The new Renault Clio Cup race car has been revealed ahead of the category’s 2014 season start, with the fourth-generation turbocharged hatch breaking a more than 20-year series tradition of employing naturally aspirated engines.
Powered by a Cosworth-tuned turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder, the front-wheel-drive Renault Clio Cup produces 162kW at 6000rpm and 270Nm at 2500-5500rpm – up from the standard Renault Clio RS 200 EDC road car’s 147kW and 240Nm.
Transmitting power is a Sadev six-speed sequential gearbox, which, while tied to steering wheel-mounted paddles as standard for both Eurocup and UK racing versions of the car, is also available with a floor-mounted gearstick.
Featuring a welded-in roll cage, adjustable ZF Race Engineering shock absorbers, adjustable axles and 17-inch Speedline wheels, the new 1065kg Cup car – 139kg lighter than the standard Clio RS – also carries over its base Clio’s Formula One-style front blade, rear diffuser, LED lights and twin exhaust pipes.
Replacing the previous Clio 197-based racer used competitively since 2006 – which followed the Clio Renaultsport 172 and 182 models and can trace its lineage back to the 1966 R8 Gordini Cup – the new Clio Cup gets a lower ride height and longer wheelbase than its predecessor.
The new track car also gets a brake package comprising 320mm ventilated AP Racing front discs with four-piston Brembo callipers, solid 260mm rear discs and a brake bias adjuster, as well as two tyre options depending on the racing category selected: Dunlops for the UK series, Michelins for Eurocup.
Inside, a Sabelt bucket seat and six-point harness joins a data acquisition system that uses the same software as the Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 3.5.
Priced at 39,900 euros ($57,000), the new Renault Clio Cup will be manufactured and assembled at the Alpine factory in Dieppe, France before taking on the track to race in its namesake series that began in the UK in 1991.
The 2014 Clio Cup calendar is yet to be announced.
