Motoring News
Today, 15 November 2014Comparison: Mercedes A45 AMG versus Renault Megane 275 Trophy-R
Enthusiasts will love the Renault Mégane RS 275 Trophy-R, but you’d be nuts to buy one when an extra £1760 bags the more powerful, five-seat Mercedes A45 AMG, right? Nic Cackett decides
On the evening of 22 June, while toasting his triumphant 7min 54.36sec lap of the Nordschleife in the new Mégane RS 275 Trophy-R, I wonder if Laurent Hurgon, Renault’s test driver, was aware that it was almost six years to the day that the manufacturer had been in Germany performing the same feat with the R26.R.Famously pillaged of even the glass in its windows, that car – a stamina-testing rattle box of brilliance – cracked the front-drive record, too, and clearly provided the template used by Renaultsport engineers in Dieppe for the follow-up. There will be fewer examples of the Trophy-R, but the lunge for instant acclaim at the Nürburgring is certainly no different.The time – a modest 4.0sec shortening of the record previously held by the Seat Leon Cupra 280 – is less important than the bragging rights that come with it. With them secured, Renault expects the car to be ordained the most formidable hot hatch on sale – the only title, it must be noted, that would justify its formidable p
read morePorsche yet to sign off Ferrari 458-beating supercar
Porsche bosses remain cool on whether the firm will bring its plans for a new junior supercar, internally dubbed 988, to market
Porsche boss Matthias Müller revealed his dream of a mid-engined supercar positioned between the 911 and 918 Spyder in 2011, not long after taking the reins.However, it now seems that the project for a Ferrari 458 rival hasn’t progressed much further than early feasibility studies.Reports suggested that a decision was due in mid-2014, but Porsche has yet to officially reveal if the project has a future or not. The model, dubbed 988, was expected to be powered by a 4.0-litre eight-cylinder engine producing in the region of 600bhp alongside more than 400lb ft of torque.However, insiders recently told Autocar that the idea remains on the wish list, but full-scale design and engineering work is on ice while Porsche works on the new Panamera - which is due to come to market in 2016 - the new Cayenne, and new engines and transmissions, as well as refreshing the
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