renault / RENAULT SPIDER

renault gallery

renault spider
renault spider
renault spider
renault spider
renault spider
renault spider
renault spider
RENAULT SPIDER black
RENAULT SPIDER black
RENAULT SPIDER blue
RENAULT SPIDER blue
RENAULT SPIDER brown
RENAULT SPIDER engine
RENAULT SPIDER engine
RENAULT SPIDER green
RENAULT SPIDER green
RENAULT SPIDER interior
RENAULT SPIDER interior
RENAULT SPIDER red
RENAULT SPIDER red
RENAULT SPIDER silver
RENAULT SPIDER silver
RENAULT SPIDER white
RENAULT SPIDER white

renault spider

The Spider, or project W94 as it was codenamed, debuted at the Geneva motor show in 1995 and was launched the year after, when the Williams Renault F1 team was at the height of its powers with its Newey-designed cars. The perfectly sound idea was clearly to capitalise on both this motorsport glory and the sports car boom of the ’90s. But where Lotus sold over 10,000 Series 1 Elises, just 1685 Sport Spiders were built, between 1996 and 1999. What’s more, while the Elise garnered the ’96 Performance Car of the Year award and won Car magazine’s handling test, the Spider didn’t even make the shortlist of either. Surely, though, if Norfolk’s finest hadn’t been around, the RSS would have been more popular?

Initially the largish three-spoke steering wheel matches the suspension’s calmness, with no wriggling or tugging over the busy surface. But as soon as you turn it a fraction the system weights up, floods information back and the car responds instantly, darting left or right without hesitation.

Review of other vehicles

Suzuki VX 800

The bike has a stable steering geometry, but it can take on twisters at respectable pace. I replaced the front wheel with a 17 inch wheel from a GSX-R250 (bolts on without any modes), which makes the handling more quicker, but with the smaller wheel, the bike stands with less lean on the side stand, which can make it less stable on canted grounds...