The first new-generation Gordini will be based on the Renaultsport Twingo 133, and be unveiled on 25 November 2009 at Renault's premier showroom on the Champs Elysees. The new car will be called the Twingo Gordini RS, and then a Clio Gordini RS will follow in spring 2010.
When & Who invented the "Gordini" name? Well back in 1964 when Amedee Gordini developed a rally car based on the Renault 8. The R8 Gordini finished 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th in the 1964 Tour of Corsica rally and two years later, the Gordini Cup one-make race series was established.
The Gordini cars will be priced above their Renaultsport siblings, but there won’t be any mechanical differences between the two brands. Both will share the same Renaultsport engines and choice of regular or Cup suspension setups.
'We’re not creating a substitute for other Renaultsport models. It’s something new. Gordini is for a chic sport clientele and not for purists,' said Eric Zuber, Renault's head of brand marketing and brand promotion. According to Zuber the Gordini cars will be 'more premium, chic and more exclusive.' There’s no indication yet about how big the price premium will be.
The Renault Sport 250 is arguably the hottest-ever RenaultSport Megane hatch. Two versions are available that is the Sport & Cup. The Sport costs more because of its higher standard equipment (climate control, electric leather seats, automatic lights and wipers and more), but the lighter Cup with its more aggressive chassis setup is the one for trackday regulars – and its lesser spec means it’s £1000 cheaper at £21,995.
Both variants of the Megane RS (that's short for RenaultSport) are fitted with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 250HP at 5,500 rpm and 340Nm of peak torque at 3,000 rpm. The six-speed manual gearbox completes the drivetrain propels the RS from o-100km/h in 6.1 seconds and the 1,000-metre standing start said to be covered in 25.7 seconds.
It’s a corker. The electrically assisted steering is much nicer than the previous generation Megane's, having a more progressive build in weight away from the straight ahead, seamlessly increasing its resistance in proportion to your efforts. The gearchange, too, is much improved. It still feels fairly long of throw, but the engagement feels tighter.
The standard 250 Sport comes without the CUp's limited slip differential, but its grip and the way it powers through turns could fool you into thinking otherwise – you can get on the power stupidly early, and the more power you feed in, the more keenly it pulls through the bend.
The engine lacks character (its just a flat roar of boost), and it takes a good 2500rpm to properly get into its stride, but it is still tractable from down low and it charges to its 6500rpm with impressive eagerness. That said, this chassis could easily cope with more. Read More
Car Enthusiast :
A chasm has hitherto existed between the spongy setup of Renault's regular output and the unyielding hardness of Renaultsport's versions - but the Sport RS250 gets the blend spot on. It's firm, but there's an underlying suppleness that prevents it from smacking into potholes and thumping back to ground over crests, yet all the while the body is kept firmly under control.
However, that composure - and the fact the cabin lacks drama - almost belies the savage nature of the way the RS250 gathers speed. The engine note doesn't help either, because at the peak of the rev range the four-pot turbo sounds boisterous rather than tuneful. However, aware of that, Renault has dialled in a loud induction noise that gets more prominent with a prod of the ESP button (aka Renaultsport Dynamic Management). Switchable between on, Sport and off, the button progressively sharpens up the throttle mapping and offers peak torque (251lb.ft) slightly lower in the rev range, as well as loosening up or turning off the stability nannies.
But because it puts all those horses down without a hint of anguish (thanks partly to a torque limit of 236lb.ft in first gear) the feeling can be one of a car perhaps lacking all the visceral edge you'd want. Rapid and composed, yes, but a little too sensible for its body kit.Read More
