| Tell you what, being young was brilliant. | | | | socially acceptable to feel like this all the |
| Yes, I know I'm only 24 now, but I'm talking | | | | time. Seventeen years later and it appears |
| about when I was six or seven and could play | | | | the local Renault dealer is on hand to make |
| with my toy cars, build vehicles that defied | | | | this story come full circle. |
| the laws of physics out of Lego and race my | | | | |
| dad on Scalextric. Sitting in the cinema | | | | Due to the success of Renault in Formula One |
| recently I watched Speed Racer (I believe I | | | | in recent years and that their production |
| make up exactly 100% of the world's | | | | cars are selling like hot cakes thanks to |
| population that has viewed said film) and I | | | | creative styling, competitive pricing and |
| really rather enjoyed it. Set in the future, | | | | good reliability some bright spark in |
| the crux of the film revolved around a lad | | | | marketing thought up a way of combining the |
| handily called Speed Racer who raced around a | | | | lovable Clio with Fernando Alonso and co as |
| full size Scalextric track in a futuristic | | | | they tear up the track around the globe. |
| car. Many gravity defining minutes later, | | | | Welcome to the RenaultSport Clio 197 F1 R27 - |
| with bright neon lights whizzing past my eyes | | | | catchily named it's not. Aimed squarely at |
| I was hooked - the drive home never seemed so | | | | men wanting to regress to childhood and |
| slow and boring. | | | | competing against the likes of the Honda |
| | | | Civic Type R, Mini Cooper S and Golf GTi, the |
| This got me thinking, is it socially | | | | hot Clio has a lot to contend with to be |
| acceptable for a 24 year-old man to push toy | | | | successful. |
| cars around the floor? Or how about digging | | | | |
| out some Lego again? After much deliberation | | | | I like to remain impartial when reviewing a |
| I decided against this as I hope to hold on | | | | car, but put simply the R27 looks so |
| to my latest girlfriend and crying to her | | | | jaw-droppingly awesome that even if the rest |
| over swallowing a Lego brick isn't | | | | of the car was rubbish it wouldn't matter. |
| attractive. Finally then I opened the dust | | | | Finished in the brightest yellow, fitted with |
| covered box to my Scalextric and I'm not | | | | a wide-arch body kit, more air vents than a |
| ashamed to say I spent all weekend | | | | skyscraper, Recaro racing seats, unique |
| assembling, tweaking and then racing around | | | | graphite alloy wheels and the most gorgeous |
| and around until my trigger finger went numb. | | | | F1 inspired rear diffuser, the R27 instantly |
| The collection of cars I'd amassed surprised | | | | sent me back to 1991. The fun however doesn't |
| me too, I have everything from NASCAR, | | | | stop on the outside as the R27 sits on |
| Formula One, super cars, British Touring Cars | | | | Renault's latest racing chassis which is 27 |
| and Le Mans racers. Despite this clearly | | | | percent stiffer at the front and 30 percent |
| showing I was spoilt rotten when I was a lad, | | | | at the back than previous sport versions and |
| it also drove home the point that the only | | | | makes the car feel like it's on rails, |
| car I can remember was not the shiny Ferrari | | | | turning every road into a giant Scalextric |
| or limited to 100 edition of the Jordan | | | | track. |
| Formula One car, but the 1991 Renault powered | | | | |
| Benetton Formula One car with the front wing | | | | The driving experience gets better when you |
| missing due to a high speed collision with my | | | | consider why it's got 197 in its name - |
| dad. | | | | that'll be the amount of horses crammed under |
| | | | the bonnet. A six speed gearbox helps get the |
| I think it's the circumstances surrounding me | | | | power to the road as quickly as possible |
| acquiring the car that made it my favourite. | | | | although you'll want to drive as slowly as |
| Having been dragged from car dealership to | | | | you can, not only to show off your racing |
| car dealership with my parents I finally | | | | decals but to conserve petrol as it's |
| found a nice seat to be bored on at a Renault | | | | probably rocketed another ten pence a litre |
| dealer. In front of me stood a glass cabinet | | | | as I write this. |
| towering upwards and halfway up I could see | | | | |
| this brilliant toy. The Renault dealer knew | | | | Only 500 will be made available in the UK |
| the score and struck up a deal that involved | | | | through your Renault dealer, with equally |
| me getting the car and my dad parting with | | | | limited availability worldwide meaning a |
| lots of pictures of the Queen for a | | | | £1,500 ($3,000) topping up of the |
| turbo-charged Renault 25. Even now when I | | | | price. Put simply this car made me feel seven |
| think of that story I regress back to being a | | | | again and that - to quote a well known |
| seven year old and long for something | | | | television commercial - is priceless. |