From the Classifieds: 2004 Renault Clio V6

Back in the early-to-mid-2000s, European manufacturers decided the hot hatch market needed to be taken up a few notches and started fitting their resident small cars with whopping great V6s.

Volkswagen, BMW and Renault all had a go at rewriting the rulebook, but it was the latter that took things to another level with its monstrous – and now iconic – Renault Clio V6.

Launched in 2002 as the ultimate RenaultSport small hatch, the Clio V6 packed a 2.9-litre six-cylinder engine behind the front seats and drove the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission with the help of a limited-slip differential – not that it did much.

Early versions were described as plain spiteful in their handling owing to the 170 or so kilowatts pairing with underdone suspension, skewed mid-engine weight distribution and a short wheelbase.

Not helping the cause was the fact the project was rushed through by Renault, which had contracted TWR to design, develop and produce its hero hatch. The standard Clio’s monocoque was delivered to the British engineering firm, which literally cut it into bits to start the assembly process.

There wasn’t a whole lot of development time either, meaning there were plenty of rough edges to the finished product in terms of sophistication and polish, which again shone through in the driving experience.

Thankfully, things got better with the Phase II, which is the version hot hatch aficionados know and love today.

The entire rear suspension set-up, sub-frame and transmission were overhauled while the V6 was dialled up to a then-mighty 188kW/300Nm.

It was still porky, but the mid-engine/rear-drive Clio could now carry a lot of the speed provided by its V6 through the turns if you were careful, but there was still an aura of spitefulness if you overstepped or got too carried away.

The Clio V6’s lunacy is reflected in its design too – never has there been a hot hatch that looks as striking as this.

All these factors – mad styling, big performance, tricky handling, short development, a rule-breaking layout, etc – have amounted to the Clio V6 becoming one of the most collectable and desirable hot hatches of all time, and there’s one for sale on carsales.

One of just 354 examples built in right-hand drive, this silver 2004 Renault Clio V6 is badged build number 233, has covered 73,638km since new and is listed for a cool $129,995.

Freshly released from a private collection and presenting in immaculate condition, the car comes with a full service history and every other bit of documentation since it rolled off the production line in 2004, all of which is kept in the original leather Renault wallet.

The leather and Alcantara interior presents just as beautifully as the exterior and the original 18-inch factory alloys are free of scuffs, marks and shod with ultra-modern Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres.

“This Renault Sport Clio V6 is as collectable as it is exhilarating to drive,” the seller said, describing it as “the best Renault Clio V6 Phase 2 in the country”.

“For the period, Ferrari had the Enzo and Porsche the Carrera GT. Just as exotic, rare and mesmerisingly good to drive, the Renault Sport Clio V6 became a cover story hero,” the ad reads.

The limited RHD production run largely paints the picture in terms of the local population – this is the only Clio V6 listed for sale anywhere in Australia.

Click here to view the full listing while it lasts!

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