Friday 24th April 2015
Renault Clio Williams: PH Heroes
How to celebrate a hot hatch classic?
How to celebrate a hot hatch classic? Driving the first one built seems a good start; handing it back intact would be great...
Must be up there as one of the prettiest hatches ever
What a pretty little thing this is too. Sure, that hump and NACA duct on the bonnet are pretty unapologetic, the cooler for being offset and the one real visual clue of its potency compared with regular Clios. This is one classy looking machine though, the bling of the gold Speedlines offset by their diminutive size and extra 34mm of track over regular 16Vs contained within subtly engorged front wings. Like a 911, this is a car whose design informs you immediately about where the power is coming from and what it'll be like to drive - that muscular front end dominates, the rear balanced but more delicate and uncluttered by faux aero, fat exhausts and other addenda. The gorgeous Sport Blue paint is restrained, the smattering of Williams logos carried off tastefully and from any angle the proportions are just-so.All of which makes the character of the thing once underway even more shocking. It may have looked more grown-up than its contemporaries but the Clio Williams is just as raw, potent and thrilling as any 90s hot hatch. Or it would be, were one not considering the realities of spanking a mechanically perfect, aesthetically untainted and irreplaceable, first off the line car with impeccable history.
Limited edition status rather stretched...
Family threeIf you've read ourcomparing the Williams against its successors you'll also know the tyres on this car are similarly artefacts from an earlier age. Michelin apparently developed a tyre specifically for the Williams but for some reason this one was fitted with Pirelli P4000s, now nicely age-hardened and even less grippy than they would have been back in 1993. Not a problem in its early life in the Williams collection. Rather more of a concern for a man about to drive it around Brands Hatch. All of which is laying down the excuses nice and early to explain an embarrassing spin very early on at a Renaultsport track day. What was that about being careful?
Suitably chastened I set about rebuilding my trust in the Williams, albeit at a more restrained pace.
There's lots to enjoy too. Enlarged from the 1.8 litres of the standard 'valver', the Williams' F7R motor was increased to a 2.0 and had its own crank, con-rods, pistons and cams. Along with that wider track the Williams got the Cup racer's front subframe plus revised and uprated springs, dampers and anti-roll bars.
Conceived as a Group N rally homologation special, the Williams branding and associations with the F1 partnership with Renault were exploited to the full ... and then a bit more ... and then a bit more again. Famously (or perhaps infamously) the original production run of 3,500 eventually extended to 5,417 cars. A further 5,065 Williams 2s were then built, followed by 1,618 3s, distinguished by their Monaco Blue paint, ABS and standard-fit sunroof. 1,180 were sold in the UK across all three models, the first batch seemingly the most coveted for their provenance but all offering an equally scintillating driving experience. Take your pick - purists can coo over the Williams 1s but if you want one to enjoy and drive there's no shame in picking one of the later examples. And if rarity matters the third batch are actually the least numerous of all!
Hey, look - a hot hatch without a silly exhaust
On the edgeIn the context of enjoying all this to the maximum the provenance of this car is actually more of a curse than a blessing. Now painfully aware that the tyres make it handle more like one of those trolley-mounted skid training cars than a true hot hatch hero it's a case of nibbling at the edges of what it can do. Rather than going all-in and enjoying the knife-edge balance that's clearly lurking within.
In a modern context it feels tiny too, the low waistline seemingly putting the dash and window sill at waist height. If there's a timeless quality about the exterior the cabin is rather more 90s French, grey plastic getting the odd flash of blue and a Williams logo here and there to liven things up. The soft velour seats have generous bolsters to hold you in place and there's a businesslike feel to all the controls. The gear lever has a long throw and isn't to be rushed but that's not so much of a problem because of the engine's reach - 150hp in a car weighing less than a tonne is a good start and although 129lb ft doesn't sound that much it's more than enough to keep things exciting. The latter's peak is a lofty sounding 4,500rpm but the fact 85 per cent of that is available from 2,500rpm gives you an on-paper sense of how broad the delivery is.
The engine sounds fab too, buzzy and guttural low-down and building to a really aggressive growl as the revs build. The aural feedback matches that streaming through the wheel and the seat of your pants too, meaning there's never a dull moment, even on the straights. By modern standards it's not that quick but from the driver's seat it always feels potent and spoiling for a fight. And then come the corners.
3K km, first registered in '06, LHD; careful now...
Backing it inMaybe it's those tyres again but with a bit of speed the steering gets a lot lighter and trust in the front end is hard to find. Once it does turn in the transition to the trademark three-wheeled cornering stance - signalled by an initially disconcerting floatiness at the rear - is rapid and from there the balance gets rather more, er, exciting. Considering in this state the main thing keeping you pointing forwards is a single, 185-section tyre straining on its 22-year-old sidewalls the word 'adjustable' very quickly takes on a new meaning.
Front axle pushing on? Not a problem; a whiff of trailed brake snaps the front back into the apex as that rear tyre howls. Get a bit greedy? Best get ready with the corrective lock and throttle to pull you straight again - and look sharp about it.
Experience of a later 172 Cup tells me this is can be quite scary. But also hugely enjoyable, once you learn how to exploit it. It'll certainly come as a shock if you've never driven an old-school hot hatch and if you've just bought that dream Williams it's probably a good idea to learn its habits somewhere with plenty of run-off. Once that confidence comes though these things are proper weapons, dancing from tyre to tyre as you play with the weight distribution through throttle and brake.
Yeah, Renaultsport is quite good at this
On tyres you could put more faith in and a twisting B-road I have no doubt the combination would be utterly delightful, the Williams in truth probably better suited to this environment than the track. Snobs who think front-wheel drive cars can't entertain like a rear-driven one need to experience this effervescence, this feistiness and this playful sense of agility to be proven wrong. Those who already understand the thrill will appreciate how the Williams remains one of the true greats of the genre.A PH Hero then? Deservedly so.
RENAULT CLIO WILLIAMS 1
Engine: 1,998cc 4-cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 150@6,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 129@4,500rpm
0-62mph: 7.7sec
Top speed: 134mph
Weight: 990kg
On sale: 1993-1995
Price new: £13,275
Price now: c. £5,000 upwards - very upwards in the case of this car
[Pics: Ben Lowden/Chris Teagles]