Sipping from the Cup

The big ticket item in the Cup pack is the Torsen mechanical limited-slip differential, the standard car making do with an e-diff. In addition to that, there are revised springs, dampers and bump stops, Brembo brake calipers, and 355mm diameter front brake discs – an increase of 15mm compared with the previous generation Megane RS. The ‘bimaterial’ discs, which combine aluminium and cast iron, reduce unsprung weight by 1.8kg at each corner and improve brake cooling. Interlagos 19-inch alloy wheels round out the $1490 pack. Curiously, the Cup pack is only available on manual versions of the RS280, so no lap-time-shaving combo of flappy paddles and slippy diff.