RENAULT MÉGANE 275 TROPHY-R

Its singular focus makes the Trophy-r a no-brainer for Richard Meaden

IF YOU WERE TO NOTE DOWN ALL THE THINGS that would likely deter people from buying a car when it was new, yet ensure that same car would swiftly acquire iconic status in just a handful of years, that catalogue would pretty much describe the Renault Sport Mégane 275 Trophy-r.

Built by Renault Sport to set a new front-wheel-drive production car lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, it was more highly evolved than most homologation specials. Stripped of extraneous equipment and even the rear seats, but bristling with expensive, lightweight motorsport-spec parts, the Trophy-r made few concessions to comfort.

It was rare. Very rare, in fact, with just 30 out of 250 cars allocated to the UK. Adding the optional Nürburgring Pack (350mm front brakes and a lithium-ion battery) made it fearsomely expensive at just under £40,000.

It also wore a lairy set of decals and brightly coloured wheels, and if that didn’t draw enough attention the raucous soundtrack from the Akrapovic titanium exhaust certainly did.

Manually adjustable Öhlins dampers gave you the option to soften things off for road compliance (it was surprisingly comfortable) or ramp things up for track work, but to do so you had to grub around with your hands up in the wheelarches like James Herriot assisting in the birth of a particularly stubborn calf. And with 30 clicks of adjustment there was plenty of room for getting in a right old pickle.

But. This car was a statement. One that positioned Renault Sport at the top of the extreme hot hatch road-and-track performance tree. A 7min 54sec lap time around the world’s most demanding racetrack testified to its effectiveness and rewarded Renault Sport’s steely ambition.

Like many of these ‘special’ cars, the driving experience is both fabulous and flawed. Chasing a sub-8min lap time at the Ring meant a planted set-up that prioritised grip and poise over high spirits and closed-throttle waywardness – at least once the tyres were hot. That meant the Trophy-r was always a bit more prescriptive than playful, but the way it could up its game on road or track was pretty breathtaking. Now, as then, you’d need a certain degree of masochism to commit to a car that places its emphasis so fully on a 12mile loop of tarmac tucked amongst the pine trees of the Eifel. But therein lies its beauty. At least to those of us who get seduced by this stuff. One of the last truly analogue cars of its kind, the Trophy-r became a part of hot hatch folklore when it took the record.

How much store you put by these records will ultimately decide whether you ‘get’ the Trophy-r or think it’s a pointless exercise. I’m very much in the former camp, but whatever your view, this is a car that will continue to provoke discussion amongst those who know its backstory, and arouse curiosity in those who don’t. The most special of a very special breed, its icon-in-waiting status is both earned and assured.

‘IT BECAME A PART OF HOT HATCH FOLKLORE’