New Renault Megane R.S Trophy-R Is Quicker Than The Civic Type R Around The Nurburgring

After being the fastest front-wheel drive production car around the Nurburgring-Nordschleiffe for two years, it is time for the Honda Civic Type R FK8 to step aside, as the title has been grabbed by the new Renault Megane R.S Trophy-R.

All set to make its global debut at this weekend’s Formula 1 round in Monaco, France, the Megane R.S Trophy-R lapped the ‘Ring’ in 7 minutes and 40.1 seconds, which is 3.7 seconds quicker than the Civic Type R’s lap time back in April 2017.

Powered by the same 1.8-litre turbocharged engine as the regular Megane Trophy which produces 300 PS and 420 Nm of torque, the Megane R.S Trophy-R owes its increased speed to the weight reduction of up to 130 kg, tweaked aerodynamics, as well as the more radically setup chassis.

Although Renault didn’t really get into the details of the tweaks that have gone into the car, it did mention that the car features lightweight exhausts by Akrapovic, Bridgestone tyres, Brembo brakes, as well as Ohlins suspension.  

Piloted by Renault Sport development driver Laurent Hurgon, the Megane R.S Trophy-R is expected to go on sale before the end of 2019, but Renault said that production will be limited to only a few hundred units.

That said, here is the video of the new Renault Megane R.S Trophy-R's record breaking lap around the Nurburgring: