25 of Renault’s Greatest Performance Hits

Whilst, today, Renault predominantly occupies itself with producing small hatchbacks and crossovers, the brand has an illustrious reputation for building some of the finest performance cars ever produced – both for the road and the racetrack.

However, with the recent unveilings of both the mad 5 Turbo 3E and the ultra-special Alpine A110 Ultime, it appears that the love for making fast cars has well and truly returned – and, to celebrate the fact, here are 25 of the Greatest Renault Performance Hits.

In the early years of his company, Louis Renault used motorsport as his primary marketing strategy. However, by 1902 the competition was beginning to heat up as cars became increasingly more powerful.

Therefore, Renault’s racer, the Type K, which had previously been equipped with a DeDion-Bouton-sourced powerplant, received an all-new, Renault-designed four-cylinder motor that was good for 24bhp. The updated Type K made the most of its new engine, storming to victory at the reputable 1902 Paris-Vienna race, and completing over 800 miles (1300km) at an average speed of 39mph (62.5km/h).

The 40CV was a luxury model built by Renault during the early 20th century; unveiled at the 1910 Paris Motor Show, and sold from 1922 until 1928, it was a primary example of European automotive exuberance from the period. In certain forms, the 40CV had a 9.0-litre engine, weighed over 2500kg and measured 5 metres in length. Not exactly the ideal basis for a performance car, then.

Well, the 40CV did, incredibly, enjoy success in motorsport. It famously scored a win for Renault at the 1925 Monte Carlo rally, and a heavily modified 1926 example, known as the ‘NM’ (pictured), broke several speed records in period.

In 1955, Renault replaced their best-selling car, the 4CV, with a new model called the Dauphine. However, after a series of rally wins in 1956, Renault were motivated to build a faster version.

Developed in collaboration with engineer Amédée Gordini, Renault unveiled the Dauphine Gordini in 1961. Admittedly, this ‘performance’ version didn’t really possess much performance – 0-62mph (100km/h) took 27 seconds – but it was significant nevertheless, proving to be the first model to sport the now legendary ‘Gordini’ name. The most sought-after version is the 1093, which was a homologation special with 55bhp, and only 2140 units were ever built.

The next Renault to sport the ‘Gordini’ namesake was the humble 8. This model is arguably the most synonymous with the name today, thanks to its iconic twin white stripes and unusual quad-headlight setup.

The R8 Gordini offered a significant step on from the Dauphine; while it shared the rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout, the R8 ‘Gorde’ produced 95bhp, or nearly double that of a standard Renault 8. In 1966 it was updated with a 1.3-litre engine and a five-speed gearbox, allowing for a top speed of 108mph (175km/h) – a serious figure at the time.

Next up came the 12 Gordini, which was radically different to the R8 ‘Gorde’ that it replaced – not least because the engine and driven wheels were located at the front of the car rather than the back.

Renault aimed to make the 12 Gordini as light as possible; for instance, the seats were simply made of fabric stretched around a tubular frame structure. It also made a respectable 116bhp, which meant a top speed of 115mph (185km/h); although the incredibly cool stripes probably made it even faster still...

Now, strictly speaking, the original Alpine A110 – unveiled in 1961, and put into production in 1962 – wasn’t really a Renault, as at that point the two companies were unrelated. However, Renault became majority stakeholder of Alpine in 1973, which also happened to be the most important year for the A110, so it more than deserves to be here.

1973 was significant because it marked the year that an A110 won the very first FIA World Rally Championship, beating the likes of Porsche and Lancia to the title. The little Alpine had a 140bhp four-cylinder engine, making it pretty underpowered compared to rivals; however, with its tiny ‘Berlinette’-style fibreglass body, the A110 weighed in at just over 700kg wet. This made it incredibly agile, allowing Alpine-Renault to dominate the rally scene.

Another incredibly significant car, the A442B was responsible for winning Renault the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In collaboration with Alpine, the A442B was entered into the Prototypes World Championship in 1975; but victory at La Sarthe in 1978 would prove to be its greatest achievement. Driven by Didier Peroni and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud in tough conditions, the six-cylinder, 500bhp racer achieved 220mph (360km/h) on the Mulsanne Straight before taking the chequered flag in first place, in front of a home crowd.

In the 1979 Formula 1 World Championship, Renault made history with the RS10, which became the first turbocharged F1 car in history to win a race.

Up until this point, turbochargers hadn’t really been taken seriously in the sport due to reliability issues, but the RS10’s maiden victory set the trend for decades to come. The victory in question was at the 1979 French Grand Prix, and the 530bhp RS10 was both pole-sitter and race-winner at the hands of Jean-Pierre Jabouille. Teammate Rene Arnoux bookended the podium by finishing the race in third.

After such turbocharged success in motorsport, it was only a matter of time until turbo technology trickled down into a Renault road car. While the lesser-known 18 Turbo, a 110bhp saloon, was the first road-going Renault to be equipped with a turbocharger, the car that followed is now the stuff of automotive legend.

