Well, it seems that Renault, one of the best makers of hot hatches, has reclaimed the title of the fastest FWD around the Nurburgring from the Seat Leon Cupra 280 with its new Megane RS 275 Trophy-R. Watch the video below to see how it demolishes the track in a blistering 7 minutes 54 seconds.

http://dai.ly/x1zo9j4_renault-megane-r-s-275-trophy-r-nurburgring-nordschleife-lap-record-full-version-under8_autoWhile the Leon Cupra that was used to go under 8 minutes on the 'Ring was rumoured to be slightly tweaked, Renault claims its Trophy-R can be bought from the factory straight. However, you will need to spec it correctly in order to get it in its record breaking guise. To make it clearer for you readers to understand, we listed the differences between the RS265 that we currently get here, the new non-R RS275 Trophy and the new hardcore RS275 Trophy-R.

From the RS275 Trophy, we get

• Nearly 10bhp more as compared to the RS265
  
• Öhlins's trick Road&Track dampers
  
• Front composite springs by Allenvard
  
• Akrapovic's titanium exhaust which shaves 18kg off the RS265
  
• 19-inch Speedline Turini wheels which trims off 5kg of unsprung weight
  
• Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 semi-slicks
  

And we then go for the upgrade to the RS275 Trophy-R which will shave nearly 100kg off by...

• Deleting the rear wiper which shaves 1kg
  
• Deleting the air-con and radio which takes away 10kg
  
• Deleting the soundproofing materials which trims 18kg
  
• Deleting the rear seats which cuts 20kg
  
• Using a pair of single-piece polycarbonate Recaro bucket seat in front to minus off 22kg
  
• Using a titanium Akrapovic exhaust with a carbon fibre tailpipe trim to shave off 4kg more
  

Finally, we will need to tick the Nurburgring Pack on the option list which includes...

• A 'performance' brake upgrade which consists of 350mm discs mounted on aluminium bowls which in turn removes 3kg
  
• A lithium-ion battery that replaces the standard lead battery to save 16kg of weight
  
• 2 Sabelt safety harnesses
  
• 4 spare wheel covers and a retaining strap
  

After all that weight saving, the RS275 Trophy-R weighs in at 1280kg and does the century sprint in 5.8 seconds. Fast enough we say. So will we see a Trophy-R here which has a limited production of only 250 units? I hope so!