Renault may have just revived the Alpine brand after two decades, but during this time, the French rolled out some crazy models, including this Clio V6.
Considered by many to be the spiritual successor to the mid-engined 5 Turbo, the Clio V1 Phase 1 was produced between 2001 and 2003, in just 1,513 units. It was based on the Clio Mk II, but it didn’t share many of its components.
In fact, the automaker went for a mid-engine and rear-wheel drive layout, instead of the front-engine and FWD of the standard supermini, with a 3.0-liter V6 sourced from the Laguna, fitted in place of the rear seats, which gave it access to 230 PS (227 HP), enough to propel it from naught to sixty (96 km/h) in 6.2 seconds and up to a top speed of 146 mph (235 km/h).
Set to hit SilverstoneAuctions on May 28, the example listed here is chassis 403, built in June 2001 and sold new to Italy. During these 15 years, it traveled to Japan, only to end up in the UK with the vendor. It is accompanied by a letter, stating that the car is in “all-original and very good condition”, with “nearly zero corrosion on the underside” and it retains the original spare key, tool kit, book pack and tire inflator. With its odometer indicating 71,115 km (44,810 miles), it’s expected to fetch between £22,000 and £28,000 ($32,120-40,880).
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