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Which williams





First of all, Hello to everyone, This is my first post!

I own a corsa at the moment. At around about this time next year i may be looking to get a clio williams. What do you think the best one to get is? The 1, 2 or 3. Is there any difference between the 3?

Also what sort of power mods have people done on here and what sort of gains have you got out of the engine. Is it very tuneable?

Any info you can give me would be great as im getting fed up of my crappy 1.2 corsa and want something with a bit of pace.

Cheers
 


dont know nuffink about which Williams you should get - they are just all lurverley!!! but welcome to our humble forum - hope you will spend many happy hours here, specially when you get your Willy sorted out !!!! ;)
 


Williams 1 and 2 are basically the Same

Williams 3 comes with ABS brakes etc? which the 1 & 2 dont have

Mods you can do range from cam changes, air filters, cylinder heads, exhausts, super chips to around 190ish BHP............................ up to having a turbo conversion kit. which will boost your car to 220+BHP

Standard williams is 150BHP, which for a little car, is alot of power through the wheels!
 


As I saw it the main difference is the 1 gets you a little gold plaque, the two has a few trim revisions and the 3 gets ABS, buy on condition more than 1,2 or 3. Having a corsa hire car for a month last year, after someone drove into my golf, and now having a williams one I reckon youll like the change! One thing that I have learnt though is that none of them came with factory sunroofs and that the aftermarket sunroofs arent that good, which means sitting at work with a wet arse - not good...
 
  190 BHP Willy 2


Hope you get your willy sorted out, must be something pretty serious to have to start saving now :oops:.

One thing to bear in mind with all renaults is the running costs parts are expensive and they do have a tendency to go wrong. where as with your corsa you can go to any scrappy and pick up almost anything you want without too much hassle, i dream of that. lol

Insurance is another thing on a willy. I couldnt justify almost doubleing my insurance a year just to own a williams when i have a 16v which i love and out paces a lot of cars on the road.

Personally id go for a williams 3 only because its that bit newer, but they are all gorgeous.

Scott
 


Willy 3 did have optional sunroof. My mate is the 2nd owner of a late N-plate Willy 3 and that has a Renault factory option sunroof.
 


Yeah i heard they can be expensive to run, This is why im saving now. Also my insurance will be more than it is now!!

Ive got a big credit card bill to pay off, Which i nearly have all the money for. Then its save save save!! I also took a loan out to pay for the corsa, This runs out in 1 years time. I want to wait till thats all paid back aswell.

What williams has everyone got on here and what have you done to them?

Also what did you pay for the car.
 


Most people with the Williams have done little beyond the filter/exhaust. Thats due in part to the fact that the 16v/Williams are expensive to tune, but also because the Williams is already a cult icon.

If you want to mod a car then the Williams is not the best choice. Many people will agree when I suggest that modified Williams are deservedly rare. The Williams was a special edition of the Clio 16v, which while it was damn fast lacked low-down torque. So Renault made (in the end) 1200 Williams that didnt have much more power, but did have a much better torque spread. They basically took the best hot hatch of the time and made it better.

In a straight line and on looks, the Williams and 16v are hard to separate (both 0-60 in 7.7secs). But in terms of flexibility, the Williams wins every time. The Willy also has different front suspension and gearbox (many parts from the Clio/19 diesels!).

Its a bit more socially acceptable (on here at least) to tune a 16v, though very few do the outside as the huge arches, bonnet bulge and bumpers are already enough fore most. Tuning is still very expensive. Induction kits usually lose you power/torque as the cars run so hot. The next step are cams/head/chips etc, though a decent leap in power will cost you at least £1500 - and thats before brakes, transmission etc.
 
  Williams 2, STi N12


I got a williams two, probably the most common variant as Ren made shed loads of em.

The 1s were limited to a number of 400 UK imports but there are loads on the continent. Facelifted slightly and around 2500 Mk2s came along. Things changed like the wingmirrors, front fogs to white, and the grill also minus the plague.

After that the 3 came along but cause most people were fed up by now and Ren were planning to update the Clio they only sold around 300 of these. Question is do you want an old Mk1 where people are asking stupid money for a high miler, or go for a younger less exclusive model for around £5k. Strike a balance between the two and go for the Mk2 as there will be loads for sale...see as many as you can to get an idea of what goes wrong and what to look for.
 
  Golf GTi Mk1


The Williams 1 came out on a L reg in sports blue with manual mirrors and no sunroof and is a mk 1 phase 1 different grille to the 1 and 2, wing mirrors are different, smaller stip strips, 2.0 badge around the side repeater but it did have the plaque inside and a blue boot carpet!

