How Your Renault Dealer Will Make You Young Again

Tell you what, being young was brilliant. Yes, I knowseven year old and long for something socially
I'm only 24 now, but I'm talking about when I wasacceptable to feel like this all the time. Seventeen
six or seven and could play with my toy cars, buildyears later and it appears the local Renault dealer is
vehicles that defied the laws of physics out of Legoon hand to make this story come full circle.
and race my dad on Scalextric. Sitting in the cinemaDue to the success of Renault in Formula One in
recently I watched Speed Racer (I believe I make uprecent years and that their production cars are selling
exactly 100% of the world's population that haslike hot cakes thanks to creative styling, competitive
viewed said film) and I really rather enjoyed it. Set inpricing and good reliability some bright spark in
the future, the crux of the film revolved around a ladmarketing thought up a way of combining the lovable
handily called Speed Racer who raced around a fullClio with Fernando Alonso and co as they tear up the
size Scalextric track in a futuristic car. Many gravitytrack around the globe. Welcome to the RenaultSport
defining minutes later, with bright neon lights whizzingClio 197 F1 R27 - catchily named it's not. Aimed
past my eyes I was hooked - the drive home neversquarely at men wanting to regress to childhood and
seemed so slow and boring.competing against the likes of the Honda Civic Type
This got me thinking, is it socially acceptable for a 24R, Mini Cooper S and Golf GTi, the hot Clio has a lot
year-old man to push toy cars around the floor? Orto contend with to be successful.
how about digging out some Lego again? After muchI like to remain impartial when reviewing a car, but
deliberation I decided against this as I hope to holdput simply the R27 looks so jaw-droppingly awesome
on to my latest girlfriend and crying to her overthat even if the rest of the car was rubbish it
swallowing a Lego brick isn't attractive. Finally then Iwouldn't matter. Finished in the brightest yellow,
opened the dust covered box to my Scalextric andfitted with a wide-arch body kit, more air vents than
I'm not ashamed to say I spent all weekenda skyscraper, Recaro racing seats, unique graphite
assembling, tweaking and then racing around andalloy wheels and the most gorgeous F1 inspired rear
around until my trigger finger went numb. Thediffuser, the R27 instantly sent me back to 1991. The
collection of cars I'd amassed surprised me too, Ifun however doesn't stop on the outside as the R27
have everything from NASCAR, Formula One, supersits on Renault's latest racing chassis which is 27
cars, British Touring Cars and Le Mans racers. Despitepercent stiffer at the front and 30 percent at the
this clearly showing I was spoilt rotten when I was aback than previous sport versions and makes the car
lad, it also drove home the point that the only car Ifeel like it's on rails, turning every road into a giant
can remember was not the shiny Ferrari or limited toScalextric track.
100 edition of the Jordan Formula One car, but theThe driving experience gets better when you
1991 Renault powered Benetton Formula One carconsider why it's got 197 in its name - that'll be the
with the front wing missing due to a high speedamount of horses crammed under the bonnet. A six
collision with my dad.speed gearbox helps get the power to the road as
I think it's the circumstances surrounding me acquiringquickly as possible although you'll want to drive as
the car that made it my favourite. Having beenslowly as you can, not only to show off your racing
dragged from car dealership to car dealership withdecals but to conserve petrol as it's probably
my parents I finally found a nice seat to be bored onrocketed another ten pence a litre as I write this.
at a Renault dealer. In front of me stood a glassOnly 500 will be made available in the UK through
cabinet towering upwards and halfway up I could seeyour Renault dealer, with equally limited availability
this brilliant toy. The Renault dealer knew the scoreworldwide meaning a £1,500 ($3,000) topping
and struck up a deal that involved me getting the carup of the price. Put simply this car made me feel
and my dad parting with lots of pictures of theseven again and that - to quote a well known
Queen for a turbo-charged Renault 25. Even nowtelevision commercial - is priceless.
when I think of that story I regress back to being a