NOT SO long ago, I got a chance to have a few days in the company of Renault’s superb Clio Cup 197. It was white, with the funky black alloys and interior of a stark persuasion, and it bucked the disgraceful trend of other motor manufacturers by honourably charging you less money for the added-lightness version, rather than more. I loved it. On a charge down the A470, it proved to be a wonderful companion and the best way of spending £15,000 if you wanted to grin like a goon every time you were behind the wheel.

    This, mind, was in 2008, and the Cup 197 was a new-ish car then, so I was hardly expecting a better version to come along within 18 months. But here it is, in subdued and not-at-all-in-your-face Alien Green, bearing a new badge and a face only a mother could love (more on that in a bit). This, then, is the £15,750 Renaultsport Clio Cup 200, begat from 197, in turn begat from 182 and then 172 before that. And the Williams. And probably the Renault 5 Turbo… but I digress.

    So, what has Renaultsport done to create the new Cup? Well, looking through the specification… not much, by the look of it. Oh, wait, no… here’s something. We had 194bhp in the old car, now we’ve got 197 (their confusing names, of 197 and 200 respectively, relate to the fact that those crazy Europeans use pferdestarke, or PS, which is always ever so slightly higher than good old bhp – so the numbers in Renault’s hot Clios over the years have always related to their horsepower, rather than their brake horsepower). O-kaaay… ah, torque is up 20 per cent in the low end, meaning you don’t have to cane the tits off the Clio Cup to get progress, always its detractors’ biggest gripe. And the first three gears have been shortened, for better acceleration.

    Anything else? Well, the steering is quicker and the dampers are 15% firmer than the 197. The springs are at the same rates, though, 27% and 30% stiffer front and rear over its fully-loaded ‘Comfort’ version brother. And I think that’s about it. In summary then, we have a new conk, a tiny bit more power and more accessible torque and revised gearing, damping and steering. Surely this isn’t going to make a big difference?

Compact, aggressive and pumped. The only thing that stops this Clio from beating the original Focus RS in the looks department is its dubious nose. We blame the SII Freelander for all this black running mascara nonsense which runs down the face of many Euro hatches.

    Wrong. Somehow, and this is the real magic of Renaultsport’s fantastic products at the moment, this feels even sharper and more committed to cornering of the lunatic variety than its as-near-as-dammit-identical 197 predecessor. It feels like not just the steering but the brakes and gearchange are also improved on the Cup 200, while its mechanical grip is as exceptional as ever. Best of all, the Cup 200 seems to chatter about road information with you in an even more hyper-intense manner than the already-loquacious 197. Thundering about our testing, er, test track, the Clio begins to apparently defy physics as it barrels into bends with no tyre squeal, the nose eager, the back end ever alert to help out should you overstep your entry speed by a fraction… In short, a proper, bonkers hot hatch, buzzing along and regaling its driver at every turn, crest and camber. The engine is always willing and crisp, and pulls the lithe Cup around with little histrionics, so you don’t worry about its still-peaky delivery, especially when stirring the pleasant six-speeder. All in all, fabulous stuff.