no-one really questioned the absence of the Mini's back seats. Minis are small cars and their back seats are infrequently used, so their loss didn't seem that illogical.
Does anyone know why Renault chose to make such a hardcore hatchback out of the Megane, rather than the Clio? If you're going hardcore, surely the smaller form-factor of the Clio would be a more logical choice, assuming the drivetrain fits? I can imagine a caged, two-seat Clio would be a little hero, whereas the Megane looks like weirdly compromised family car...
Does anyone know why Renault chose to make such a hardcore hatchback out of the Megane, rather than the Clio? If you're going hardcore, surely the smaller form-factor of the Clio would be a more logical choice, assuming the drivetrain fits? I can imagine a caged, two-seat Clio would be a little hero, whereas the Megane looks like weirdly compromised family car...
autofocus said:
Hairymonster said:
Well it's down to 17k now
Wow that’s weird, it was £20k first, then down to £17k and now it’s up to £22k. All in the space of 24hrs NDNDNDND said:
I can imagine a caged, two-seat Clio would be a little hero, whereas the Megane looks like weirdly compromised family car...
A big part of the R26.R's legend is its Nurburgring time. A stripped Clio (as good as one of those would have been) wouldn't have been able to get anywhere close to that time.A quick google suggests both the Clio and Megane used the same turbo 2.0 engine. So why not do a caged, two seater, 230bhp Clio with plastic windows, rather than the Megane?
The only reason I can think is that the larger Megane platform might be more stable, but I'm sure the Clio could be lighter and possibly faster as a consequence.
I'm sure the R26.R is amazing to drive, and I'd be very interested to try one, but I think it'll always be a curiosity. I just wonder if the concept would have been taken more seriously when applied to a Clio instead.
The only reason I can think is that the larger Megane platform might be more stable, but I'm sure the Clio could be lighter and possibly faster as a consequence.
I'm sure the R26.R is amazing to drive, and I'd be very interested to try one, but I think it'll always be a curiosity. I just wonder if the concept would have been taken more seriously when applied to a Clio instead.
The Clio 197/200 ran the F4R 2.0 which was NA.
The Megane ran the F4RT which was pretty much the same engine just with a turbo.
I believe the reason they built the ultimate Megane rather than a Clio was due to production lines. The Clio 197 was about to become the 200, whereas the Megane II was coming to an end. They already had the R26 so why not make 450 more with less weight and a few trick parts.
Also from the press kit:
Mégane R26.R was developed with the intention of:
- offering customers who regularly attend circuit days with a model boasting an unmatched
price/performance ratio,
- creating an end of life 'collectors' version of Mégane Renault Sport,
- contributing to Renault's brand image.
The Megane ran the F4RT which was pretty much the same engine just with a turbo.
I believe the reason they built the ultimate Megane rather than a Clio was due to production lines. The Clio 197 was about to become the 200, whereas the Megane II was coming to an end. They already had the R26 so why not make 450 more with less weight and a few trick parts.
Also from the press kit:
Mégane R26.R was developed with the intention of:
- offering customers who regularly attend circuit days with a model boasting an unmatched
price/performance ratio,
- creating an end of life 'collectors' version of Mégane Renault Sport,
- contributing to Renault's brand image.
AmosMoses said:
They already had the R26 so why not make 450 more with less weight and a few trick parts.
Interesting and very plausible.Also worth noting that while hot Clios ruled the roost until the 182 Trophy, since then the “ultimate Renaultsport” has always been a Megane. The Clio 197 was deliberately offered with less power to avoid encroaching on the 225/R26’s toes. The mk3 RS Megane was revered and the latest mk4 RS and particularly the Trophy-R are getting lots of headlines while Renault have all but given up on the Clio as a performance platform.
jms1 said:
Water Fairy said:
This is about £12k too much as far as I'm concerned. Its good but not that good. No I haven't ever driven one but do I need to? Not in my opinion. It's a fwd hatch with no rear seats and no a/c etc. Zero practicality (which was always the point of a HH) sold as a toy. £20k gets a lot of toy/s. This is a Megane. I will never, ever get my head around the whole 2 seater hatch thing.
In short YES. Having never driven one explains a lot. You’re entitled to your own opinion, but at least get your facts right. Most people reading this article will actually be interested in this car and some might even be contemplating buying one. All R26.Rs had aircon; some however were optioned with climate control. The R26.R offers a level of driver involvement and composure, which is simply off the scale for the price.Edited by Water Fairy on Sunday 22 March 14:45
It is the working mans’ GT3 without a doubt and by that I mean it’s way more affordable and attainable for most people. This was one of the best driver focussed cars I’ve ever had the fortune to own. Spanked mine round the Ring countless times and had endless amounts of fun in it. Massive boot, aircon as standard, stunning Sabelt seats and 6-point harnesses, CF bonnet, lightweight plastic windows, R888 tyres and roll-cage - Hats off to Renaultsport for having the wherewithal to build this car in the first place.
I don’t normally comment on PH, but now and again some balance needs to be maintained by someone whose actually owned one of these cars. If anyone is looking at buying one of these they are utterly fantastic.
Edited by jms1 on Sunday 22 March 19:18
SidewaysSi said:
My issue with something like the Mégane does come back to the 2 seats. For the money, you are squarely in Elise territory.
And whilst the Meg is great to drive, it ultimately lacks immersion and challenge next to the Lotus. You can buy an Elise and learn it for years to come. With the Renault, you will master it very quickly.
Depends what you want in a car.
Whilst I somewhat agree, the Lotus will never just be as savage when you want it to be.... and savagery does alot for me... fealing those fronts digging in and just giving the car the full 90%... that's fun the baby lotus cannot replicate... It will "try" to kill you. And whilst the Meg is great to drive, it ultimately lacks immersion and challenge next to the Lotus. You can buy an Elise and learn it for years to come. With the Renault, you will master it very quickly.
Depends what you want in a car.
Lol.. at that point I would just grab an Exige and forget ever hearing of the Megane...
Anywho... that's why I could never just run one car... What would be ideal is if you have both...
If i just had to own one... at that money, it wouldn't be either....
Edited by MyV10BarksAndBites on Tuesday 24th March 12:08
MyV10BarksAndBites said:
want one... even more so now.... But I will never pay 20k for one....
Yellow for me please...
Then just pay £6k for a R26 and a few quid on mods. You'll actually find a yellow R26 for sale as well, unlike the R26.R of which only seven examples were made in yellow.Yellow for me please...
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