Record-breaking Renault Megane RS Trophy priced

Renault Australia has announced pricing for its fastest ever hot hatch, the limited-edition Renault Megane RS Trophy, and the record-breaking R version that’s already sold out.

The Renault Megane RS Trophy manual is priced at $52,990 plus on-road costs and the EDC automatic version costs $3000 more at $55,990 plus ORCs – up from the standard Megane RS Sport ($45,990 manual, $50,490 auto) and Cup ($48,990 manual, $51,990 auto).

But the wilder, track-focussed Renault Megane RS Trophy-R -- which became the fastest front-wheel drive production car ever to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in April, when it beat the Honda Civic Type R with a time of 7:40.10 – will cost a stratospheric $74,990 plus ORCs.

That makes the Trophy-R $22,000 more expensive than the Trophy manual on which it’s based, but is still less than what Renault charges in France (€55,000 or around $A88,000) and lower than the circa-$78K prices the Audi RS 3 and Mercedes-AMG 45 were last sold at here.

Sadly, all 12 examples of the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R allocated to Australia (of 500 globally) were snapped up after the local order book opened in July, but Renault interested customers can put their names on a waiting list at its public website.

The first of 100 Megane Trophy vehicles will arrive Down Under next month, followed by the Trophy-R in early 2020, when just one of 30 global examples of the Record Edition – fitted with same spec and the Nurburgring record car, making its Renault Australia’s wildest and rarest ever production model – will be auctioned.

“The strong customer interest in the Megane RS Trophy-R is testament to the place this Renault Sport prepared vehicle has within the Renault family and in the hearts of car enthusiasts across Australia,” said Renault Australia managing director Anouk Poelmann.

“The Renault Megane RS Trophy-R is the next chapter in Renault’s extensive history in world motorsport and brings to the Australian roads the technologies and expertise Renault Sport has developed on the racetrack.”

The limited-edition Trophy-R is dubbed “the ultimate track car” but is powered by the same 220kW/400Nm 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine as the Trophy manual (the auto version of which offers 420Nm) – up from 205kW/390Nm in standard Megane RS 280 models.

However, the track-focussed Trophy-R – distinguished by red wheels, a vented carbon bonnet and pearl white paint with red accents around the headlights – weighs 130kg less before options, features a specific aero kit and rides on redesigned suspension with adjustable Ohlins dampers and unique Bridgestone Potenza S007 tyres.

It also brings many optional items from the Trophy as standard, including carbon ceramic front brakes, a lighter lithium battery, Alcantara-clad race seats with six-point Sabelt harness, titanium Akrapovic exhaust and ditching the rear seat.

The Renault Megane RS Trophy-R Record Edition ups the ante further with Australian-made carbon-fibre wheels as seen on the Ford GT and Ferrari models, plus even more suspension and aerodynamic tweaks.