Renault Clio RS 220 Trophy Becomes Fastest Small Hatch At The ‘Ring With 8:23 Lap

The quest to build the most potent hot hatch will seemingly never

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by Brad Anderson

December 14, 2015 at 18:04

The quest to build the most potent hot hatch will seemingly never end with Renault just announcing that it’s Clio RS 220 Trophy pocket rocket has become the fastest B-segment car to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Sitting in a class below the Honda Civic Type R and RenaultSport Megane R.S. 275 Trophy-R, the Clio RS 220 Trophy competes against the likes of the Audi S1, Open Corsa OPC and Mini Cooper JWC. 4

With Christian Gebhardt behind the wheel, the editor from Sport Auto, the brand new hardcore Clio lapped the famed circuit in just 8 minutes and 32 seconds. Such a time puts it 3 seconds ahead of the Mini Cooper JWC, eight seconds in front of the Opel Corsa OPC and makes it nine seconds brisker than the S1.

The time is also particularly impressive as it is 36 seconds ahead of the ‘regular’ Clio RS 200 EDC and just 38 seconds behind the Megane Trophy-R, the former world record holder for fastest front-wheel drive car around the ‘Ring, prior to the new Civic Type R taking the title.

Power for the range-topping Clio comes courtesy of a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine delivering a total of 220 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to an overboost function, that torque figure can reach 207 lb-ft.