This is essentially a makeover, rather than an upgrade – the only exception being the 18” ‘Interlagos’ alloy wheels, which are one inch larger diameter than the standard 200 wheels.

These are fitted with Bridgestone RE 050A tyres, as used on the Nürburgring record-breaking Megane Renaultsport 265 Trophy. Naturally, the acclaimed Cup chassis is standard featuring a lower ride height, stiffer springs and dampers, quicker steering ratio and red finish to the Brembo brake callipers.

The matt paint finish is contrasted by a gloss black finish to the roof, rear spoiler, F1-style front blade, rear diffuser and door mirrors, rounded off by more heavily tinted rear-side and tailgate windows and a limited-edition Raider badge.

Leather is used for the front Recaro seats, which are complimented by the zinc grey finish to the centre console and fascia inserts. Other changes include a white background to the rev counter and a numbered plate identifying the car’s sequence in the 50 unit production run.

Bluetooth, USB connectivity, automatic climate control and Renaultsport carpet mats are also fitted and customers can order their Raider with a no cost option of either Renaultsport Monitor – Renaultsport’s on-board telemetry system – or Carminat TomTom Live satellite navigation.

Order books for the Raider open at the end of October, when further details and pricing will also be announced.

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Although it was only officially confirmed this morning, development cars have been lapping the 14.7 mile circuit even quicker in testing. We understand the car was fitted with the standard road car’s Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tyres on the Trophy’s newly designed 19″ wheels, and that Renault development driver Laurent Hurgon set the time during the car’s second lap of the Nordschleife.

The Trophy comes fitted as standard with the Mégane 250′s Cup chassis, Recaro seats with yellow seatbelts and detailing, 19″ Speedline alloys in gloss black with red rim, standard Liquid Yellow i.d. metallic paint, ‘Trophy’ red decals on F1-style front blade and doors, LED daytime running lights, Renaultsport Monitor on-board performance tracking and an extra 15bhp (now 261bhp) and 20Nm of torque (now 360Nm).

The critically acclaimed Cup chassis (stiffer springs, dampers and anti-roll bar and grooved brake discs), mechanical limited slip differential is complemented by Brembo brakes, as well as the innovative PerfoHub independent steering axis front suspension set-up, which virtually eliminates torque steer.

No doubt we will hear more from Renault during the next few hours and we await the now obligatory video evidence, but it’s worth bearing in mind that just 50 of the 500 cars being made are destined for the UK with a sticker price of £27,820 on-the-road, so now might be a good time to pop down and get friendly with your local dealer.

Order books will open from the 20th June, with the first cars due to be delivered sometime around late July 2011.

Gallery

Well If you type ‘Trophy’ and ‘Renaultsport’ into Google, you’ll find that it refers to the car used in the Eurocup single-make racing series. So whilst the new Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy is clearly not a literal successor to the previous generation R26.R, Renault don’t just stick the Trophy label on their cars willy-nilly unless they carry some serious credibility on the track.

Mégane Trophy race car with Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy

To find out just how much credibility they attach to the new 265 Trophy, you’ll have to tune in on the 17th June when Renaultsport are expected to announce its lap time around Germany’s Nürburgring. We understand this to be around 8-9 seconds faster than the R26.R’s lap of 8:17, so no doubt this will silence any of the critics who might otherwise accuse Renaultsport of going soft.

Specification and performance

Whilst the 265 Trophy does without the R26.R’s hard-core options such as a race harness, roll cage and titanium exhaust, it still comes pretty tricked-out as standard with its Cup chassis, Recaro seats with yellow seatbelts and detailing, 19″ Speedline alloys in gloss black with red rim, standard Liquid Yellow i.d. metallic paint, ‘Trophy’ red decals on F1-style front blade and doors, LED daytime running lights, Renaultsport Monitor on-board performance tracking – oh, and of course an extra 15bhp (now 261bhp) and 20Nm of torque (now 360Nm) resulting in an impressive power-to-weight ratio of 191hp per tonne..

Naturally it’s quicker than the standard Mégane 250, although not by much. The 265 Trophy dispatches the 0-62mph sprint in exactly six seconds (instead of 6.1), with a top speed of 158 mph (up by 2mph) and the 1,000km standing start in 25.4s (down 0.3s). In everyday driving, its 360Nm makes the 265 Trophy usefully driveable across a broad rev band between 3,000 and 5,000rpm.

To achieve these gains, Renaultsport have increased the engine’s maximum turbo pressure to 2.5 bar, up by 0.2, accompanied by a revised air intake to take account of the higher pressure and running temperatures.