In 1980, Renault decided that what their best-selling family hatchback, the R5, needed most was a 160bhp mid-mounted, turbocharged four-cylinder engine, as well as outrageously wide rear arches and a superhero-spec red and blue interior. But, the idea went down rather well; and the R5 Turbo was born. It proved an instant hit, spawning fire-breathing rally variants that made up to 350bhp, while also becoming a formidable road car in the process. They are incredibly sought after today, alongside the R5 Turbo II that came along shortly afterwards.

However, a hot version of the Renault 5 that won’t cost you the same today as a large house deposit is the 5 Turbo GT. Made in far greater numbers than its older, more powerful brother, the Turbo GT still deserves to be seen as a hot hatch hero in its own right.

The Turbo GT was a much more conventional example of a hot hatchback than the original R5 Turbo; the Garret-turbocharged engine was at the front, rather than in the middle, and produced enough power to concern a Golf GTI rather than a Porsche. Over 160,000 examples were produced; although, like many hot hatches from the period, there sadly aren’t many still left around today.

One of the highlights of Renault’s Formula 1 history was the 1993 World Championship season. Behind the wheel of his innovative, Adrian Newey-designed Williams-Renault FW15, French Formula 1 legend Alain Prost won seven of the 16 rounds in 1993 to claim his final of four World Championship wins. The Anglo-French team also secured the 1993 Constructor’s Championship, rounding off a season to remember.

Renault’s role within the team was as engine supplier; and the engine in question was rather special. Specifically, the ‘RS5’ 3.5-litre V10 that Prost had at his disposable produced 750bhp while revving to 15,000 rpm, despite only having to move a car that weighed little more than 500kg.

However, the Renault-Williams partnership far exceeded the boundaries of just Formula 1. In 1993, Renault wanted to produce a variant of their latest hatchback, the Clio, that could be homolgated for FIA Group A and Group N rally regulations; with the help of the Williams Formula 1 team, they came up with the Clio Williams.

While a performance version of the Clio did already exist in 1993 with the 16V, the Williams took things a step further. It recieved a torquey new 2.0-litre engine that produced 150bhp, as well as new front and rear wings to reflect a wider track, new suspension and brakes,  a set of gold Speedline 15” wheels, and a lick of either ‘Sport Blue’ or ‘Monaco Blue’ paint depending on the year it was built. They proved a great success, and, once again, are hugely desirable today.

In 1995, Renault decided to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the humble Espace in style. However, it just so happened that their idea of ‘style’ involved combining their resident people carrier with the 800bhp, 3.5-litre V10 from the Williams-Renault FW14-B.

What resulted was an Espace that could complete the 0-62mph (0-100km/h) sprint in 2.8 seconds, and hit 194mph (312km/h)…while still seating four. The 40-valve V10 was mid-mounted, and the comically-proportioned body was built around a bespoke carbon fibre chassis. Unsurprisingly, the Espace F1 never went into production…

Displaying a major departure from the type of car that Renault were known for building, the 1996 Renaultsport Spider had no ABS, no traction control, and some examples didn’t even have a windscreen. However, the lack of creature comforts made this exotic sports car very light, at just 790kg. It also marked the first appearance of the ‘Renaultsport’ name.

Unfortunately for the Spider, while it shocked at Geneva upon its unveiling, it was totally overshadowed by the Lotus Elise, which employed a similar lightweight philosophy but was significantly less expensive to buy. As such, only 1726 examples of the Spider were ever built.

Undoubtedly the craziest Clio ever made, the Clio V6 was unveiled in 2001. Based around a similar set of principles as its distant ancestor, the R5 Turbo, the Clio V6 sacrificed its rear seats in favour of a mid-mounted engine. However, unlike the R5 Turbo, the Clio gained two additional cylinders in the process, bringing power up to 227bhp (rising again to 252bhp in the Phase 2).

A body kit with impossibly wide arches and two gaping air intakes on either side of the car was fitted, again mirroring the R5 Turbo; however, a short wheelbase combined with the power meant that the Clio V6 also gained a bit of a reputation when it came to the driving experience. But, who cares? Just look at it…

However, while the V6 sat atop the Clio II range, it was almost twice as expensive as the other, less exotic performance variants that Renault also offered at the time; and, whisper it, these were actually the better cars to drive. Arguably, the best of the bunch was the 182, which arrived in 2004.

Whilst they left the factory in many different guises, equipped with a confusing array of options and ‘Cup’ packs, the energetic, free-revving, 182bhp 2.0-litre 16V engine remained a constant across all examples. Plus, despite being well-equipped, the 182 was light; the heaviest examples still only weighed a fraction over 1100kg. They are brilliant, exciting cars that still won’t break the bank to buy – get one while you can.

However, a year later, the 182 Trophy arrived. Comfortably in the conversation for best hot hatch of all time, the Trophy was essentially a regular 182 Cup, but with some small but significant changes.

