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.'
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Esta historia es de la edición July 2024 de Evo UK.
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BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
