Red-hot Renault Clio Renaultsport R.S.16 set for Monaco GP debut ~ station of gear

Renault Clio Renaultsport KZ 01 leaked pick

Pics leak of a hardcore version of the Renault Clio Renaultsport hot hatch that’s expected to debut at the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix

2016-05-22 16:00

It’s looking increasingly like the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix on May 29th will give us a chance to see more than two fast Renaults. Alongside the Renault Sport F1 team’s entrants in the race itself, the signs are that there’ll be a hot new Clio Renaultsport road car taking to the track too.

Pictures leaked on a Greek website appear to show the new hotter version of the Renaultsport Clio in full, while Renault itself has released a teaser image on Twitter promising, “a surprise is awaiting for you at #MonacoGP”.

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Decals visable on the car in the images suggest it might be called the Renault Clio Renaultsport R.S.16 in hommage to the current Renault Sport F1 car. Reports also indicate that it could be built in limited numbers of up to 500.

It may use an uprated version of the Renaultsport Clio’s 1.6-litre turbocharged engine with a significant power boost over the version of that unit used by the Renaultsport Clio 220 Trophy. That would take the KZ 01 up to the 250bhp barrier but reports in France suggest that the car might even share the 2.0-litre turbo powertrain from the Megane, which develops 271bhp in its most powerful guise. The use of the Megane mechanicals would also raise the possibility of a manual gearbox in a current generation Clio Renaultsport for the first time.

The exterior of the Clio Renaultsport R.S.16 has certainly been extensively tweaked compared to the standard hot Clio. The large roof spoiler at the rear is an obvious addition as are the aggressively pumped-up wheel arches, fog lights modeled on the Renaultsport badge and various other details.

We won’t have long to wait before we find out more about Renault Clio Renaultsport R.S.16, if it does indeed follow in the footsteps of the Renault Alpine A110-50 concept and Renault Twin’Run Twingo concept in making its debut with a parade around the Monaco circuit. Watch this space for all the latest news.

What do you think of the new hardcore Renault Clio Renaultsport R.S.16? Let us know in the comments…

Steve Walker

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