A time of 8 minutes 08 seconds has seen the new limited edition Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy set a new benchmark time for a production-specification front-wheel drive car at the Nürburgring’s infamous Nordschleife circuit. This performance beats the attempts of several far more powerful, rear-wheel drive cars including the likes of the legendary E60 M5.

Renault Sport established its first lap record for a front-wheel drive production car at the Nordschleife on 23 June 2008. The time of 8 minutes 17 seconds posted that day by the Mégane Renaultsport R26.R demonstrated that a showroom-specification front-wheel drive car could beat high-performance models from some elite specialist brands and tuners. Today, it was the turn of Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy to beat the time by a full 9 seconds, a lap record that has stood for three years.

Today’s impressive lap time is the result of the newcomer’s extra 15hp, at 265hp, along with careful set-up work and an optimised tyre choice by Renault Sport engineers.

The latest achievement speaks volumes for Renault’s ability to incorporate its motorsport expertise and experience – including Formula 1 – into its production cars. Indeed, Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy has benefited directly from all the areas in which Renault Sport excels, from design quality and exacting reliability, to painstakingly tuned engines, chassis and brakes.

It is a mystery why Renault have removed the video from youtube so I have attached the only video i can find sans the GPS Overlay or timings….

Priced in the UK at £27,820 on-the-road, the new Mégane Renaultsport flagship arrives ready to take the fight to its VW Group rivals, including the Golf and Scirocco R stablemates, with a 15hp hike on the current Mégane Renaultsport, plus an extra 20Nm torque.

Naturally, as a result of its greater power compared to the standard 250hp versions, it boasts improved performance statistics. The newcomer dispatches 0-62mph in six seconds exactly (instead of 6.1), with a top speed of 158 mph, up by an extra 2mph. In everyday driving, its 360Nm is usefully available across a broad rev band between 3,000 and 5,000rpm. Its impressive power-to-weight ratio is 191hp per tonne.

To achieve these gains, Renaultsport’s wizardry has seen the engine’s maximum turbo pressure uprated to 2.5 bar, up by 0.2, together with the air intake being revised to take account of the higher pressure and running temperatures.

In the UK, the latest addition comes based on the Cup chassis version, but also adds, unsurprisingly, even more core equipment, including Recaro seats with yellow seatbelts and detailing, Renaultsport Monitor on-board performance tracking and a UK numbered plaque. In keeping with its focused nature, there is just a single option, a gloss Renault i.d. Diamond Black roof at £415.

As part of its attractive price, new owners of the 265 Trophy also gain free access to the full 2012 Renaultsport UK trackday calendar, worth around £650, giving them the opportunity to revel in the track-bred qualities of the ultimate roadgoing Mégane Renaultsport around some of the country’s finest circuits, including Brands Hatch and Silverstone.

Note:- Tyres overpressure to take more speed and also the understeer shown in all the corners!