Renault Sport has lifted the veil off of the race-going Clio Cup at an event held on the Paul Ricard raceway in the south of France. Aimed at aspiring pilots on a tight budget, the hatchback is scheduled to make its competition debut early next year.
The Clio Cup is based on the street legal Clio R.S. 200 EDC that bowed a week ago at the Paris Motor Show. Equipped with a slightly more aggressive body kit and a roof-mounted spoiler out back, it comes standard with all of the equipment needed to go racing, including a battery cut-off switch.
Pictures of the car's interior were not released but Renault claims that the Clio Cup is fitted with a welded roll cage, a single bucket seat for the driver and a digital instrument cluster. Â Shift paddles mounted behind the steering wheel are available at an extra cost.
Under the hood lies a direct-injected 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine which is fed with a turbocharger in order to squeeze out every last ounce of power. Linked to Renault's six-speed dual-clutch EDC transmission, the mill sends 220 horsepower and 199 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels via a ZF limited slip differential.
The racing class that the Clio Cup will compete in does not allow drivers to modify the engine or the ECU. To ensure that the rules are not broken, the engine will be entirely sealed and officials will check that the ECU is still running the stock settings before each race.
Like the road-going Clio R.S. 200, the Clio Cup will be built in the ex-Alpine factory in Dieppe, France. Pricing will be announced closer to the car's launch.
