82 MODERNCLASSICS
Happily,
Tom’s 182
Trophy has
found him
once again.
YOUR DRIVES
Send yours to [email protected]
RENAULTSPORT CLIO TROPHY
TomForbes‘Handling,grip,corneringability,
power,lowweightandtheappealof exclusivity’
Whydidyouchoosethecar?
In my opinionRenaulthasalwaysmadethe
be st all-roundhot hatchesandI ownedfast
RenaultsfromClio172sto MeganeR26s
be forebeinglet loosein a Clio 182 Trophyin
20 07.I couldn’tbelievehowdifferentthe
dr ivingexperiencewasfroma standardClio
18 2. Thehandling,grip,corneringability,
power,lowweightandtheappealof
ex clusivitywitha limitedrunof 500,wereall
bi g reasonsto buyone!It wasthecar I’ve
most regrettedsellingovertheyears– untilI
boughtit backagainlastyear!
W hat’sthebestbit?
Thefactthatit’stheactualcar I soldin 2008.
Randomlyfindingit forsalewhilelookingat
an otherClioTrophy,I drovestraightto
Year 2005 Mileage 76,000
Acquired April 2008, sold it December 2008 and bought it back again August 2018
Worst car owned Bronze (cough – brown) 1984 Vauxhall Nova saloon
Other hobbies Outside of cars, my other hobby is business/work – It pays for my habit of wasting
money on cars while continuing to keep a roof over the understanding heads of my wife and children
Derby to view it and prised it from the hands
of a car collector who was looking to make
space for some new purchases. In the ten
years since I owned it, it’s only covered a
further 14,000 documented miles.
What’s the worst bit?
The bonnet. Small, fast Renaults from that
era were made from what seemed to be
recycled tin foil, so they dented very easily.
Mine’s slightly shabby looking and replacing
it is on the list of things I want to do.
Any modifications?
Just a KTEC exhaust. Renault stopped
producing the standard one and this
excellent stainless system is the closest to
the original available on the market.
What’s it like to run?
You can still buy many parts off the shelf
quite cheaply, but equally some parts are
getting rare. A common issue with Clio
172/182 is the dreaded melting steering
wheel – new original items are no longer
available. Mine has a lovely retrimmed wheel
from KTEC Racing, but I recently purchased
a used one online and have sent it off to be
retrimmed to OEM level. The owners group
- cliotrophy.co.uk – is a large, vibrant and
helpful resource of knowledge for this car.
Any advice for buyers?
Find one and invest in it quickly! Servicing is
a little more than just oil, spark plugs and
filters; an important receipt to look out for is
the one for the Sachs dampers being
refurbished and rebuilt along with the belts
and dephaser being replaced by a reputable
specialist/dealer. Without that, expect a bill
of around £2k to have it all undertaken.
Any funny mishaps?
When I originally owned the car, I travelled
all the way to Cadwell Park from Surrey for a
Renaultsport Track Day. Two laps in, I ripped
a tyre. After spending hours trying to find a
tyre place with the right Michelin Pilot Exalto
and getting it fitted, I only managed an hour
on track that day!