Only available for the UK market (if you ignore the 50 examples that were sent to Switzerland), 500 Trophies were built. They received Recaro bucket seats and a set of Speedline Turini wheels, which were mounted in front of what made the Trophy really special - a pair of motorsport-derived Sachs remote reservoir dampers, the like of which had never before been seen on a hot hatch. These changes allowed the Trophy to punch well above its weight in the performance car world – and isn’t that exactly what a hot hatch is supposed to do?

However, as it turned out, the Clio Trophy wasn’t the only success that Renault would enjoy in 2005, as the year would also mark the start of a brief but absolutely dominant period in Formula 1.

During the 2005 season, Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella drove the V10-powered Renault R25 to eight wins and 15 podiums, which was enough to secure the World Constructors’ Championship for the French team; Alonso also claimed his first World Driver’s Championship behind the wheel of his R25. Plus, the same two feats were also achieved the following season, too.

Such dominant success in F1 couldn’t simply go unacknowledged, so a special version of the Renaultsport Megane was built to mark the occasion. The resulting (breathe in) RS Megane 230 F1 Team R26 (and out) was already on the ‘hot’ end of the hot hatch spectrum, but Renault decided that it could be pushed even further still.

This led to the creation of the extreme Megane R26R, which left the factory with a full roll cage, lightweight bucket seats and a carbon-fibre bonnet, as well as a set of graphics that would cause even a GT3 RS to blush. It became an instant Autocar favourite, and in 2008 we said: ‘As a genuine driver’s car, the Renault Megane R26R has few rivals, and not just in the world of hot hatchbacks but at any level, at any budget’ – high praise indeed.

Going from the sublime to the ridiculous, this is the Twizy F1 – another example of a crazy idea that actually made it past the thinking stage in Dieppe.

This time, the little electric Twizy was the subject at hand, which in production form made a modest 17bhp. However, this figure rose to a slightly alarming 97bhp in the F1, which was achieved through the use of a Formula 1-style KERS system. The F1 also received a high-downforce kit, Formula Renault slick tyres, and, as if nearly 100bhp in a 500kg car wasn’t scary enough already, a distinct lack of doors…

In November 2012, Renaultsport and Caterham announced a join-project to create a lightweight sports car, which would be sold under both Caterham and Alpine namesakes. Understandably, this made a lot of people very excited indeed.

Well, development began, but a few years in, Caterham unfortunately pulled out of the project for financial reasons – but regardless, Renault committed to finishing the car, and in 2017 the A110 was unveiled. That turned out to be a great decision on Renault’s part, as the 250bhp, 1098kg A110 turned out to be a bit of a revelation; even today, it’s still one of the best sports cars on sale.

The RS Trophy-R will, in all probability, turn out to be the final performance Megane powered by a combustion engine – and what a way to bow out. Based on the RS variant of the fourth generation Megane, the RS Trophy-R was the spiritual successor to the R26R from 2008.

Emphasising a lightweight philosophy, the Trophy-R came with an Akropovic titanium exhaust, lightweight glass, no rear seats, and the only gearbox option was the lighter six-speed manual. Plus, for £12,000, you could even option carbon fibre wheels. All of this weight-saving meant a Nürburgring lap time that was some 37 seconds faster than the R26R – but it also came at a cost, as a fully optioned Trophy-R would have set you back £72,000 back in 2019.

Renaultsport has since been replaced by Alpine as Renault’s sole performance branch; and in 2023, they announced that their first hot hatch was on the horizon. This alone created enough anticipation, but the kicker was that the Alpine hot hatch would be, for the first time for Renault, electric.

However, the car in question – the Alpine A290 – is now with us, and we needn’t have worried; it’s great, and an undoubted return to the hot hatch formula we know and love. Available with up to 217bhp, and crucially weighing under 1500kg, the A290 proves that ‘electric’ and ‘fun’ can absolutely belong in the same sentence.

However, while a new chapter at Alpine is opening with the A290, another is closing, as the much-loved A110’s days will soon be numbered –however, Alpine are giving the model a proper send-off with the Ultime.

Based on the A110 R, but with an extra 50bhp (for 345bhp in total), as well as a new high-downforce kit, Ohlins adjustable dampers, AP Racing brakes and an uprated gearbox, the Ultime will be the ultimate version of the A110, and is limited to just 110 units. There is a ‘but’ here, though – a fully-optioned Ultime will cost £276,000, or over three times more than the R upon which it’s based.

This is the latest member of the Renault performance catalogue to get everyone talking: the gloriously retro 5 Turbo 3E. Unveiled as a concept in late 2024 as a homage to the original R5 Turbo of 1980, the Turbo 3E is loosely based on the new Renault 5 E-tech, but with some substantial visual and mechanical changes.

The pumped-up, widened body is made of carbon fibre, and has been converted from five doors to three, creating a silhouette that closely mirrors the original. Similarly, the Turbo 3E will be rear-wheel-drive, and have an electric motor situated in each rear wheel – a setup good for 500bhp. Intended as Renault’s halo car for the future, the Turbo 3E will be unveiled in production form this summer, and promises to carry Renault’s performance car legacy on for many generations to come.