Rare Renault Megane R26.R Is A Hot Hatch That Thinks It’s A 911 GT3

Renault has serious form when it comes to building hairy hot hatchbacks, from the Audi Quattro-chasing 5 Turbo of the early 1980s, to the most recent two-seat Megane RS Trophy-R with its carbon wheels.

Slotting in between is the 2008 Megane R26.R, an example of which is pictured here, and happens to be up for grabs on auction site Collecting Cars – though you’d better hurry as the auction ends on Wednesday night, March 4.

Not familiar with the R26.R? Imagine a hot hatch that thinks it a 911 GT3 and you’ll be on the right lines.

Taking the already capable Megane R26 as a base, Renaultsport’s engineers ditched the back seats, swapped the side glass for plastic, and replaced the steel hood for one made from carbon fiber. A titanium exhaust, sticky Toyo tires and full harnesses were optional.

The changes removed 271lb (123kg) of ballast resulted in a curb weight of just 2712lb (1,230kg). So even though Renault didn’t mess with the 227hp turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, the R26.R still cut 0.5sec from the standard R’s 6.5sec 0-62mph (100km/h) time.

But the R26.R was all about the corners, specifically the corners at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The Megane’s 8m 17sec lap time made it the fastest front-wheel drive production car to lap the ‘Ring, and Renault fitted a sticker on the rear side window to let everyone know.

We had a chance to drive an R.26R back to back with the Mk2 Ford Focus RS and a then-new Mk6 Golf GTi on the Nordschleife and the Renault was on another level altogether.

Renault planned to build 450 cars at the old Alpine factory in Dieppe, and initial demand was strong, particularly in the UK. The plaque on this car’s console tells us it’s one of 230 right hand drive cars earmarked for the UK, but that’s not strictly true. The late 2000s global financial meant only 159 cars actually made it to the UK, of which the car pictured here is one.

First registered in 2009 and having covered only 48,194 miles since, this three-owner car is finished in Gris Makaha and Nimbus grey. It’s received a few choice upgrades, including a Milltek exhaust, short-shift linkage and uprated brake rotors, plus a remapped ECU to liberate a few extra horses, though how many is unclear.

These cars cost £22,990 in the UK when new, but at the time of writing bidding on this car had reached almost £19k ($26k), and the R’s cult status means it’s likely to stretch further before the virtual hammer falls.