The recently leaked Renault Megane RS Trophy-R has smashed the record for the fastest front-wheel drive production car to lap the Nurburgring.
Setting a timed lap of 7:40.10 around the old Nordschleife track back on April 5, the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R slashed a considerable 3.7 seconds off the previous time set by the Honda Civic Type R back in in 2017.
Renault has still not released full details of the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R other than the fact it's powered by the same 220kW/400Nm 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine as the Megane RS Trophy.
The record-setting Trophy-R is also claimed to tip the scales at a substantial 130kg lighter than the regular Megane RS Trophy – although its creator, Renaultsport, hasn't revealed how this has been achieved either.
What is evident is the record attempt was assisted by the car-maker's technical partners Akrapovic, Brembo, Bridgestone and Ohlins – hinting at an ultra-lightweight exhaust, bigger and more powerful brakes, a stickier set of road-legal tyres and trick suspension that can manage the Nurburgring's notoriously bumpy road surface.
Carving all that mass from the kerb weight is likely to have a transformative effect on performance and the Trophy-R is set to feature even more agile handling compared to rest of the Megane RS range.
We expect the Trophy-R set to slash as much as 0.3sec off the 5.7 seconds it takes the standard Megane RS Trophy to hit 100km/h. Top speed, meanwhile, should be closer to 270km/h.
Claimed to have been developed with help from Renault F1 Team's Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg, the record-setting Trophy-R was driven by Renaultsport development driver, Laurent Hurgon.
Despite lacking an F1 drive, Hurgon has real pedigree at the Nurburgring. Back in 2011 he set the front-drive record with the second-generation Megane RS Trophy.
Renault says it will use the Megane RS Trophy-R's official unveiling this weekend at the Monaco GP to reveal pricing for the "few hundred" it will make.
Renault Australia has confirmed to carsales.com.au that it will release a "limited number" of the fastest, most extreme Megane RS model ever in the fourth quarter of this year.