The Renault Clio, that ultimate cool supermini, reaches its quarter centuary in 2016. Since 1991 over a million of them have been sold in Britain alone and, along with the Fiesta and Corsa, it has become the go-to car for small thrills. Here we pick 5 great Clios that have defined it's first 25 years.
JUL 25th 2016
5 Clios that define the last 25 years
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The first Clio
The Renault Clio arrived to an expecting world in 1990 at the Paris Motor Show and first entered production 25 years ago. The little French hatch replaced the iconic 5 and would go on to become as well known and loved as its predecessor. The original was powered by a 1.2- or 1.4-litre petrol inline-four or a 1.7- or 1.9-litre diesel motor: the first Renault Sport tuned Clio would not arrive until 1993, with a model that would become an instant hit.
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Clio Williams
In the '90s the combination of the Williams F1 team and Renault's engine knowledge was the dominant force. Renault chose to capitalise on the pair's extraordinary F1 success with the much-loved Clio Williams. Tuned by Renault Sport the little Clio would go on to be the F1 Safety Car in 1996 and by the time manufacture of the third generation had come to an end it had secured its place as one of the finest hot-hatches of all time. Such was demand for the little 2.0-litre, 144bhp pocket-rocket that the original run of 3,800 cars had to be extended almost immediately. Eventually over 12,000 Williams badged Clios would enter the world, however their use in racing has meant that many of that number are no longer road legal.
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Clio V6 Renault Sport
Can there have been a more bonkers idea for a hot hatch than the Clio V6? Rather than shove a larger engine in a Clio and fiddle with the suspension, as they had done with the Williams eight years before, Renault Sport instead elected to take inspiration from the mentally unhinged Renault 5 Turbo of the '80s. So they stripped the Clio of its back seats, bolted a 3.0-litre V6 where they used to be, widened the body and added some side air intakes the Audi R8 would be proud of to create the most hardcore Clio there has ever been. Continuing to hold the title of most powerful hothatch around thorough two generations the V6 was both loved and feared in equal measure - capable of astonishing performance but also able to bite at the slightest provocation.
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MkIII – Clio hits 200hp
Some bemoaned the third-generation Clio RS's weight gain and slight loss of the childlike impudence of the predecessors. But there was no denying the Clio had now grown up. Pushing toward, and later over, the 200bhp barrier. What the MkIII missed at launch Renault managed to recapture with a series of special editions over the coming years, eventually stripping out almost all unnecessary equipment for a raw Cup model, and bringing extra tech from the mighty Megane R.26 to make the Clio yet again a truly great hot hatch.
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Clio R.S.16
As seen at FOS, Renault celebrated the quarter-century of the Clio, and the 40th Birthday of Renault Sport, with the fastest road car ever to wear that RS badge. The R.S.16 is basically a Clio with the latest Megane RS drivetrain dropped in, no tricky conversions to rear-drive here, just more power, more tech and more performance. Under the bonnet the R.S.16 gets the 271bhp engine from the Megane 275 Trophy-R. That means a power-to-weight ratio of 221bhp per tonne! Only two of the concepts have been built, but whether we ever get our hands on one or not, the R.S.16 shows that there's a lot to come from our favourite French supermini.
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