(Wed 23 Jul 08)

Renault has unveiled the closest thing it has ever built to a road-legal racing car at the British International Motor Show.

It's called the Megane Renaultsport R26.R, and it's based on the 230 F1 Team R26 introduced in November 2006. Mechanically, the two cars are the same, with a 230bhp two-litre turbo petrol engine, a six-speed gearbox and a limited slip differential, but the R26.R is 123kg lighter thanks to the removal of many items (such as the radio/CD, the rear seat most of the soundproofing and all the airbags except the one for the driver) and the use of a carbonfibre bonnet, polycarbonate rear windows and lightweight racing seats.

On top of all that, the R26.R has full racing harnesses as standard (normal seatbelts are an optional extra), a quickshift gearlever, grooved discs, a wider track, stiffer springs and recalibrated shock absorbers. For an extra £700 you can also have a rollcage and 225/40x18 Toyo Proxes R888 tyres in place of the standard 235/40x18 Michelin Pilot Sports.

Racy decals and red alloy wheels are part of the package, but if you're feeling modest you can ask for the decals not to be fitted, which doesn't cost anything, and for black wheels, which cost £100.

Renault has taken the R26.R to the Nürburgring race circuit in Germany, where it went achieved a lap time of 8 minutes 17 seconds. That's reckoned to be a record for a front-wheel drive production car, and the time - and an outline of the circuit - are etched into the rear side windows.

Just 450 examples of the R26.R will be built, and since the UK has always been Renaultsport's most successful market it's no surprise that we're getting most of them. 230 will be sold over here, compared with just 126 in France.

The R26.R officially goes on sale in October at a price of £22,990.

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