﹒Cup model

﹒Service history

﹒Optional Glacier White paint

﹒Serviced less than 1,000 miles ago

Renault have been making great hot hatches as long as anyone, but the Clio’s performance lineage started in 1990. With the likes of XR2s and GTE’s, Renault needed something to compete with these and so the 1.8 litre Clio 16v was born. It turns out that this wasn't enough and they wanted something more to tear apart the competition and redefine the hot hatch. 

This is when the Renault Clio Williams came along with its 2.0 litre 16-valve engine and was 149 Bhp. With a desire for rallying, the Williams was designed to meet homologation requirements for groups A and N, this is why they were limited in numbers. Acknowledged as one of the best handling hot hatches of all time, Renault decided to produce two more batches and named them Williams 2 and Williams 3.

1999 saw Renaultsport launch the Clio 172 which was another 2.0 litre squeezed into the small Clio engine bay. Now producing an impressive 169 Bhp and coming in at just over 1000 Kg meant the performance was somewhat lively. 2001 and the Clio received a facelift to the sharper looking front end and a few mechanical changes. 

2004 and another few more bhp, the 182 was born. This was pretty much the same as the 2001 facelifted model with a few more horses and there was also a Cup chassis option. 

2005 and the legendary Trophy came along with just a limited run of 500 and in only one colour (Capisicum Red). There were Recaro seats and competition spec dampers rumoured to cost ten times as much as the standard items! This is definitely one for some track day fun. 

2006 and Renaultsport gave us the completely new shape, with F1 inspired aerodynamics, which was a first for any hot hatches at the current time. With a little extra weight came a little more bhp and this saw the Clio 197 producing 194 bhp or 197 PS.

The seller has owned this Glacier White 2009 Renaultsport Clio 197 Cup since December 2017. In that time the owner has kept up the service history and given the car whatever it needed. In the just over 3 year ownership the 197 has had new springs and top mounts, discs and pads to the front, anti-roll bar drop links, the timing belt, tensioners and waterpump have been replaced and a recent service saw all the fluids changed. 

The seller was keen to mention a couple of points about the car. One is that the exhaust flex pipes are starting to split and will need replacing. The other point is the car does crunch ever so slightly when changing down from 5th to 4th. Going up the gears is fine and down is OK apart from the crunch. He has been told that it's the synchro between 4th and 5th that's causing the problem. The seller did say although it's there it doesn't affect the drive. The time has now come and a larger family car is needed which is why the Clio is on the move.

The V5 is present and shows the 197 Cup has had 4 previous keepers. The Clio has MOT until 10th December 2021. The seller only has the one key for the Clio. 

The Renaultsport folder, complete with the owner's manual, radio instructions and the service book are present. This shows a full complement of stamps totaling 10. There are also various receipts for work and parts carried out at Renault dealers and independent garages. The most recent service was completed on 30th October 2020 at 83,397 miles.

The inside of the 197 is as you would expect for any 197 of the same age and mileage. From the driver's seat the instruments show a digital reading of 84,206 miles and there are no warning lights displayed. The steering wheel does have some wear where the outer layer has started to lift on the edge. 

Moving across to the heater surround and this is the same as the steering wheel, the coated plastic has come off in a few places. This doesn't affect anything and could easily be replaced or repainted. The standard factory fit stereo is still in place. The gear knob is also showing some signs of wear, again this is an easy item to replace. A couple of points to mention. The Air conditioning was regassed last year but after a week it stopped blowing cold, so the seller assumes there is a leak somewhere but this has not been investigated. The other thing is that the heaters only work on numbers 1 and 3 and sometimes it does work on number 2. The electric windows and central locking work as they should. 

The carpets are in good condition, with no real signs of wear. The driver's seat has had the foam in the outside bolster replaced as this had deteriorated. The material is still in good condition with just some creasing to the upper bolsters and minimal wear. The passenger seat is in the same sort of condition whilst in the rear this has never really had much use and so is excellent. 

Into the boot, and the carpet is clean and tidy like the rest of the car.

Finished in the optional Glacier White, paint code 369, the Clio 197 Cup has the black Renaultsport decals to the lower quarter panel. There is the rear F1 inspired diffuser, which is there for a purpose and not just looks, as it improves the stability at speed. The wing vents are there to extract the hot air from under the bonnet. All this certainly adds up to make this hot hatch look as good as it goes.

Starting at the front the headlights are free from cracks. There are some age related stone chips to the front bumper and the lower spoiler needs a little attention to enable it to sit back correctly. The panel gaps from the wing to the bonnet are equal on both sides. 

Around to the sides of the Clio, the doors are uniform and straight. There is a car park injury on the drivers door which is on the swage line, but a decent dent man could probably sort this out.

Viewing the car from the side you might notice it is a tad lower than a normal 197. This is because it's a Cup and the ride height is 7mm lower than a standard 197 and just to let you know, Renault put a Cup badge on the B pillar.    

The rear of the car, again the shut lines are all straight and even. The rear bumper has a small scratch just in the middle where you would open the hatch.

Onto the wheels, these are all in good condition. The front nearside has had a small scuff at some point, but has been touched in and so is not too noticeable. The tyres are all in good condition with plenty of tread left on them.

Renaultsport gave their latest hot hatch a 2.0 16 valve engine which produced 194 Bhp 

(197 PS) and it's no slouch with a 0-60 mph in 6.9 seconds. There is also more torque than its predecessor and it is fitted with a new six-speed gearbox with shorter gearing.

The seller has carried out quite a bit of work to the Clio, which will be a bonus for the new owner. In 2018, just after the car was purchased, the cam belt, tensioners, crankshaft pulley and waterpump were replaced. Since then the car has had new springs and top mounts and the brakes have been treated to new discs and pads. Anti-roll bar drop links and tyres have also been replaced. 

The seller reports that the car pulls well through the gears and the engine is strong with no noises that shouldn't be there. The 197 stops just as well as it should thanks to the Brembo calipers and vented discs.  It has been noted on the MOT that there was an oil leak. The seller says this is from the service that was done at the same time because the mechanic could’t find anywhere where the leak started. As mentioned previously there is a slight crunch on the synchro from 5th to 4th and also the exhaust flex’s will need replacing very soon.

The Clio is a well presented honest car with some age related marks and yes, there may be an odd few things that need to be addressed on the 197, but on the whole it's been an extremely well maintained car that will be missed by the seller.    

With just around 250 Renaultsport Clio 197 Cup left registered on the UK roads, it's safe to say that this could be the time to grab a bargain before they get too scarce! 

**The pictures in this listing have been provided to us by the seller **


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