Ultra Red Clio 200: Project Clubsport

I thought that I'd start a build/progress thread for the car, rather than potentially posting small, incremental updates as and when. I'll try to keep everything updated, from maintenance and experiences, to mods past, present and any future plans.

So. Here we go.

I've owned the car from new and it was ordered by complete chance as it happened. I visited my then local Renaultsport specialist (Warrington, Cheshire) for some parts for my 182 (I'll dig out some pics sometime) and at the time, the dealership had a red 200 Raider on display in the showroom. Instantly I was interested and kind of fell for it there and then and was back within a week to place my order.

I came back a week later to start the process and pick my options, but before then I wanted to drive a demo. As the Raider was on display, they let me take the Sales Manager's regular 200... which happened to be Ultra Red. :sunglasses: I had been thinking about the Raider and being a big detailing nerd, I was worried about not being able to geek out properly on a matte finish and since I couldn't order any of the Renault ID colours (my car was one of the last factory orders) I went with Ultra Red.

I went a bit mental on the options list, so the car has every option bar rear park sensors, as they ruin the look of the bumper. Everything else was ticked. We agreed a price, I sold my 182 and my Twingo 133 which I had at the time as a daily.

The car arrived at the docks where my mate happened to work in April 2012, so he snapped it at the import centre for me :sunglasses:

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I then took delivery of it on May 1st 2012. I took a few days holiday, plus the weekend and did a full new car prep/detail on the car. Removing all abrasions/QA sanding marks etc. It was flawless.

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I then swapped the horrible grey centre caps for matching black ones, purchased from a CS member.

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...and detailed it further. :hearteyes:

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I then ordered some goodies. H&R 25mm hubcentric spacers, along with H&R 30/40 springs.

Spacers on:

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Springs and spacers on:

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It stayed like this from 2012 to 2016. I was really happy with it.

It did Le Mans, Euro road trips, meetings and events and then in 2015/2016, I went to the Nurburgring...

It was here that I realised what I wanted to do with the car, and the direction I wanted to go with it once it was outside of the manufacturer's warranty in May 2016.

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Luigi and I getting laps in.

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After returning from Germany (where the slave cylinder let go on the way home :tearsofjoy:) I started to make a few changes to the car, ready for 2017, the Nurburgring and track days. Eventually retiring the car to a weekend toy.

I stripped the rear seats out, removed the bench and fitted a sunstrip, with the goal to fitting buckets and a cage. I also ordered some more track-focused rubber, in the shape of Advan AD08Rs, along with additional bracing front and rear on the underside.

The suspension was also due for a refresh, so a new set of 200 Cup-spec dampers were ordered, along with a new set of H&R 30/40 springs. I've yet to find a better combination for UK roads, in either coilover or OE setup. Bilstein's B14 kit would probably be closest but I'm totally happy with the tweaked OE setup for my use for now. I also had a local exhaust centre delete the resonator/centre silencer, so it sounds a bit more like a rowdy hot hatch should do.

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So, what's next?

I've just ordered the following parts, which should make things a lot more serious:

2x Corbeau Clubsport fixed buckets in black
Dark grey Alcantara steering wheel with red stitching and red centre marker
Dark grey Alcantara gearknob and gear gaiter with red stitching (all from Royal)
Sparco fixed subframes.
I also have a rear interior strut tower brace that I've had painted Ultra Red.
Removal of the rear seat belts and mounting points.

Future plans for 2017:

Safety Devices/Mark Fish rear cage. Powder coated Ultra Red
Some form of front splitter. All the ones I've seen look too delicate for track use
Battery relocation to make way for...
Aftermarket airbox

Then who knows! My long term plans are to keep it as a weekend toy, eventually fit cams, ITBs and go down the hardcore NA route. Turbos aren't my thing at all; I like revs.

Most important of all though is that I enjoy the car more. On track and on the road. I'll try and keep it simple.

Comments, suggestions, links etc all appreciated.

Chris
 
Dam that's red! Lovely looking thing! Love the colour of those recaros too

Ultra Red is a great colour, yeah.

Oddly enough, I've always disliked the yellow seats. They clash with the red IMO.

The new seats are all black and these Recaros are now sold to a chap with a 200 Cup.
 
About time too Christopher!

What a great start to your progress thread! Looks absolutely spectacular in the photos. Your detailing geekery really shows. Love pretty much everything you have done and the new bits and future plans all sound excellent. I'd go black on the cage myself though.

Really looking forward to more.
 
About time too Christopher!

What a great start to your progress thread! Looks absolutely spectacular in the photos. Your detailing geekery really shows. Love pretty much everything you have done and the new bits and future plans all sound excellent. I'd go black on the cage myself though.

Really looking forward to more.

Yeah, I'm in two minds. I think black and then I see a 997.2 GT3RS, which is all black alcantara with a red cage and it gives me the horn.

We'll see. Thanks for the comments.
 
Yeah, I'm in two minds. I think black and then I see a 997.2 GT3RS, which is all black alcantara with a red cage and it gives me the horn.

We'll see. Thanks for the comments.

Hard to argue with that mate. I always think a chromed cage looks amazing too.

Red would certainly work with your interior but it might look a bit too much red from outside. Big decisions!
 
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As i said in your other thread, really great car! I'm also thinking much more about doing my recaros in alcantara along with the gear knob and steering wheel. main thing i can't decide on is what exhaust to get! ha
 
The stance is fantastic Christopher, and the black wheels on UR look great! Really good photos too :thumb:
 
As i said in your other thread, really great car! I'm also thinking much more about doing my recaros in alcantara along with the gear knob and steering wheel. main thing i can't decide on is what exhaust to get! ha

Royal are spot on for wheels/gearknobs etc but they don't really retrim anything larger.

Edge Automotive are the guys for seat/interior trimming. Their work is amazing. Not cheap, mind.
 
Body coloured cages are always better.

Wouldn't waste your money on the engine though, for similar outlay to doing a proper job (saying ITB's means forged etc otherwise no point) on the F4R you could drop a K20 in it.
 
Body coloured cages are always better.

Wouldn't waste your money on the engine though, for similar outlay to doing a proper job (saying ITB's means forged etc otherwise no point) on the F4R you could drop a K20 in it.

Now there's an idea. K20A and standalone. Dreams.
 
It fits very well, be minimal work overall and cheaper than a (properly) built F4R. Huge potential if you need it too. But the sweet spot is always maintain a stock bottom end when ever possible, and stick to just cams, head, manifold etc. That'll net you 250-260 on a K20.

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Looking forward to seeing it later in the year when the cage is all in. Exactly the route I wanted to go but funds wouldn't allow!

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
 
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Looks great. Be interested to see where you go with this one. Are you still local to Warrington? That's pretty much where I'm from. Newton.