Renault has been making great cars for a century, and these are its 3 best engines ever: from Group B turbos to a naturally aspirated V6.
There are already many TOP 3 best engines from various brands they have done in TopGear.es, and today it is the turn of Renault. The French company, one of the oldest in the world, was founded in 1898, and for more than a century it has created iconic cars with large engines under the hood.
For the streets and for the competition, although here we will refrain from qualifying the V10 engine the Renault R25 of Formula 1 with which Fernando Alonso he won the world championship in 2005. Of course, Renault cannot escape the clutches of the competition, just like its sports brand: Alpine.
Cléon-Fonte CxJ/84x Turbo engine | Renault 5 Turbo
The Renault 5 Turbo is a true legend in the automotive world, and more than one would sell his soul to the devil to have it in the garage of our homes.
The engine chosen to power this car was a 1.4 liter turbocharged inline 4 cylinder block the Renault 5 Alpine hot hatchwhich laid the foundations for a sensational sports car that would evolve over the years until it participated in the World Rally Championship with the B Group and the Renault 5 MaxiTurbo.
In its initial street version, it generated 160 hp of power, but with the Maxi Turbo the displacement of the block was increased to 1.6 liters with a Bosch mechanical injection and a Garrett T4/T3 turbo with 2.85 bar pressure (cooled by a intercooler air-water competition).
In short, the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo ended up giving more than 350 hp at 6,500 rpm. Between all versions of the R5 Turbo, they achieved a total of 4 World Championship wins and more of 40 wins in the Championships of France and Spain.
ES9J4 V6 24v engine | Renault Clio V6 Renault Sport
If its chassis and grip are legendary, with the engine it couldn’t be otherwise. This car launched in 2001 and sold until 2005 is one of the most coveted pieces in the world at the competition level and as a classic car.
The first trophy version of this Renault Clio had a V6 block at 60º of 3.0 liters naturally aspirated signed by PSA (as well as its Phase 1 and Phase 2 successors). The maximum power reached was 285 hp and 307 Nm of maximum torque.
In general, adding the three versions, no more than 3,000 units Worldwide.
F4RT engine | Renault Megane RS Trophy-R
The production of this special edition of the Renault Mégane RS was limited to only 500 unitswith a white and red design and spectacular circuit performance.
Under the hood mounts the 2.0-litre turbocharged inline 4-cylinder F4RT engine. A really well tuned block that produces in the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R a total of 300 hp and 400 Nm of peak torque, leading the sporty compact to make the 0 to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 262km/h.
A high-capacity engine that made the Renault Mégane Sport Trophy achieve in 2011 the world lap record at the Nürburgring for a front-wheel drive car. One last!
This article was published in Top Gear by Rodrigo García Vita.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism