Cup Production Press Release.

[Tom]

LEGENDARY CLIO RENAULTSPORT 172 CUP PRODUCTION ENDS
If your heart has been yearning for one of the greatest affordable performance cars of all time, in the shape of that pocket rocket the Clio Renaultsport 172 Cup, then you better move quickly if you want one. Introduced in August 2002, the special lightweight, rally version of the Clio Renaultsport 172 become a legend in the performance car market by offering giant-killing performance and driving thrills for up to £7,000 less than the competition. But the introduction of the 2004 model year Clio range signals the end of the Clio Cup.

Around 2,000 Clio Cups have been sold in the UK in the last 16 months and the final 200 are now on their way from the Renaultsport factory in Dieppe, Northern France. Priced at only £13,200 on the road, the Clio Cup was the fastest accelerating four-seater car on sale in the UK costing less than £20,000 with a 0-62mph acceleration time of 6.8 seconds and top speed of 138 mph.

The Clio Cup was conceived by Renaultsport - the competiton arm of Renault responsible for all the company’s motorsport activity from Formula One to rallying and single make championships – to cater for the small band of customers who want the ultimate in performance and driver involment.

A highly focused special edition, Clio Renaultsport 172 Cup was homologated for Group N production car rallying using as its base the Clio Renaultsport 2.0 172. With a finely honed sporting appearance inside and out and a suspension system modified for more incisive behaviour, the weight was reduced by 89kg by technical developments such as thinner glass as well as by removing some of the Clio 172’s luxury equipment.

The Clio Renaultsport 172 Cup is offered only in the exclusive and particularly dynamic "Mondial Blue" paint finish making it easier to pick out this future classic. But you’ll have to show some of that famous Clio Va Va Voom if you’re going to catch one!

 

[Jon1978]

Caught one... and 53 plate should be the last new reg on the car, so in a few years it will be a classic.

I love it - I have not experienced such driver involvement in any other car I have driven, including the old "Daddy", the 205 GTi. It takes you by surprise at first, and as with any performance car, you have to tame the beast and remember to respect the car, because if you mess up, she will not respect you, nor the kerb, grass, tree and hedge. It is an unforgiving car, but one that offers the ultimate in driver thrills for a tiny price tag, certainly not for the novice driver, and not to be taken lightly by even the most experienced.

Well done Renaultsport!

http://erc.qmuc.ac.uk/cliosport/gallery/full/1067680140__Ultimatecool001.jpg

 

[Neil82]

Quote: Originally posted by Jon1978 on 09 December 2003

Caught one... and 53 plate should be the last new reg on the car, so in a few years it will be a classic.





So it will be more of a classic than a 03/52 plate

 

[malcup]

the ones to have will be the 1st 52 platers, just like the williams series 1.

 

[swelch]

mines a 52

 

[MarkCup]

53s rock!

 

[BikeMan]

Theyre a classic already!

Theyve got rust, bad paint, mechanical problems...

 

[jon_r]

so the press release is weong And 53s rule!!!!

http://erc.qmuc.ac.uk/cliosport/gallery/full/1070371743__car.jpg

 

[Rich-D]

Quote: Originally posted by malcup on 09 December 2003

the ones to have will be the 1st 52 platers, just like the williams series 1.

Not really... seeing as none of them are numbered and its not technically classed as a limited edition, then its more likely thaty the newest cars with the lowest miles, in the best condition will be worth most...

 

[RobFenn]

Is it really legendary Cup owners?

Do other hot hatch owners come over and say "Wow, is that a Cup?"

The Cup is a great car but i cant see it being the new Williams, which was a car that turned a pretty mundane hatch into a supercar slayer on the right roads, whereas the Cup came out after the 172 and the exotic V6..nothing new or that unexpected IMO. Plus, it hasnt got a fancy numbered plaque!

-Rob

 

[BikeMan]

Sod the value - just drive them like you stole them! Enjoy them while you can - I enjoyed mine for a while

 

[Rich-D]

Quote: Originally posted by RobFenn on 09 December 2003


Is it really legendary Cup owners?

Do other hot hatch owners come over and say "Wow, is that a Cup?"

But you dont get people coming over and going "wow, is that a Williams" either though...

The Cup IS a great car though, and joins a list of other great hot hatches that include the Williams, 205 GTi, Golf GTi, etc...

 

[pennga]

only williams mk1 had a numbered plaque anyhow

 

[BikeMan]

Im sure people went "Wow! A Williams!" when they first appeared. I know I did, but I never did that with the Cup.

Theyre good cars, but I agree with Rob theyre not legendary. They havent broken the mould like the MkI Golf GTI, the 205 GTI and the Clio Williams.

 

[abbs_172]

Ditto the Cup is a great Car and as I got one of the 1st 50 to come into the country I believe I am the owner of true classic hot hatch.

With regards to people coming over and sayaing is that a Cup, no Ive never had that but it still makes peoples heads turn in traffic even when its filthy, just ask my girlfriend and as she drives a new mini and is gutted!

Abbs.

 

[BikeMan]

I get more people looking at my Rallye than I ever did at my Cup

 

[Rich-D]

Quote: Originally posted by BikeMan on 09 December 2003

I get more people looking at my Rallye than I ever did at my Cup

Really?!

 

[BikeMan]

Seriously!

But Ive got a white one, yours was nasty red

 

[Fatherted]

Quote: Originally posted by Rich-D on 09 December 2003


But you dont get people coming over and going "wow, is that a Williams" either though...

