Most fast car enthusiasts would be more than happy
to have the high-performance Renault Megane RS Trophy in their garage. Thanks to 300 PS and up
to 420 Nm of torque from a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder
engine, the French hot hatch is able to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in
5.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 260 km/h.
Obviously, it’s not only fast in a straight line.
The standard Cup chassis, Torsen mechanical limited-slip differential,
four-wheel steering, and uprated brakes ensure that the Megane RS Trophy shines
on twisty mountain roads and race circuits alike. All that sounds great, but if
Renault Sport’s history taught us something it’s that previous Megane RS
generations offered even more hardcore versions of the Trophy, focused on
breaking Nürburgring Nordschleife lap records. That’s likely what these spy
shots show us, a Trophy-R version of the latest Megane RS.
First of all, it features a vented
bonnet with a big bump in the middle that may or may not hide a scoop. Then
there’s the red wing in the front bumper that reminds us of the previous Megane
RS 275 Trophy-R, which also had its wing painted red. The fact that the center of the
wing is covered by white tape is also a strong clue since on the predecessor
model, that’s where the “Trophy-R” lettering stood. Also at the front, the
standard Megane RS’ multi-reflector LED lights in the bumper are gone, allowing
the engine to suck in more air.
Viewed from the side, this hardcore Megane RS Trophy
prototype features a lot of white camouflage material on the doors that we
can’t really wrap our heads around. We can only assume the white material is
there to conceal the red accents Trophy-R models typically get. The
track-focused alloys and uprated brakes with perforated front discs complete
the exterior changes.
As for the interior, spy photographers couldn’t
take a look, but the exterior shots do reveal a red steel bar where the rear
seats should be. The absence of a rear bench confirms our assumptions about
this prototype being the Megane RS Trophy-R. It remains to be seen whether
Renault Sport will give the hardcore model more power, considering that it will
be the lightest in the lineup.