1999 5Renault Sport Spider (RHD)

• UK-supplied, right-hand drive Sport Spider with just 14,500 miles from new
• Finished in sparkling Titane Metallic with black Recaro bucket seats
• A highly collectable quirky sports car with only 1635 units produced and just 60 UK cars
• Designed with a dual purpose as both a race car and road car, 148bhp weighing just 930kg
• A superb example in outstanding condition with associated paperwork and full service history

The Renault Sport Spider was designed as a dual-purpose sports car with both road and race use in mind. Powered by the 148bhp, 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 and they don't include a speedometer, only a rev counter, oil pressure and water temperature gauges. To complete the sports car feel, there are body-hugging Recaro bucket seats, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and adjustable pedals enabling the driver to achieve the absolute optimum driving position. The doors meanwhile, pivot up to open, arguably practical but certainly distinctive.

The Renault Spider Cup series ran for several years as a support to the BTCC and produced a number of drivers who went on to greater things. Jason Plato won 11 out of 14 races in the inaugural year of the UK Spider Cup and in 1999, Andy Priaulx beat Plato's record of eight successive race wins in the Spiders by taking a clean sweep of 13 wins in all 13 races. 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, only 60 right-hand drive examples were sold and the remainder of the cars went to the German and French markets.

Manufactured in 1998 and first registered in the UK in February 1999 this lovely Renault Sport Spider is in excellent condition and has covered only 14,500 miles from new. It's finished in sparkling Titane Silver metallic with black half-leather Recaro sports seats, a combination that really suits this quirky little French fancy and is accompanied by a detailed history file containing invoices for regular maintenance, MOTs, V5c etc. and a lovely Sport Spider aluminium presentation folder containing the original manuals etc. The car starts 'on the button' and is reported to perform really well, fast and agile as per the original design spec. Offered with an MOT valid until 20 September 2021, this is a very rare opportunity to acquire a special little sports car rarely seen on British roads that is sure to be the talking point of any classic car show.