Currently reading: New Renault Megane RS Trophy-R: UK prices revealed
Standard version of Renault Sport's most hardcore hot hatch starts at over £50,000, with a flagship Nurburgring lap record edition commanding £72,000

Renault has revealed pricing and specs for the limited-run Mégane RS Trophy-R.  Just 32 examples are destined for the UK, starting at £51,140.

That price includes special Ã–hlins shock absorbers and an Akrapovic exhaust, alongside Brembo brakes, while a carbon bonnet and diffuser are part of a comprehensive weight reduction programme to offer increased performance.

It's far from the most expensive Trophy-R on offer, however. A £63,140 'Carbon wheel pack' variant is offered, which receives for Carbon Revolution alloy wheels, reducing unsprung weight by 2kg a corner.

Renault Megane RS Trophy-R 2019 review

That's not all, however. The most extreme version offered is the Nürburgring Record Pack, priced at £72,140. For that you get a car claimed to be the same spec as the car that set the hot hatch lap record at the fearsome German circuit. 

That includes sector-first carbon ceramic brakes, with large 390mm discs and golf finished callipers. A straight-feed dynamic air intake is also included.

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The new range-topper features the same highly tuned 1.8-litre turbo engine as the Mégane RS 300 Trophy, which produces 296bhp and 295lb ft of torque. The 0-62mph time drops 0.3 sec from the standard car to 5.4sec, while the top speed increases by 2mph to 163mph. 

Renault says that the Trophy-R is 130kg lighter, due to a weight saving programme led by Renault Sport, which developed the new model with the same approach taken on a racing car.

The Trophy-R is claimed to feature improved aerodynamics and a reworked chassis drive axles to boost performance. That maintains the ethos of previous generations of Trophy-R, which have been focused on extracting performance through handling and dynamics, rather than purely relying on power.

The model has also benefitted from development work undertaken by Renault Sport's partners; it features Brembo brakes, an Akrapovic exhaust, track-focused Bridgestone tyres, lightweight Sabelt bucket seats and Öhlins shock absorbers.

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Mégane RS has a chassis of remarkable deftness and balance that gives the hot hatch unmistakable class-leading potential

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Renault claims to have set a new front-wheel-drive production car lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife with a high-specced Trophy-R. According to Renault, the car lapped the 12.80-mile Nordschleife in 7min 40.10sec on 5 April, and also posted a time of 7min 45.39secs on the full 12.94-mile layout. It has previously been spied in action on the German race track.

The front-wheel-drive production car record at the Nürburgring was previously held by the current Honda Civic Type R, which lapped the track in 7min 43.80sec.

Read more

Nürburgring lap times: the definitive run-down

Renault Mégane RS 300 Trophy review

James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

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5cylinderT 31 July 2019

a mercedes A 45 s is way

a mercedes A 45 s is way nicer and its more powerful and its AWD and its a mercedes.

si73 31 July 2019

£72k for a nurburgring

£72k for a nurburgring special, wow that is steep, thing is there is nothing else like it, it's a limited run track special which has Motorsport engineering running right through its DNA, from what has been written about it there seems a to be a lot of engineering integrity to it as opposed to just a re map, lowering and throwing out the rear seats, it's competitors are the track day specials like the bac mono and Atoms and radicals etc. I reckon it'll sell but if they didn't restrict the numbers they would never shift loads.
jason_recliner 31 July 2019

Wow

72k is crazy!!!