Limited Edition RenaultSport Mégane R.S. Red Bull Racing RB8

RenaultSport has announced another special edition Mégane R.S. to mark the company’s third year as engine supplier for the Infiniti Red Bull Racing team in Formula One. Called the RenaultSport Mégane R.S. Red Bull Racing RB8, it is based on the RS265 Cup.

While Renault did the same thing last year with the RenaultSport Mégane R.S. Red Bull Limited Edition, which was dressed in black and yellow livery normally associated with Renault’s factory racing teams, the latest version sports the F1 Team’s Crépuscule Blue finish and platinum gray accents.

Other tell-tale signs include a series of Red Bull logos plastered around the car, including the rear quarter panels, side sills and laurel stickers on the rear side windows. The Mégane R.S. Red Bull Racing RB8 is shod with the same Bridgestone tyres that helped the Mégane Trophy establish a new lap record for the Nürburgring. They are fitted to exclusive 19-inch black alloy wheels with grey pin striping.

It also gets first use of Renault’s new R-Link multimedia tablet and the second-generation R.S. Monitor. The R-Link’s six functions – navigation, telephony, multimedia, vehicle, system and R-Link Store apps, are controlled using the touch screen display, the voice command function or the console joystick.

The new R.S. Monitor 2.0 now uses the R-Link’s 7-inch colour display and displays the Special Red Bull Racing homepage. Data can now be saved on a USB dongle as well.

The Mégane R.S. Red Bull RB8 packs the same 195kW/360Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the regular RS265 but with a Stop&Start system added to reduce consumption to 7.5L/100km.

It will go on sale in France and 26 other countries from the end of June with a starting price of €36,000. It will be withdrawn from sale on 30 September 2013 to make good its limited-edition promise.

The car will arrive in Australia in the 4th quarter of this year.