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They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While some people might call it extravagant, for enthusiasts like us, the Renault Sport R.S.01 is one of the most fascinating race cars ever made. In the world of motorsports, where design of race cars is usually governed by rules of aerodynamics, the R.S.01 depicts the perfect collusion of grace and physics, making it one helluva head turner.
Unveiled earlier this year at the Moscow Motor Show, the Renault Sport R.S.01 will replace the Megane Trophy racer in the Renault Sport Trophy, which will kick off in 2015. This bespoke creation was driven by the ex-Formula One racer and France’s pride Alain Prost, rallying legend Jean Ragnotti and Red Bull Formula One driver Sébastien Buemi at the Jerez circuit in Spain in front of more than 58,000 spectators.
The car is made out of a carbonfibre monocoque chassis, made by Dallara. Getting an engine for the R.S.01 wouldn't have been difficult, thanks to Renault's good relations with its partner, Nissan. Powering the R.S.01 is a Nismo-tuned 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 from the Nissan GT-R which will churn out 500bhp and 600Nm of torque.
While this power might be less than what the powerplant makes in the GT-R, the R.S.01, being a race car, will be a lot lighter and more track-focussed than the Nissan, which should make it far more superior on a race track. Renault claims that the development work on the R.S.01 will continue right until the first customer deliveries in March 2015, with its racing debut planned at Spa-Francorchamps in mid-2015. Check out the official video of the Renault R.S.01 being put through its paces at the Jerez circuit.
