Renault Megane RS Trophy-R exposed

Hold on to your hats folks, because the hot hatch wars are about to intensify!

The potent new (and potentially ultra-rare) Renault Megane RS Trophy-R will bring a new level of aggression to the table.

The aim is clearly to put the Honda Civic Type R back in its box and, if history is any guide, the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R which was previously limited to 250 units globally will do that by adopting drastic weight-reduction techniques and adding high-end chassis components.

Spotted testing completely undisguised in Germany after Talea Media posted a video to YouTube, the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R's raison d'être is to take a tilt at the front-drive Nurburgring lap record, a title once held by its predecessor.

The new high-performance hot hatch will be a lighter, stiffer, more intense version of the Renault Megane RS Trophy (220kW/420Nm) purpose-built to wrest the front-drive Nurburgring lap record back from the Honda Civic Type R, whose 7:43.8 lap time gives it bragging rights over all comers... for now.

In late 2017, Renault Sport boss Patrice Ratti told carsales.com.au that the goal is make a car that breaks the FWD lap record at the Nurburgring.

"I asked my engineers to break the Nurburgring lap record, I didn’t tell them how to do it," he said.

What new stuff will it get? For starters, there's a new bonnet scoop but it's unclear if power boosting will part of the package.

Super low-profile, ultra-sticky Michelin tyres are a given, as is a stiffer suspension tune with uprated componetry, fixed bucket seats and a lighter weight thanks to thinner side glass and a carbon-fibre bonnet and roof.

Will the rear seats be removed like its predecessor? Watch this space.

A half roll cage is tipped to make the cut (though hard to spot in the video) and the front limited-slip differential is also expected to be overhauled to deliver improved performance.

That's on top of all the go-fast upgrades the current Renault Megane RS Trophy gets, such as lightweight alloy wheels, Recaro hard shell seats, a higher 260km/h top speed and an uptick in power. The Megane Trophy is due in Australia in the second half of 2019 and will sell for more than $50,000 brand-new.

The standard Renault Megane RS ($44,990) cranks out 205kW/390Nm from its 1.8-litre turbo-petrol engine, which rises to 220kW/420Nm for the Trophy model when equipped with the automatic EDC transmission. The manual has 20Nm of torque less and the auto will rip to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds.

The Megane Trophy-R may need to up the engine ante to Civic Type R-bashing proportions, as the banzai Japanese hottie pumps out 228kW. Will we see 230kW from the European scorcher?

The previous Renault Megane RS Trophy-R was limited to just 250 units worldwide and 50 of them came to Australia, highlighting the importance of the Aussie market to the vehicle. Only French and German buyers snapped up more Megane RS cars than Australia.

The previous Trophy-R was priced at $61,990 in Australia.