While 'they don't make 'em like they used to' is becoming a more commonly heard adage in an increasingly homogenous automotive world, it arguably rings truer for the Renault Clio V6 than any other car. This is a vehicle that went out of production less than 15 years ago, and yet feels like it hails from another lifetime altogether. There hadn't been anything like it before (because the previous mid-engined hatches had much smaller motors), and there sure as hell hasn't been anything like it since; it didn't have any real rivals at the time, and sold in small numbers, yet Renault could see the worth in producing a second generation. It wasn't actually that fast, either.
If you need proof of how different automotive development was then and is now, compare this fast Clio and Renault's last pet project, the RS16. It looked extremely conventional by V6 standards, with an engine ahead of the driver and front-wheel drive, yet couldn't be committed to production. And there was five years of V6 production...
For those reasons and many more, the Clio was fairly guaranteed classic status in its own lifetime. There was the spiky, intimidating first version, followed by the more rounded and slightly faster second gen car. Being slower down a B-road than a contemporary 182 Clio didn't matter, because the V6 was wild, silly, and therefore incredibly cool. 'Junior supercar' is a hackneyed term, but with the engine in the middle, an appalling turning circle, an exotic noise and occasionally recalcitrant dynamics, the Clio fulfilled the criteria better than most to which the tag is attached.
Being expensive when new, rare and quirky, Clio V6 values were never going to be found on the floor, but they've certainly strengthened in the past couple of years. Now you'll need at least £20,000 to get in one (where four-cylinder Renaultsport Clios of the same era can be a tenth of that), and £25k (or more) for very good examples of either generation. Or you could spend more than twice that...
Yes, this Renault Clio is for sale at £60,000. Good sentence to write, that one. A 2005 car with just 479 miles, it's been in a private collection since new and has apparently only been used on the road four times. As such it's exquisite, Black Gold paint gleaming and interior factory fresh - there can't be a better one in existence.
Of course you couldn't buy this Clio to use it on the road, so the question is probably whether it can justify its place in another collection as a bonafide classic; a car that's for sale at similar money to a 911 GT3. Well, look at what it boasts that so many collectors are now clamouring for: naturally aspirated engine, manual gearbox, crazy looks, challenging dynamics and no chance of the same thing being made again. Perhaps the old 911 comparison isn't as daft as it may sound, the Clio fulfilling more classic criteria than expected from a humble hatchback.
It seems unlikely that the next owner will eventually sell their car for double the purchase price, but then the notion of a £60k Clio V6 probably seemed like lunacy in 2005 as well. So who knows what might happen. While one less mid-engined Clio on the road feels like a loss, it's barely ever been there anyway, and in 2018 there can't be a collection left which the V6 wouldn't suit - would it be in yours?
SPECIFICATION - RENAULTSPORT CLIO V6 255
Engine: 2,946cc V6
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel-drive
Power (hp): 255@7,150rpm
Torque (lb ft): 221@4650rpm
CO2: 285g/km
MPG: 23
First registered: 2005
Recorded mileage: 479
Price new: £26,995
Yours for: £59,995
See the original advert here.
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