RenaultSport past to inspire turbo future? July 18, 2009
Posted by richard in : Technology , trackbackRENAULT’S Clio RenaultSport 200 was destined not to get the turbo its torque profile needs back in 1988.
That’s when Renault announced a major change for its hot hatch engine policy.
See, up to then, turbos had ruled for the Regie. The maker was one of the first in the arena, with the brilliant Renault 5 GT Turbo. In Phase 2 guise, it even found out how to stop them going on fire.
But, come 1988, and the launch of the 140bhp 1.8-litre 16v, all that turbo expertise (garnered, remember, from bringing us F1’s first-ever turbo unit) was consigned to history.
For the hot Clio, due in the early 1990s, there was to be no GT Turbo version. Instead, we’d get a 16v version. (Which, admittedly, was brilliant. Mesmerising, in 2.0-litre Clio Williams form. I’d lose teeth to own one today.)
What was the first car to show off this new 16v engine? The now-forgotten Renault 19 16v. But it’s not by me: as a kid, I used to walk the dog on a special route, just so’s I could go past a red one, with that idolised ‘16v’ badge on the boot.
Those cars back then had one key advantage over today’s, though. They were light. Today, though, cars are much, much heavier. So, 200bhp the latest Clio may well have, but unless you’re on it, vigour is hard to spot. The power has gone up, but the torque needed to hit this sweet spot hasn’t.
It needs a turbo, to zizz up this lower end, and help you reach the good times quicker. That’s what we’ve become used to nowadays. That’s why the Vauxhall Corsa VXR is a bit of an animal.
And that’s why, I’m sure, Renault will eventually turn back time.
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