| Tell you what, being young was brilliant. Yes, I know I'm | | | | that story I regress back to being a seven year old |
| only 24 now, but I'm talking about when I was six or | | | | and long for something socially acceptable to feel like |
| seven and could play with my toy cars, build vehicles | | | | this all the time. Seventeen years later and it appears |
| that defied the laws of physics out of Lego and race | | | | the local Renault dealer is on hand to make this story |
| my dad on Scalextric. Sitting in the cinema recently I | | | | come full circle. Due to the success of Renault in |
| watched Speed Racer (I believe I make up exactly | | | | Formula One in recent years and that their production |
| 100% of the world's population that has viewed said | | | | cars are selling like hot cakes thanks to creative styling, |
| film) and I really rather enjoyed it. Set in the future, the | | | | competitive pricing and good reliability some bright |
| crux of the film revolved around a lad handily called | | | | spark in marketing thought up a way of combining the |
| Speed Racer who raced around a full size Scalextric | | | | lovable Clio with Fernando Alonso and co as they tear |
| track in a futuristic car. Many gravity defining minutes | | | | up the track around the globe. Welcome to the |
| later, with bright neon lights whizzing past my eyes I | | | | RenaultSport Clio 197 F1 R27 - catchily named it's not. |
| was hooked - the drive home never seemed so slow | | | | Aimed squarely at men wanting to regress to |
| and boring. This got me thinking, is it socially acceptable | | | | childhood and competing against the likes of the Honda |
| for a 24 year-old man to push toy cars around the | | | | Civic Type R, Mini Cooper S and Golf GTi, the hot Clio |
| floor? Or how about digging out some Lego again? | | | | has a lot to contend with to be successful. I like to |
| After much deliberation I decided against this as I hope | | | | remain impartial when reviewing a car, but put simply |
| to hold on to my latest girlfriend and crying to her over | | | | the R27 looks so jaw-droppingly awesome that even |
| swallowing a Lego brick isn't attractive. Finally then I | | | | if the rest of the car was rubbish it wouldn't matter. |
| opened the dust covered box to my Scalextric and I'm | | | | Finished in the brightest yellow, fitted with a wide-arch |
| not ashamed to say I spent all weekend assembling, | | | | body kit, more air vents than a skyscraper, Recaro |
| tweaking and then racing around and around until my | | | | racing seats, unique graphite alloy wheels and the most |
| trigger finger went numb. The collection of cars I'd | | | | gorgeous F1 inspired rear diffuser, the R27 instantly |
| amassed surprised me too, I have everything from | | | | sent me back to 1991. The fun however doesn't stop |
| NASCAR, Formula One, super cars, British Touring | | | | on the outside as the R27 sits on Renault's latest |
| Cars and Le Mans racers. Despite this clearly showing | | | | racing chassis which is 27 percent stiffer at the front |
| I was spoilt rotten when I was a lad, it also drove | | | | and 30 percent at the back than previous sport |
| home the point that the only car I can remember was | | | | versions and makes the car feel like it's on rails, turning |
| not the shiny Ferrari or limited to 100 edition of the | | | | every road into a giant Scalextric track. The driving |
| Jordan Formula One car, but the 1991 Renault | | | | experience gets better when you consider why it's got |
| powered Benetton Formula One car with the front | | | | 197 in its name - that'll be the amount of horses |
| wing missing due to a high speed collision with my dad. | | | | crammed under the bonnet. A six speed gearbox |
| I think it's the circumstances surrounding me acquiring | | | | helps get the power to the road as quickly as possible |
| the car that made it my favourite. Having been | | | | although you'll want to drive as slowly as you can, not |
| dragged from car dealership to car dealership with my | | | | only to show off your racing decals but to conserve |
| parents I finally found a nice seat to be bored on at a | | | | petrol as it's probably rocketed another ten pence a |
| Renault dealer. In front of me stood a glass cabinet | | | | litre as I write this. Only 500 will be made available in |
| towering upwards and halfway up I could see this | | | | the UK through your Renault dealer, with equally limited |
| brilliant toy. The Renault dealer knew the score and | | | | availability worldwide meaning a £1,500 ($3,000) |
| struck up a deal that involved me getting the car and | | | | topping up of the price. Put simply this car made me |
| my dad parting with lots of pictures of the Queen for | | | | feel seven again and that - to quote a well known |
| a turbo-charged Renault 25. Even now when I think of | | | | television commercial - is priceless. |