The Williams 2 came out on a M reg in sports blue with electric mirrors and no sunroof and is a mk1 phase 2 has a nicer grille, more rounder wing mirrors, has thicker side strips and the 2.0 badge is in the side strips this is the model that renault made the most of.

The Williams 3 came out on a N reg in MONACO blue which is gorgeous, has electric mirrors and sunroof, ABS, same grille, mirrors, side strips and badges as the Williams 2, there were only 300 of these made and in my opinion are the best model to have but i would say that!

Its a shame you aint after a Williams 3 now as i am selling my MINT one you can have a look at the pictures here:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1778865389http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1778865389

There are not many mint ones about nowadays but if you wait long enough you will find one they are amazing cars and have such a cult status, you will not regret owning one! :D
 


I have to disagree and say that the Willy 1 is the best of the bunch, although as many people have pointed out they are extremely rare and people do ask silly money for them.

From what Ive been told, the original 400 were based on the race chasis used in the Cliocup competition and built in the Renaultsport work shop just outside of Paris. The 2 & 3 were based on a more "main stream" chasis and had more luxuries as Renault tried to cash in on the popularity of the original model. Whether this makes any difference or not I dont know, but it sounds cool and gives the Willy 1 an exclusivity shared by very few other vehicles on the road.

I paid just under £6k for mine (no 226) in July this year. With about 75k on the clock it sounds expensive but its a special car and with a service history as long as your arm. It was a prize car won by Gerrard motorsport for winning the 1993 season of the Clio cup (back in the days when they raced the old style clio) and has basically been looked after by the team mechanic for most of its life.......oh and its been chipped to 160BHP!

AS you can see Willy owners are fanatical about their cars and many dont bother with modding as it only detracts from the charm.

Which ever you get youll enjoy so start saving now!

Mike
 


OK then, Thanks for all your help people. I dont plan on modding it much, Just a couple of engine mods. (if it hasnt already been done to the car)

I guess i better save and see whats available at the time then.
 
  172 Cup, V6 255, Williams


Ah yes this ol chestnut....

I wanted a Williams. More so than that, I wanted one of the originals - rare, numbered cars light my fire you see. The differences have been highlighted here, altho the yarn about the original being basd on the clio cup is sales talk I think. All the chassis are the same.

Basically they all look and perform pretty much the same. So, if you like numbered plaques and lack of toys then plump for a 1. If not, then you will get the same experience from the 2 and 3.

Word of advice - avoid ones with sunrooves. If you find one you like with a sunroof, check very carefully around the suroof for crease marks. I have seen several sunroof equipped Williams/16Vs with creases, some not insiginificant when the roof has flexed due to enthusiastic cornering....

I have just bought a clio 16v which I am going to convert into a track day car...first job....weld the sunroof up!

Paul
 
  clio williams, Ph1 172


Paul I noticed mines got a crease in the roof. Its not terrible but its noticeable. Do you know the best way of gettin it sorted? Ive been told that to do it right the sunroof would have to be taken out and it could be fixed. Anyone know a cheaper way of doin it as I cant really afford the expense of havin the sunroof refitted after?
 
  172 Cup, V6 255, Williams


Paul,

The problem is that the creased part is now weak. Any attempt to fill will result in the filler moving and cracking over time...

To be honest, I really do not know the best way of repairing it.

I have drawn up plans on how Im going to weld the roof up on the 16v Ive bought, but that doesnt really help you, unless you are thinking of doing the same.

Paul
 
  BMW 320d Sport


Well I think everyones pretty much said it here.Willy 1 for basic hardcore thrills, the purists option. 2s much easier to find but you get the electric mirrors. 3 is a brighter blue than the others (Monaco Blue) and you get the toys.

Personally Id find it hard to choose. As a car Id want the Willy 3 cos its newer, remember a Willy 1 could be almost ten years old now with over 100k on the clock. But then I would love to have no sunroof, I cant stand sunroofs and Ive got half a mind to weld mine over. The roofs badly creased anyway.

The 3 is actually rarer than the 1 but that plaque is nice. In fact who needs electric mirrors anyway? Get a low mileage Willy 1.
 
  williams and trophy


it was always going to be a willy 1 for me

like evryone else has said more to do with the plaque and collectability than anything else

cheers

jon
 
  TT 225


I didnt even want a Willy, til I saw this one sat in my mates mums garage!

Didnt even compare it to any of the others - I just had to have it :D Looked amazing and low mileage (only 53k on a 1995 M plate) so I sold my car bought the willy a week later
 
  BMW Z4 2.5si Sport


Ive got a Williams 2 and love it :D



Its got decat magnex exhaust, and K&N induction, and was on the rollers at 163bhp at the fly in May :D
 


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