Inspired By Success: Renault Mégane F1 Team R26

Motoring Channel Staff - 3/Oct/2006

Paris, France —  Renault used the 2006 Paris Motor Show to give the public a first-hand view of where it plans to take its future vehicles, with concept cars like the Renault Nepta, Renault Twingo, and Renault Koleos. 

As well as giving the world an pre-season peek at its up coming products, the French marque also took advantage of the '06 Paris Show to introduce Mégane F1 Team R26, a new sports to rival the growing numbers of Japanese and European product.

Derived from Mégane Renault Sport Cup, the latest F1-inspired performance hatchback benefits from a number of new features, such as a limited slip differential, which improves handling when driven at full tilt on open roads or round a circuit. It also gets a fancy new [look horrid to me - Ed] paintjob in yellow with silver and white chequered flag decals.

The new look F1-liveried Mégane is distinguishable from other Mégane Renault Sport models thanks to specific markings on the bumpers, doors and roof (optional but free of charge) and its red-painted brake callipers. It is equipped as standard with the "Cup" chassis and comes with "Anthracite" 18-inch alloy wheels which echo the colour of the exterior mirrors. Inside, an F1-style numbered plaque reinforces Mégane F1 Team R26's exclusivity. Recaro bucket seats, which guarantee an optimal driving position, are standard and enable the driver and passenger to feel more at one with the car when pushed to extremes.

It features a 169kW (230hp) 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbo engine, the tuned "Cup" chassis and powerful Brembo brakes, all of which combine to make it one of the highest performance hot hatches on the market according to Renault. The new model builds on the success enjoyed by first 'F1 Team' Mégane special edition which was launched in January 2006, and continues in the same spirit with the introduction of Mégane F1 Team R26, the name of which refers to Renault's challenger in this year's Formula 1 World Championship standings. 

Developed by Renault Sport Technologies, Mégane F1 Team R26 is the sportiest version of the Mégane Renault Sport range, designed to appeal to those who want the highest levels of performance in their small car.

The Mégane F1 Team R26's most striking feature is to be found under its bonnet, namely its evolution 2.0-litre, 16-valve turbocharged engine which delivers 169kW @ 5500rpm and boasts peak torque of 310Nm @ 3000rpm thanks to specific engine mapping and a modified exhaust. With 90 per cent of peak torque available from 2000 to 6000rpm, Renaults says that this engine provides instant response and ultra-smooth acceleration.

The 6-speed manual gearbox enables all this potential to be exploited to the full and helps take the car from standstill to 100km/h in 6.5 seconds, while the 1,000-metre standing start is covered in just 26.6 seconds, and due to the extra work carried out on the exhaust system, a characteristically sporty bark from the engine is guaranteed. The Mégane F1 Team R26 also offers class-topping fuel efficiency for its power output, with combined cycle fuel consumption of 8.5L/100km, and as is the case with Clio Renault Sport (199g/km), CO2 emissions do not exceed 200g/km.

Mégane F1 Team R26's other main strength is its chassis which features independent steering-axis front suspension and a programmed-deflection flexible rear beam. Mégane F1 Team is delivered as standard with the "Cup" chassis, which employs specific dampers and stiffer springs, while damper travel has been slightly increased by reducing the size of the bump stops to optimize handling on poor surfaces. The new diameter front anti-roll bar and rear suspension layout ensure stiffer anti-roll characteristics for enhanced handling under cornering and, according to Renault, all these evolutions combine to provide first class road holding.

The addition of a limited slip differential guarantees impeccable traction performance irrespective of driving style or type of corner and however much grip is available. Limited slip differentials are a common feature of competition cars, both in rallying and in Formula 1, although they can call for a certain degree of driving skill as a result of the torque steer that can be transmitted via the steering wheel in some situations. In the case of Mégane F1 Team R26, however, the combination of a limited slip differential and independent steering-axis front suspension not only minimises this phenomenon but also permits the driver to benefit from the extra traction. Furthermore, and following the switch to a tube-in-tube steering column in April 2004, the electric power steering control unit of the Mégane Renault Sport family was recently recalibrated with a view to guaranteeing a more linear feel for added steering precision.

Sports performance of this standard calls for powerful brakes that offer both bite and endurance, and the Mégane F1 Team R26's uprated brake system – which features Brembo four-pot front callipers and vented 312mm diameter discs – provides outstanding stopping power which is compounded by the work of the 11-inch servo which generates a maximum pressure within the circuit of 115 bar. Rolling stock for the Mégane F1 Team R26 is Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres, in 235/40 R18 size.