In its reinforced armoury, the newcomer also features new Formula 1-inspired high-performance Bridgestone Potenza RE050A as seen on a plethora of the world’s finest sports cars and supercars. Their asymmetric, directional tread pattern and the form of its tread blocks provide outstanding grip, stability and acoustic comfort, regardless of conditions. Indeed, the outer part of the tread is similar to racing ‘slicks’, while the inner section is modeled on F1 wet-weather tyres.

Elsewhere, the new 265 Trophy retains the essence of the Mégane Renaultsport’s award-winning recipe, including the critically acclaimed Cup chassis (stiffer springs, dampers and anti-roll bar and grooved brake discs), mechanical limited slip differential, Brembo brakes, as well as the innovative PerfoHub independent steering axis front suspension set-up, which virtually eliminates torque steer.

Prices and availability

The new Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy is available to order from 20th June, priced at £27,820 on-the-road, with first deliveries in late July 2011. This is quite an aggressive pricing strategy by Renault UK compared to its €35,500 starting price in France. The 265 Trophy will also be sold in Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.

In the UK there is just a single option, a gloss Renault i.d. Diamond Black roof at £415 which can be combined with Liquid Yellow i.d. metallic paint or Black metallic paint for the full stealth look. Elsewhere in Europe, the 265 Trophy will be available in a new Sirius Yellow paint finish as an alternative to Glacier White, Etoilé Black and Cassiopée Grey.

To make up for the fewer paint choices, Renault UK are also offering new owners of the 265 Trophy access to the full 2012 Renaultsport UK trackday calendar, worth around £650, giving them the opportunity to revel in the track-bred qualities of the ultimate Mégane Renaultsport around some of the country’s finest circuits, including Brands Hatch and Silverstone.

In addition to aggressive pricing, exclusivity is assured for the flagship Mégane, through a limited production run of only 500 examples worldwide, just 50 of which are destined for the UK. The car will be on show at the Renault Sport Day which forms part of the Renault Sport Enthusiasts Day programme at the Nürburgring, Germany, on June 17, 2011.

Gallery

The Trophy will be available with a new design of 19″ alloy wheel, more heavily bucketed sport seats and a new design of sports steering wheel. Power climbs by just over 10% from the standard car’s 246 bhp up to 271 bhp (275 PS) accompanied by an uprated suspension, although nowhere near as track-oriented as the R26.R.

From what we understand the Trophy weighs the same 1387 kg as the standard 250 and 250 Cup and will not be available with either a roll-cage or four-point harnesses. Despite this, Renault have chosen to launch the new model at a Renaultsport track day at the Nürburgring (Nordschleife) on 17th June, so perhaps they’ll surprise us all with something a little more hardcore.

According to TF1 France’s Auto-moto channel, the Mégane Trophy has already recorded a lap time around the Nordschleife of 8 minutes 9 seconds, which is 8 seconds faster than the lap achieved by the R26.R in 2008, so maybe we shouldn’t worry about Renaultsport’s commitment to the Trophy being a true successor.

We’ll bring you further news when we hear it, but we understand order books will be opening soon and the Trophy will be limited to just 500 cars worldwide, so its perhaps worth speaking to your local Renault dealer to get your name on the list.

Renaultsport produce the French company’s hottest road cars as well as organising its single-make motorsport championships including Clio Cup and World Series by Renault. The Megane R26.R, which has up until now been the quickest road car produced by the Dieppe-based team, set the hot-hatch lap record of the ‘ring back in 2008, with a time of 8 minutes 16.9 seconds.

Now according to a video released earlier today, the gloves are off and it’s time to show what its successor can do, in the shape of the Megane 250.

The video is choreographed with 3 important scenes to watch out for; firstly a shot where the R26.R leaves the screen as the R250 enters, secondly some moody black and white scenes of the Renaultsport engineers preparing the car for its optimum lap time and thirdly the video finishes with a view of Renault’s new RS Monitor iPhone App, quickly covered up by an engineer to hide the lap-times.

Note: Renaultsport’s development driver, Laurent can be spotted wearing a fresh race suite with ‘R26.R’ stitched into it, which would seem to imply that the R26.R moniker will continue to be used on Renaultsport’s quickest model, rather than something more evolutionary such as R250.R.

According to the Renaultsport website, the team are finalising its setup prior to the reveal (and presumably the lap attempt) – asking us all to save the date of 17th June 2011 in our diaries.

This all accords with recent sightings of a Megane RS 250 lapping the ‘ring, but as yet it’s unclear whether the car’s lap time will be set before the 17th or at the event where it will be revealed.

