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WHAT THE ‘R’ IN RENAULT Sport Trophy-R actually stands for has never been totally clear. Given the model’s hardcore track focus, presumably, it represents racing, but for this latest version, it could equally stand for redemption.
The third-generation Megane RS has had a somewhat mixed reception; by any standard, it’s an exceptionally capable car, but some of the magic that made its predecessor one of the finest front-drivers ever to hit the road has been lost. Whether intentional or not, in broadening the Megane RS’s appeal Renault has sacrificed a little desirability in the eyes of the hardcore enthusiasts who made Australia the second-biggest Renault Sport market per capita behind only its French homeland.
The Trophy-R is Renault’s response. Its engineers have thrown everything they can at this hardcore, limited-edition hot hatch, in the process wrestling back the front-wheel-drive Nurburgring lap record from the Honda Civic Type R with a remarkable 7min40.1sec lap, a solitary second behind the likes of the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV and Porsche 997 911 Turbo. Just 500 will be built, with 20 of those making their way to Australian shores. Thirty of those 500 will be special Record Editions, equipped to the same standard as the Nurburgring hot-lapper with carbon-ceramic brakes and carbon-fiber wheels from Geelong’s Carbon Revolution, but just one example will come to Australia, to be sold at auction.
Denne historien er fra Annual 2019-utgaven av MOTOR Magazine Australia.
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Denne historien er fra Annual 2019-utgaven av MOTOR Magazine Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Ged Bulmer
THE ACCOMPANYING YARN WAS A RIB TICKLER, BUT THE SUITS AT PORSCHE DIDN'T SEE IT THAT WAY
Dylan Campbell
WE WERE LIVING THE DREAM. WE ALL WANTED TO WORK FOR MOTOR AS TEENAGERS
HONDA NSX
Honda's alloy missile - a friendly firecracker
TESLA MODEL S
Looking back on the automobile's iPhone moment | TESLA AIMS TO ELEVATE THE ELECTRIC CAR FROM INTRIGUING CURIOUSITY TO A VIABLE MEANS OF EVERYDAY TRANSPORT
PORSCHE 959
Weissach rethinks the supercar
PCOTY LEGENDS - 1996-2022
HOW THE ANNUAL QUEST FOR AUSTRALIA'S BEST PERFORMANCE CARS HAS DELIVERED A ROLL CALL OF EXCELLENCE
THE UNDEFEATED
HONDA'S FK8 CIVIC TYPE R IS OUR LINEAL CHAMP, WINNING EVERY MOTOR COMPARISON AS WELL AS BOTH PERFORMANCE CAR OF THE YEAR AND BANG FOR YOUR BUCKS. WE PAY OUR RESPECTS WITH A FINAL DRIVE IN THE END-OF-THE-LINE LE SPECIAL
THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE
IN A CULTURE OVERFLOWING WITH POSERS AND TRY-HARDS, WE FIND A HAVEN FOR THOSE THAT LOVE DRIVING ABOVE ALL ELSE
OPEN WIDE, SAY R
VOLKSWAGEN'S GOLF R LANDS IN AUSTRALIA AND IT ALREADY HAS THE SWAGGER OF A GIANTKILLER ABOUT IT. WE LINE UP SOME ASYMMETRIC ALTERNATIVES TO SEE IF THE GOLF HAS THEIR RESPECTIVE TALENTS COVERED
SING FOR YOUR DINNER
As the motoring world undergoes seismic shifts in focus, Rob Dickinson's vision for Singer remains clear