Renault posted the photo you see below on their Facebook account on April 16, saying there are still “two months to go…” They didn’t explicitly say what it was about, or what they were counting down to, but we can speculate that it was the more extreme version of the recently facelifted Megane RS, that will take full advantage of extra performance parts to achieve a sub-8-minute time around the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Believed by some to have as much as 280hp, this hotter Megane RS will most likely also sport improved suspension, courtesy of Ohlins, better-than-standard tires from Michelin and a new exhaust by Akrapovic.

However, simply dropping under the 8-minute mark is no longer a worthy feat, since the SEAT Leon Cupra did a 7:58.4 run not so long ago. Furthermore, fast FWD hatches (with close to or over 300 hp) from Opel, Honda and Ford are on their way too, and they’re all gunning for the same title of being the fastest of their kind around the fabled track.

By Andrei Nedelea

Note: Posted below is the lap that started this modern hot hatch pissing contest in the first place.

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