Renault Sport RS 01 – latest Trophy racer unveiled

© Renault Marketing 3D-Commerce (mentions obligatoires)

Unveiled at the Moscow International Auto Show was the Renault Sport RS 01, the latest in a long line of purpose-built one-make racers from Renault and the successor to the Megane Trophy.

The design of the RS 01, penned by Akio Shimizu, references recent concepts such as the DeZir, as well as the Renault Étoile Filante that broke the land speed record for a turbine-powered vehicle in 1956. The stunning body has been filleted and peppered with an assortment of scoops, vents, flaps and spoilers to achieve near DTM levels of performance, with lift and drag coefficients similar to a Formula Renault 3.5.

Under the skin, the RS 01 sits on an Dallara LMP1-spec carbon monocoque as opposed to the Megane Trophy’s tubular steel chassis. Power comes from a Nissan GT-R-derived 3.8 litre twin-turbo V6 which has been fitted with a dry sump system. The over 500 hp and 600 Nm of torque is sent to the rear-wheels via a Sadev seven-speed sequential gearbox with fixed ratios to keep race budgets low.

Renault Sport RS 01 – latest Trophy racer unveiled

Suspending the car is an all-around pushrod double wishbone setup with adjustable Öhlins dampers. Brakes are 380 mm carbon discs with six-piston callipers, and ABS and traction control have also been fitted. 18-inch centre-locking wheels in an original design are shod in Michelin rubber.

The RS 01 will compete in the new Renault Sport Trophy race series that will be part of the World Series by Renault from 2015 onward. The championship will be split Professional and Amateur categories – the champion of the former will be given the chance to test with the Nismo Super GT team, while that of the latter will be able to get behind the wheel of an LMP2 prototype for the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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Jonathan Lee

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

 

Comments

  • Jaybond on Sep 02, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    Looks very nice and wouldn’t look out of place in the SuperGT series (one-make racing series is pretty boring anyway). Or could there be any production car derived from this racecar?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
  • rifle on Sep 02, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    Best..can tapaw GT-R ni.. (by the look)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
  • NeedForSpeedUnderground_V2 on Sep 02, 2014 at 4:54 pm

    hidung berdarah wooo … saperla nak hadiahkan sebijik

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • wow, better looking than audi r8/10

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • ilyJDM on Sep 02, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    Noooo why the VR38 :(

    That is Nissan’s identity and can only be used for the GTR and Infiniti Eau Rouge…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • kadajawi (Member) on Sep 03, 2014 at 2:18 pm

      Renault has a tradition of borrowing Nissan engines for their racing cars.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Semi-Value (Member) on Sep 02, 2014 at 11:05 pm

    y u no make real car of this

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • mamamia on Sep 02, 2014 at 11:24 pm

    renault alpine lagi mengancam…try google n bandingkan

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • superdriver on Sep 03, 2014 at 10:28 am

    Drool…sluuuurp…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • niterunner99 on Sep 03, 2014 at 11:32 am

    Nissan engine!! I’m going to import a 2nd hand GT-R engine & gearbox for my Volvo too!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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