2014 Renaultsport Megane 275 Trophy | PH Fleet

Ben has bought yet another Renault - is this one finally a keeper?

I bloody love a good Renault. If I ever have another daughter, I’ll be making my case to call her Clio or Megan(e). And just like our children, I’m sure many of us are at the point now where we’re looking to buy cars that we’ll keep forever. The ones they’re not making anymore; the ones that might qualify as a keeper. Naturally, you’ll want to spend as much as your Man Maths permits on the best example you can find, with the lowest mileage possible.

That’s already what I had with my Mazda MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition – a car I’d pined after for a decade before I eventually decided to pull the trigger on one with 12k miles on the clock. I had no intention of selling it anytime soon – but when this golden Renaultsport Megane 275 Trophy popped up in the PH classifieds, it was too good to resist. Yet again, a car that I came oh so close to ordering brand new but decided it was too much of a stretch at the time. But in near-mint condition with 22k miles, it was too good to pass up.

So here we are. The MX-5 is gone with three people all wanting to come and buy it (again, through the classifieds) with the sun shining on the first weekend of spring and my absolute dream Megane in Liquid Yellow on the driveway. My old 275 Cup-S actually popped up for sale while I was selling my RS3, but it was snapped up in a flash. Then this came up a couple of weeks later, so it felt like fate.

But why yet another Renault, I hear you ask? This is my ninth, after all, and my fourth Megane. Out of the 40 or so cars I’ve owned, it’s easily my favourite. Grown-up and civilised when you want it to be, but an absolute riot when you’re in the right mood, too. And given this is solely a weekend car, I’ll be in the latter camp all the time. Sure, a Civic Type R would be faster, a M140i would do skids, and a Golf GTI would be easier to live with - but the Megane is more playful, more communicative, and with a few tweaks, will make all the silly noises a childish car enthusiast could ask for.

I did ask myself if a hatchback is special enough to have as a long-term toy, but I decided this one absolutely is. It looks magnificent in Liquid Yellow from the outside, with the red Brembo calipers popping out from behind the 19-inch Speedline alloy wheels. And those in the know will spot the subtle carbon fibre exhaust trim for the factory Akrapovic exhaust system. Drop yourself into the carbon leather and Alcantara Recaro CS Sportsters, and you’re greeted by more carbon fibre on the dashboard and lashings of Alcantara on the steering wheel, handbrake, and gear gaiter. It might be a hatchback, but it feels like a properly special one.

For anyone new to the Renaultsport Megane 275 Trophy, the specification from the factory is epic. It’s powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged F4RT (snigger) engine, sending 275hp to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox and mechanical limited-slip differential. It has four-pot Brembo brake calipers up front, a titanium Akrapovic exhaust system, Recaro CS Sportster seats, and carbon fibre and Alcantara everywhere, all from the factory.

It won’t be long until I add a few of my own touches, but everything will be reversible before the purists start throwing pitchforks at me. Initial plans are getting it serviced and applying a few tweaks before my first sprint event at Curborough, so more on that next time. For now, welcome to the fleet, TR07 PHR.