Renault developing new Sport Trophy with 500 hp

Fri, 20 Jun 2014

If you're ever in Europe and have the chance to stop by a World Series by Renault event, you'll be in for a treat. For one thing, the tickets are free. For another, they take place at some of the best circuits Europe has to offer, like Monza, Monaco, Spa and the Nürburgring. It's produced some of the best racing drivers in the world, including multiple F1 champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, Le Mans winner Marc Gené and three-time WTCC champ Andy Priaulx. And it includes all kinds of action.

One event includes races in Formula Renault 3.5, Formula Renault 2.0 and the Mégane Trophy. But now Renault Sport Technologies is working on a new kind of racecar.

Previewed in the teaser image above, the Renault Sport Trophy show car is set to be unveiled late in August at the Moscow Motor Show. Designed specifically for competition (and not based on an existing road car), the Renault Sport Trophy is being built by Dallara around a carbon monocoque chassis, with a Nismo engine channeling over 500 horsepower through a Sadev seven-speed sequential transmission. Michelin is developing the racing slicks and the whole package is set to weigh around 2,500 lbs.

That would make the new Trophy racer much faster than the existing Mégane Trophy, but whether the former will replace the latter or form a new category above it on the World Series ticket remains to be seen.

The Renault Sport Trophy: a new and simply spectacular race car

June 18, 2014

Renault Sport Technologies' latest creation, the Renault Sport Trophy show car, will shortly be unveiled. Boasting a uniquely stunning design – the first indication of its exceptional performance – the car will be unveiled to the media and the public at the Moscow International Automobile Salon (MIAS), which runs from 27 August to 7 September. An intense programme of development tests will now begin, with the car joining the World Series by Renault in 2015.

The World Series by Renault, which has been unearthing champion drivers for the last decade, will welcome a new category next year. With its brand new show car, the Renault Sport Trophy, Renault is set to present a unique vehicle designed solely for competition.

The newest addition to the Renault Sport Technologies family, the Renault Sport Trophy will be used in a single-model championship. A spectacular car designed with pure performance in mind, it has all the makings of being a big hit with the teams, drivers and fans at Renault Sport Technologies' Fast, Free & Fun events.

The specifications are a reflection of its racing pedigree. Built by Dallara, the carbon monocoque will be powered by a Nismo engine delivering more than 500bhp. The seven-speed sequential gearbox will be supplied by Sadev, while Michelin will develop a specific tyre for the package, which will have a weight of the order of 1,100kg.

You will have to wait until 27 August, the opening day of the MIAS, to get your first sight of the Renault Sport Trophy in all its glory, however. It is sure to be one of the stars of the show.

By Noah Joseph