The Megane R26.R wore it’s track credentials proudly, in the form of a Nürburgring circuit sticker accompanied by the numbers ’8:17′, so we look forward to seeing what Renaultsport have in mind for the 250.

I wonder whether they’re printing out the new stickers already.

Intended to keep costs down, group N regulations impose strict rules on the modifications that can be made to the original car. This constraint works to the advantage of the Mégane Renaultsport N4, which gets the full benefit of the technology used on the production model.

The PerfoHub independent steering-axis front suspension design has allowed the engineers to put together a chassis that combines traction, directional stability and driving comfort in complete safety. First used at the end of the 1980s on the Superproduction version of the R21 Turbo, the independent steering-axis front axle was first introduced on a production car on the Mégane Renaultsport. By allowing the suspension and steering to work totally independently of each other, this mechanism allows Mégane Renaultsport N4 to benefit from handling and grip of the highest quality.

Designed in conjunction with Öhlins, the suspension consists of four spring-shock absorbers using the most recent technologies available. The hydraulic rebound shock absorbers are three-way adjustable (high and low-speed compression, rebound). This allows for a vast range of settings to fit the road profile, level of grip, weather conditions and driving style. The quality of these suspension systems allows drivers to get the most out of the BF Goodrich tyres, mounted on 18-inch rims, and release their full potential on long special stages.

Under the bonnet, the performance of the 2.0-litre 16V turbo engine has been enhanced with an optimised electronic engine control system. Despite regulatory restrictions, the Mégane Renaultsport N4’s engine puts out 261bhp and 470 Nm of torque. It is linked to a five-speed H-pattern gearbox, developed specifically for this purpose.

Echoing the same sculpted design seen on Mégane Renaultsport 250, the rally version emphasises the production model’s naturally sporty looks. The only addition is the roof-mounted air intake incorporated into the external lines of the car to distinguish the competition version from the production model. Benefiting from the assuredly sporty look of Mégane Renaultsport 250, the N4 version also features the front bumper with an integrated F1-style aerodynamic blade. The centrally-positioned exhaust outlet and rear diffuser also emphasize its shared pedigree with the Mégane Renaultsport.

On the strength of its experience in the field, Renault Sport Technologies has sought to design an innovative, reliable and high-performance package that also takes on board the notion of cost control at every stage of development. The intention is to make Mégane Renaultsport N4 accessible to all drivers, and be both easy to handle and economical to run.

Like all of the vehicles in its rally range, Mégane Renaultsport N4 is to be sold by Renault Sport Technologies in the form of a kit comprising all the specific parts. The price of the N4 Kit? A snip at £48,250 (57,500 euros).

Tweeting that he’s just checked out Porsche’s latest banzai offering in the GT2 RS, Webber also commented that other drivers (whom else we wonder?  Comment beneath your suggestions) have also been talking up the Stuttgart bullet as they look for their speed fix during the imminent summer break.  The world’s motoring press recently got their first go of the GT2 RS and the early verdict is nothing but gushing approval, so with Webber’s comments too, this will have done Porsche’s press no harm at all in recent days.

Webber’s apparent preference is for black wheels, though he’s perhaps not as keen on the silver/black combination as seen on many of the initial press photographs.  It’s refreshing to see a modern F1 driver being honest about his preference, partly down to Webber’s honest nature and also because as a non-manufacturer employed driver, he has no corporate responsibility to side with a particularly marque.

Other Drivers

The cars F1 drivers use day to day is an interesting topic because how do you still get a thrill from a road car when your work car regularly takes you to well in excess of 200mph?  It reminds us of the halcyon days of Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi playing their version of chicken otherwise known as “who can hold the throttle longest” along the Autostrada in their Ferrari 308s en route to testing at Fiorano – simply another time …

Lewis Hamilton spent his money on a Mercedes G-Class. What would you buy as an F1 driver?

When at Renault, Fernando Alonso was quite happy to nip around his then home county of Oxfordshire in a Renault Mégane R26, showing that ultimately no road car was ever going to give him the same kick as his championship winning Renaults.

Contrary to this, Michael Schumacher owned an Bugatti EB110 in his early Benetton days showing even F1 drivers can be bitten by the supercar bug.  On the flipside, McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton is quite happy to cruise around Geneva in his Mercedes G-Class, with Hamilton obviously preferring gadgets and toys over performance motoring.  However, with the arrival of the McLaren 12C next year and McLaren’s ever weakening ties with Mercedes, Hamilton may soon be changing to a more purposeful bit of kit.

