2011 Renaultsport Mégane 265 Trophy

Ahead of its world debut next weekend at the World Series by Renault, Nurburgring meeting in Germany, the French marque has unveiled its fastest ever road car, the Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy.

Priced in the UK at £27,820 on-the-road, the new Mégane Renaultsport flagship arrives ready to take the fight to its VW Group rivals, including the Golf and Scirocco R stablemates, with a 15hp hike on the current Mégane Renaultsport, plus an extra 20Nm torque.

Naturally, as a result of its greater power compared to the standard 250hp versions, it boasts improved performance statistics. The newcomer dispatches 0-62mph in six seconds exactly (instead of 6.1), with a top speed of 158 mph, up by an extra 2mph. In everyday driving, its 360Nm is usefully available across a broad rev band between 3,000 and 5,000rpm. Its impressive power-to-weight ratio is 191hp per tonne.

To achieve these gains, Renaultsport’s wizardry has seen the engine’s maximum turbo pressure uprated to 2.5 bar, up by 0.2, together with the air intake being revised to take account of the higher pressure and running temperatures.

n the UK, the latest addition comes based on the Cup chassis version, but also adds, unsurprisingly, even more core equipment, including Recaro seats with yellow seat belts and detailing, Renaultsport Monitor on-board performance tracking and a UK numbered plaque. In keeping with its focused nature, there is just a single option, a gloss Renault i.d. Diamond Black roof at £415.

As part of its enticing price, new owners of the 265 Trophy also gain free access to the full 2012 Renaultsport UK trackday calendar, worth around £650, giving them the opportunity to revel in the track-bred qualities of the ultimate roadgoing Mégane Renaultsport around some of the country’s finest circuits, including Brands Hatch and Silverstone.

In keeping with its enticing performance, the 265 Trophy boasts distinctive looks. In the rare moments when it is being driven sedately enough to be glimpsed, the top-of-the-range Mégane Renaultsport will be instantly recognisable through its striking combination of gloss black 19″ Speedline alloys with red rim, high-performance Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tyres, ‘Trophy’ red decals on the F1-style front blade and doors, and LED daytime running lights. Adding to its sense of visual drama, the 265 Trophy welcomes the return of Liquid Yellow i.d. metallic paint, reborn from its original use on the Clio Renaultsport 182 and V6 255, and latterly on the R26 and R26.R. Black metallic paint is the only other colour available, which, set off by red highlights on the car’s decals and alloy wheels, is likely to be sought after by for those seeking one of the most menacing, stealth-like hot hatches around.

In its reinforced armoury, the newcomer also features new Formula 1-inspired high-performance Bridgestone Potenza RE050A as seen on a plethora of the world’s finest sports cars and supercars. Their asymmetric, directional tread pattern and the form of its tread blocks provide outstanding grip, stability and acoustic comfort, regardless of conditions. Indeed, the outer part of the tread is similar to racing ‘slicks’, while the inner section is modeled on F1 wet-weather tyres.

Elsewhere, the new 265 Trophy retains the essence of the Mégane Renaultsport’s award-winning recipe, including the critically acclaimed Cup chassis (stiffer springs, dampers and anti-roll bar and grooved brake discs), mechanical limited slip differential, Brembo brakes, as well as the innovative PerfoHub independent steering axis front suspension set-up, which virtually eliminates torque steer.

The new Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy is available to order from 20th June, priced £27,820 on-the-road, with first deliveries in late July 2011. In addition to aggressive pricing, exclusivity is assured for the flagship Mégane, through a limited production run of only 500 examples worldwide, 50 of which are destined for the UK.

In Detail

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