1997 Renault Sport Spider

The Renault Sport Spider is powered by the 150bhp, 16v four cylinder, engine, which was first seen in the Renault Clio Williams and also used in the original Megane Coupe 16v. Given the relatively light weight of this car, that's enough to make it very fast indeed. Rest to 60mph takes just 6.9 seconds on the way to a maximum speed of 134mph. Take a seat behind the wheel and you instantly know that this car means business; quite simply it's more race car than road car. With a single aluminium bar dominating the dashboard, there are only three dials set into a central pod on the dash. They don't include a speedometer, instead a rev counter, with oil and water pressure gauges. To complete the sports car feel, there are body-hugging Recaro bucket seats, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and adjustable pedals so the driver can achieve the absolute optimum driving position. The windows meanwhile, pivot up to open, arguably practical, certainly distinctive. The Renault Spider championships ran for several years as a support series to larger championships such as the British Touring Car Championship and groomed many fine racing drivers, such as Jason Plato.The Spider model was unfortunately discontinued after only a year and a half of production, with a total of 1,635 examples manufactured. For the UK market only 60 right-hand drive examples were sold and the remainder of the cars went to the German and French markets. This lovely Renault Sport Spider has had 1 owner from new and covered only 36,000 miles. A full Renault service history accompanies the car and a fresh service has just been completed. Finished in yellow with grey exterior, this rare right-hand drive example has never seen a race track and has been stored in a garage from new. Consequently, the bodywork and interior show little sign of use. The only non-standard item fitted is a custom made sports exhaust, however, the original is also included in the sale. In 1997 the vendor custom made a unique hood system for the Spider, the only of its kind. This useful and impressive design addition will be supplied to the new owner. Supplied with 12 months MoT, this legendary sports car is simply a hoot to drive.