The saga of the first generation of Mégane R.S. concluded with Renault Sport’s most radical proposal: Mégane R26.R, a radical version of French motorsport magazine’s "Sportive de l’année 2007" (Sports Model of the Year), Mégane R.S. F1 Team R26!
Achieved in large part thanks to the relentless work done by the Renault Sport family on previous versions, Renault Mégane R26.R went even further. Its aluminium subframe, carbon-fibre bonnet, polycarbonate windscreen and rear window cut its weight by some 123kg compared with its predecessor, which itself was already considerably lighter than the original version!
On 23 June 2008, Mégane R26.R caught everyone by surprise at the Nürburgring. It set a new lap record for a front-wheel drive production car on the Nordschleife, a first for Renault Sport. Its time of 8:17.54 obliterated the previous mark by nineteen seconds!
By the time was unveiled a month later at the London Motor Show, it had already earned itself a big reputation and generated a great deal of interest. Its success was just rewards for the bold approach involved in its design, and confirm its status as the "Ultimate Mégane R.S.".
The perfect expression of sporting excellence according to Renault Sport, Renault Mégane R26.R was the starting point for a series of lap records set by Mégane R.S. Trophy in 2011 and Mégane R.S. 275 Trophy-R in 2014, also at the Nordschleife.