THE RENAULT SPORT MÉGANE R26.R IS ABOUT AS EVO as it gets. Sure, out there, in the wider population, with their unfathomable blind spot for great roads, loveable cars and enthusiastic driving, the notion of a two-seat-only hatchback is an absurd one. A chocolate teapot. Expensive when new, the R26.R is an anathema to the masses who view cars as mere transport, with an inevitable dearth of appreciation for ageing, stickered-up French hatchbacks.
You, of course, know differently. You know it's a giant-killer even to this day, some 16 years after its launch, and that it encapsulates everything that made a generation of machinery from its maker the standard bearer for relatively affordable performance cars. What you might not know is how the R26.R came into being, and how unlikely its birth looked at the time.
Although he's too modest to admit it, much of what we love about those Renault Sport cars and indeed the Alpines that have followed - can be attributed to Jean-Pascal Dauce. The French engineer joined Renault back in 1991 (see My Life & Cars, evo 274) and Renault Sport in 2000, his first project being the Phase 2 Clio V6. As he explains, Renault Sport tended to have one engineer lead the concept phase of a project, sometimes then switching to another to bring the car to production, followed by a different engineer to lead the developments over the model's lifecycle. In the case of the RS version of the Mégane II, it was JPD who took over at the lifecycle stage.
'We were not 100 per cent happy with this car at the start,' he recalls, 'because it was a bit of luxury and a bit of sport. Some people were saying, "A Clio RS we know what it is, but a Mégane RS we don't know. What are you standing for?" And two or three topics we were not very comfortable with, especially the electric power steering. So the car as launched was not perfect, let's say.'
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 2024-Ausgabe von Evo UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 2024-Ausgabe von Evo UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
RENAULT SPORT MÉGANE R26 R
It's possibly the greatest hot hatch ever made, but it took true dedication and extreme measures to create it. This is the story of how the Mégane R26.R came to be
THE ART OF THE ESTATE
Fast estates have always been cool, but today they can take many forms. We pitch Peugeot's updated hybrid 508 PSE against Skoda's more conventional but equally compelling Octavia vRS
HYBRID WORKING
Bentley's new Continental GT will be its most powerful and most advanced road car to date. A drive of a pre-production example provides our first taste of its new V8 hybrid powertrain
THE LONG GOODBYE
After powering Bentleys for more than 20 years, the magnificent W12 engine has finally ceased production. We go for a farewell drive in the model where it all began - and look forward to the new Crewe generation
A DESIGN FOR LIFE
As a star of the very first issue of evo, Audi's design icon is a car entwined with this magazine's history. But now it's no more. We drive an early Mk1 quattro alongside a late Mk3 RS to find out if it enters retirement with grace
BACK ON TRACK?
After the slightly under-achieving M4 CSL, could the new M4 CS be the sweet-spot in the M3/M4 range?
FAMILY AFFAIR
Thirty years ago, the McLaren F1 set new benchmarks with its speed and purity; now Gordon Murray's latest supercar, the GMA T.50, promises to do the same. We drive them back to back
Aston Martin DBX707
Much-needed interior overhaul, plus other mid-life updates, ready the DBX for its second act
Radical SR1 XXR
Radical's entry-level racing car has been re-released in enhanced XXR guise. We find out just how good it is in the most revealing way - by racing it
VW Golf R
The Mk8 Golf R has never really wowed us. But can the Mk8.5 change all that? A drive in a prototype version provides some clues