There are tens of thousands clips of this fantastic circuit available on YouTube and other media websites, as enthusiasts and manufacturers show off their love and passion for one of the greatest circuits ever built.

A great ‘Ring video isn’t defined by one trait.  A fast lap time, enthusiastic driving styles, high quality footage, deafening exhaust notes or simply unusual machinery being piloted have all been reasons for onboard laps of one of Germany’s top motoring attractions to go viral.

Using our SkiddPlayer, we’ve brought together our top 10 videos from the ‘Ring, consisting of classic footage, F1 world champions, contemporary F1 cars, GTs, sports cars and more.  We hope you enjoy watching the clips as much as we did finding them, and encourage you to share with us some of your favourite videos by either tweeting us @DriversRepublic or submitting them to SkiddPlayer.

#10 – Nissan GTR (7:26:7)

Click to view the Nissan GTR on SkiddPlayer

It’s not the fastest ever lap you’ll see of the Nordschleife, but it’s definitely one of the most impressive given the way the GTR punches well above its price level to circulate faster than a Porsche Carrera GT and Koenigsegg CCX.  The video is a brilliant demonstration of how hard a driver can push when the electronic safety net that is the GTR’s various systems allows the driver to focus fully on the task at hand – going very, very fast.  He might need a new front splitter though after the way he dropped into the first Karrusell.

#9 – Fernando Alonso’s Renault Mégane R26

Click to view Fernando Alonso on SkiddPlayer

This footage is a few years old now and sadly isn’t a complete lap, but it’s another one of those videos that shows how talented drivers can juggle driving quickly, engage calmly in conversation and terrify their passengers all at once.  What’s also nice about this clip is that apart from Alonso’s genuine enthusiasm for exploiting the full potential of the Renault, is that we also get a glimpse of Alonso’s aggressive driving style without the usual cover up in F1 of a full face helmet and semi-closed cockpit.  If you’re reading Luca, it’d be nice to see a video of Alonso take a Ferrari FXX round with similar gusto.

#8 – “Loaded” BMW E46 M3 CSL (7:22)

Click to view the Loaded BMW E46 M3 CSL on SkiddPlayer

If you have a nervous disposition towards very loud vehicles, look away now.  This clip is from Swedish tuners “Loaded” who have modified an E46 M3 CSL, already one of the best sounding cars on the road, and fitted a supercharger and other goodies to produce a car that literally screams its way around the German countryside.  The way the car howls its way up to Aremberg is nothing short of magnificent.

#7 – Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 RSR

Click to view the Manthey Porsche on SkiddPlayer

It wouldn’t be a ‘Ring videos top 10 without a clip from onboard a Porsche 911, would it?  So we feel if we’re going to include one, we may as well choose the fastest one currently out there, with the #1 Manthey Porsche on ‘Ring taxi duties as they blitz around backmarkers like they’re stood still in the 24 hours race.  Expect to see the #1 blinding backmarkers with its flashing headlights en route to another race victory in next weekend’s 2010 Nürburgring 24 hours.

#6 Porsche 996 GT2 vs. Caterham R500

Click to watch the Porsche 996 GT2 take on the Caterham R500

Every ‘Ring video playlist also needs an on track battle.  It’s not strictly legal to race against each other on open trackdays, but it certainly makes for enthralling footage if the cars duelling are driven to their limits and more.  In this amateur video, the more powerful but heavier Porsche goes head to head in peculiar match up against the lightweight Caterham R500.  It’s fascinating seeing the more agile and nimble Caterham corner better than the Stuttgart brawler, then the sheer grunt of the Porsche allowing the camera car to catapult by on the straights.  Our favourite bit of this video though is the crazy shouting by the driver at 1:38 and the friendly thumbs up at the end, great stuff from a typically enthusiastic Italian pilot.

#5 – BMW F1 driven by Nick Heidfeld

Click to watch Nick Heidfeld on SkiddPlayer

Sadly, there’s no full onboard footage of Stefan Bellof’s lap record (6:11) in his WSC Porsche, but we can bring you some high speed action thanks to Nick Heidfeld’s demonstration runs in 2007.  Heidfeld isn’t pushing to the very limit given it’s a non-competitive demonstration and the run off areas are hardly accommodating for an F1-sized accident, but he’s still massively faster than any other video you’ll ever see by a non-single seater car.  Suspend logical thought, major logistical headaches and safety concerns for a moment, can you imagine how incredible it would be if they still raced modern F1 cars at the Nordschleife?

