Clio 197 F1 & 911 C2S
I've had the 197 F1 for about a week now, and I've got to say that it's a great little car.
It's a completely different drive to the modded Focus ST that I got rid of - it needs needs to be driven far harder, since it hasn't got that swell of torque that the ST had, and it obviously doesn't sound as good, but then I did have a full Piper exhaust with sports cat on the Focus.
However, the chassis feels more sorted on the 197. I can carry more speed into the bends, heal and toeing on the down shifts is far more natural, and the lighter weight is a lot more obvious than I thought it would be.
Yesterday I took it down some of my favourite local roads and it was an absolute blast. With a free revving naturally aspirated engine that peaks above 7,000rpm, it feels similar to the 911 when it comes to changing through the box. It even rewards with some great noise above 6,000rpm, just like the Porsche too. Ultimately, I'm far more impressed than I thought I'd be.
On the whole, it seems to be exactly what I was looking for, and will hopefully result in me putting fewer miles on my other beast. I'll be taking it in for its first service in a few weeks, so I'm hoping that my local Renault dealer in Slough won't spoil the experience for me. If anyone has anything to say about Renault in Slough (good or bad), please let me know.
It's a completely different drive to the modded Focus ST that I got rid of - it needs needs to be driven far harder, since it hasn't got that swell of torque that the ST had, and it obviously doesn't sound as good, but then I did have a full Piper exhaust with sports cat on the Focus.
However, the chassis feels more sorted on the 197. I can carry more speed into the bends, heal and toeing on the down shifts is far more natural, and the lighter weight is a lot more obvious than I thought it would be.
Yesterday I took it down some of my favourite local roads and it was an absolute blast. With a free revving naturally aspirated engine that peaks above 7,000rpm, it feels similar to the 911 when it comes to changing through the box. It even rewards with some great noise above 6,000rpm, just like the Porsche too. Ultimately, I'm far more impressed than I thought I'd be.
On the whole, it seems to be exactly what I was looking for, and will hopefully result in me putting fewer miles on my other beast. I'll be taking it in for its first service in a few weeks, so I'm hoping that my local Renault dealer in Slough won't spoil the experience for me. If anyone has anything to say about Renault in Slough (good or bad), please let me know.
