Like all of us here at PH Towers, I like the new Alpine A110, but its £50k-plus price tag always seems a little steep to me. That is perhaps not saying much: most price tags seem a little steep to me, even those attached to a packet of crisps, but then I was born before the Boer war, and such money as I have is firmly tied up in my daughters' iPhone accounts.
Resorting to the past for something as entertaining as the A110, but at half the price, brings us face to face with the ruthless Renault Sport Spider. No wait, I mean the roofless Renault Sport Spider. This magnificently open confection was one of the first vehicles to issue from the Renault Sport portals, and was actually built in the Alpine factory in Dieppe.
The wacky Spider took its mid-mounted 150hp 2.0-litre 16-valve engine from the delicious Clio Williams and, with just 920kg of car to haul around, its performance was suitably lively - think 0 to 60mph in 6.5 seconds, and an eventual, and very windy, top speed of 131mph. It had a five-speed manual 'box driving the rear wheels, an industrial-strength, extruded aluminium chassis, a composite body - such as it was - with scissor doors and double wishbones all round. It was fast, nimble, grippy and fun.
Here of course you might be tempted to bring up the name Elise, a car so light by comparison it had to be tethered to the ground. I suspect Renault's reaction to the contemporary Elise at this time would have echoed that famous quote by Bing Crosby on Frank Sinatra. When someone said to him that singers like Sinatra only come along once in a lifetime he famously shot back: "Yeah, but why did it have to be in mine?"
Never mind. Whatever the virtues of the Elise, the Sport Spider doesn't lack for visual drama and a little tactile pleasure. With those enormous side air intakes, its looks are still head turning today, and its quick-flick (but unassisted, like the brakes) steering and immense grip are both still delightful.
Search the web for a Spider and you'll soon find one with legs. Once upon a time you could buy one for a lot less than the one we've found here, but considering only around 100 of them were imported to the UK you have to accept this is now a collector's car, and subject to the whims of the market. They cost £25,950 new in 1996, so perhaps this 15,000-mile example's asking price of £28,995 isn't so far-fetched. After all, it's still nearly half the price of an A110.
SPECIFICATION - RENAULT SPORT SPIDER
Engine: 1,998cc 4-cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 150
Torque (lb ft): 136
MPG: N/K
CO2: N/K
First registered: 1998
Recorded mileage: 15,000
Price new: £25,950
Yours for: £28,995
See the original advert here.
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