#4 – Radical SR8 LM by Michael Vergers (6:48)

Click to watch Michael Vergers' Radical on SkiddPlayer

Forget your Ferraris and Porsches, if you want to show someone who has never seen the ‘Ring before what all the fuss is about, show them this Michael Vergers Radical SR8 LM lap.  Vergers is known for being utterly fearless and this 6:48 lap is testament to this fact.  Whilst the Radical is not the fastest car in terms of outright speed, its tremendous midrange and cornering ability make it a potent ‘Ring weapon.  There are far too many moments to count where Vergers almost loses control and visits the scenery, but he somehow keeps it altogether to achieve the present ‘Ring record for a production vehicle.  And yes you did see right, at 6:00 Vergers up-shifts through the notorious Pflanzgarten section.  Crikey.

#3 – Graham Hill narrates Hermann Lang’s Mercedes W125

Click to watch Hermann Lang's Mercedes W125 on SkiddPlayer

This clip from 1962 is a wonderfully sedate look at the Nordschleife as it appeared in the 1960s when trees were preferred as impact structures over tyre walls and barriers.  The 646bhp monster is a joy to watch as it navigates a far greener looking circuit than we see today.  Hill’s very British narration is full of interesting insight and catches the zeitgeist of the 1960s perfectly.  Be sure to check out the crazy levels of positive camber and bus sized steering wheel on the W125.

#2 – Opening lap of the 1975 German Grand Prix

Click to watch the opening lap of the 1975 German GP on SkiddPlayer

Back to sub seven minute lap times here in a real gem of a video featuring the opening lap of the penultimate Grand Prix at the ‘Ring.  There’s no commentary on this clip which allows you to take in the magnificent sounds of 1970s F1 as Ferrari’s Niki Lauda is chased by a Tyrrell-Ford all lap as the pair streak away from the chasing pack.  Be sure to turn the speakers up as Lauda’s Ferrari screams and squirms its way up Ex-Mühle (3:37) en-route to an eventual 3^rd place.

#1 – Sideways RUF CTR1 Yellowbird

Click to watch our #1 'Ring video on SkiddPlayer

If you’re a car fan and have an internet connection, then in all likelihood our #1 ‘Ring video comes as no surprise to you as it’ll already be in your favourites, having been viewed again and again on a regular basis.  As our final video, we present one of the finest car videos there ever will be online, so sit back and switch between grinning ear to ear and gasping at the ludicrous angles achieved in what is one of the best ever displays of car control.

Get involved – your video suggestions

Now visit our dedicated Nurburgring Channel on SkiddPlayer ...

We’ve had many of you tweet in your suggestions for videos that should’ve made our top 10.  @PistonSpy suggested the brief highlights clip of Stefan Bellof’s incredible 6:11 lap record and Jackie Stewart narrating old footage of Stirling Moss and later some F2 drivers working the wheel at the ‘Ring.  Porsche fan @Porschephile put forward Derek Bell’s complete onboard lap and there’s been enjoyment by all on some of the sounds of all the cars in our top 10, particularly Lauda’s Ferrari in clip #2.  Keep your suggestions coming and we’ll be sure to add them to the article.

Feel like we missed something?  Drop us a comment beneath or check out all of these videos and more on our dedicated SkiddPlayer Nürburgring Channel.

The video can be viewed on SkiddPlayer (click on the image below to launch):

MOBO-award winning hip-hop group N-Dubz getting real with the Megane Coupe-Concept

The stunning Mégane Coupe-Concept, with its dramatic ‘dragonfly-wing’ double doors, fitted the role perfectly as a car set in a future. The collaboration between Renault and N-Dubz led to the striking two-door starring alongside Dappy, Tulisa and Fazer in the video, filmed at a secret location in the capital.

The first two videos from the “Against All Odds” album have already racked up over 10 million viewings on YouTube and the new film, featuring the Mégane Coupé-Concept, has had almost 200,000 hits in the week since it’s release.

The Gordini brand will be positioned just below the current Renaultsport range, providing customers a greater range of options from which to personalise their cars. A wide range of paint schemes, body stripes and alloy wheels will be offered following the formula that’s been such a success with BMW’s Mini.

First model is likely to be a Twingo Gordini appearing in 2010, followed by hotter versions of the Clio and Mégane Coupe. The famous Gordini blue paintwork will be an option along with the trademark white stripes and contrasting black alloys.

If you have any questions then feel free to post them and we will pass them along to Renault.

The French press are understandably getting very excited about this news, so we will bring you further information when we hear it.