The Cup IS a great car though, and joins a list of other great hot hatches that include the Williams, 205 GTi, Golf GTi, etc...

yes you do get people walking up to williams owners & asking questions about the car (ask anyone that owns one), im sure theres the odd person that does it to cup owners (just not as often)

im sorry i disagree .......i can not see the cup being added to the list of cars that made a mark in motoring history i.e williams, 205 GTi, Mk1 golf GTi etc, it isnt regarded as anything special in the motor trade (but the 3 previous cars are) also seeing as other car manufactures are allways trying to "go one better" ......i see the cup as just fading into history....as a good car...but nothing special.

 

[y0z2a]

Quote: Originally posted by RobFenn on 09 December 2003


Is it really legendary Cup owners?

Do other hot hatch owners come over and say "Wow, is that a Cup?"

The Cup is a great car but i cant see it being the new Williams, which was a car that turned a pretty mundane hatch into a supercar slayer on the right roads, whereas the Cup came out after the 172 and the exotic V6..nothing new or that unexpected IMO. Plus, it hasnt got a fancy numbered plaque!

-Rob

A guy with a boxter did it to me getting gas yesterday.



/y0z

 

[Rich-D]

Quote: Originally posted by BikeMan on 09 December 2003


Seriously!

But Ive got a white one, yours was nasty red

LOL

The red was the best, no doubt...



Went out in my old Rallye as a passenger last night for the first time in ages, and its running 173bhp @ wheels now, so was keen to see how she went.

It is quick, but we then bumped into chris n nics Cup (with Nics bro driving) and they had a little tussle, which made me realise how quick Cups are!!!

 

[Jon1978]

Quote: " ......i see the cup as just fading into history....as a good car...but nothing special.



WTF!!!!!!

Actually I get lots of people coming over and saying
"Wow is that one of those Cups?" including people in much more expensive and/or kitted cars, and people who detour across car parks to ask. Young and old. Someone else said a Boxter driver had paid theirs attention... I had a Lambourghini driver pay mine attention the other day, and do you know how many of them there are round my parts.... Ill tell you... Theres 1.

Evo magazine is a pretty good judge of these things, and they said about a year ago that the Cup will be remembered in the same way as the 1.9 205 GTi is... as the "Daddy".

 

[WannabeeCup]

Only too true John, why else would i buy a cup. It is everything im looking for in a car, new, powerful, entertaining to drive, a car that you must respect, relatively cheap, not that 12k is cheap and the fact that it was only going to be built for a short period of time, although thats not really a factor in buying it, just happens to be a bonus. Basically a modern reincarnation of an oldskool hot hatch.

Give it 5 years or so, thats when they will be re apearing in magazines as bargain bangs for your bucks etc.

 

[jonnyboy]

Nah cups have had rave reviews all over the place and will deffo go down as a classic hot hatch. In a way its good that productions stopped as it will make them more sought after

 

[Dave S2K]

I still havnt seen a 172 Cup on the open road yet, seen plenty of 172s though!

 

[Bryan]

to be perfectly honest, the cup will not go down as a classic

the focus rs is about the only car of the current breed that could possibly go down that route

yes, it may well be a good car, but nothing special, nothing nowadays is cutting edge, most cars now have the same abilities, if only separated by a couple of tenths of a second

but LMAO @ bikeman - you could be onto a winner with the bad paint, rust and mech problems, but you forgot the rattles

 

[JAY172]

my cup was from the first batch of 200,got it last november.weve just got a silver one at work which looks quite nice.

 

[Jim172CUP]

not had anyone say to me they dont like the colour, i think its the prettiest blue ive ever seen. never thought for one minute id buy a non silver car.

 

[MIKE-CUP]

I dont think the Focus RS will become a future classic, as they are doing a more powerful version in 2004 with 230bhp and when the Focus Cosworth comes out in 2005 that should seal the RSs fate as most people will forget about them.

I would think that due to the limited production run of the CUP, in a few years time after alot have been abused, thrashed, crashed, raced etc, if you have a mint low mileage one with FSH (in blue of course) it will be a much sought after vehicle.

 

[BikeMan]

If in a few years you have a low mileage Cup you havent been driving it properly!!!!

 

[Rich-D]

Quote: Originally posted by BikeMan on 10 December 2003

If in a few years you have a low mileage Cup you havent been driving it properly!!!!

Amen...

 

[swelch]

Ive got on of the first 200 (7th Dec 2002), from what I gather ther are only 2000 Modial Blue original spec Cups in the UK. That still makes it quite a rare beast !

 

[cupdriver]

Mines an october 2002,19th I think. must be well in the first 200.

 

[Moby]

Anyone got an 02 plate cup like the press car?

 

[Rich-D]

I drove my mates Cup in the first week of August and that was one of the first in the UK...

Hes had a mk1 172, a mk2 172, a mk1 V6, a Cup and now a mk2 V6, and all of them were one of the very first in the UK!!!

Nowt to do with his Dad owning our local main dealership or anything...

 

[RAY 187]

I also got mine at the beginning of October 2002, lovely motor.

Two reasons why i got it Price, and Power, i still get loads of looks from people when driving especially on a sunny day and you have just washed the car. It takes a while to get use to the car and knowing what the limits are, you make one mistake your screwed.

I love my motor and would not change it for any other car, i know there are loads of lovely motors out there e.g

172S, Type Rs, Focus RS, Golf RS32, Cooper s and Hartage, and Works, but it all comes down to one thing price.

Even though the cup is £12,995 it looks bloody good, it aint an easy car to drive on bumpy roads where your tyres just tramline or when braking on bumpy roads it pulls all over the place.

Overall very happy ive had it know for nearly 14 months done around 12900 miles.