When news came out that Seat had taken the throne as the fastest FWD production car around the Nurburgring, we knew that Renault is not going to sit back for long. And not long after that, the French car manufacturer came out with a teaser video, giving a glimpse of what they will use to reclaim the title.
And pushing the Seat Leon Cupra 280 down from the top is Renault’s new Megane RS 275 Trophy-R where the updated Megane lapped the Nurburgring in a speedy 7:54.36. With a lap time 4 seconds quicker than its opponent, the Trophy-R had undergone a number of upgrades to achieve the sub 8 minute lap time.
For starters, the car is almost 100kg lighter than the Megane RS 275 Trophy and it comes as standard with the Cup chassis, pumps out 275-horsepower from the 2.0-liter petrol engine, an Akrapovic titanium exhaust system, Ohlins Road & Track one-way adjustable dampers with composite springs and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.
Rear seats have been ditched out and the driver and front passenger sit on Recaro Pole Position polycarbonate monocoque seats, shaving down a further 42kg from the car’s weight. More weight-shaving moves can be found under the hood where the usage of the lithium-ion battery saves 16kg while the revised 350/28-diameter steel and aluminium discs puts away another 3kg.
On the outside, the Trophy-R gains a new two-tone color scheme, a Trophy-R branded F1-type front blade, chequered flag graphic in Vif Red, and 19-inch Speedline alloy wheels which are available in black or red.
