Williams Renault spider motor. 148 HP
The Renault Sport Spider is a roadster produced by the French automaker Renault Sport (a subsidiary of Renault) between 1996 and 1999.
The idea for the Renault Spider was formulated in the early 1990s: in the midst of a revival after a difficult second half of the 1980s, Renault wanted a car to promote it as a sporting brand (similar to the Renault 5 Turbo from a decade earlier). The Spider was intended to both serve as a racing car, in a one-make series organized by Renault, and as a road car. The first prototypes for Project W94, as it was known at the time, were completed in mid-1994 and a concept version was presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show a year later. The car went on sale in early 1996, assembled at the Alpine factory in Dieppe. Left hand drive versions were first produced with an aeroscreen device the same as the race cars. In 1997, a version with a full glass windscreen and wiper was made available.
Approximately 1800 cars were produced through 1999. The UK market only imported the windscreen version and 100 right hand drive cars were produced. The naturally aspirated 2-litre F7R engine produces 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp).
Power for the Spider came from a version of the 2-litre F7R engine from the Clio Williams and Mégane Coupe, producing 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp). Either a windscreen model (965kg) or a small wind deflector model was available (930kg). The driver wearing a helmet in vehicles without a windscreen.
The Spider was the first ever road car badged as a Renault Sport and the Brand name has subsequently been used for all high performance Renault cars that are developed by the Renault Sport division which is a separate company with the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
