7 RENAULT SPORT MÉGANE R26.R

NOW IT’S BARKER’S TURN to declare the ‘greatest hot hatch of all time’ with the car that brought the sector plastic windows, half cages and no rear seats. A hot hatch minus the practicality, Renault Sport’s Mégane R26.R still remains the benchmark today, a decade on from its first appearance as the GT3 RS of hatches.

Its appeal runs much deeper than its lightweight fixtures and fittings, the mechanical changes and attention to detail forming a significant part of its charm. For marketing purposes, the R26.R was created to set a new lap record for front-wheel-drive cars at the Nürburgring – something that would normally set the alarm bells ringing. But we needn’t have worried because it soon became clear this was simply a means for the engineering team to get the car signed-off for production. So while it achieved its goal and remains an exceptional track car, the R26.R impresses even more on the road.

The delicacy and accuracy of its differential make it one of the best that has ever been installed between the front wheels of any car. The damping shames many a premium performance car for poise and body control, and few if any of its rivals have the grip and balance of an R26.R.

If Porsche did hot hatches…