Renault has shown off its new Megane RS Trophy-R and what it's capable of by posting a new record for front-wheel drive production cars on the Nurburgring.

In late March 2019, our spy photographers sent us images of what appeared to be a more track-focused Renault Megane RS and now we get a first look at the newcomer, complete with a video of a Nurburgring record attempt.

What we know so far is that it's called the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R and it boasts the same power as its Trophy sibling, due in South Africa in September 2019. For the record, power sits around the 222 kW and 420 Nm mark from a turbocharged 1.8-litre turbocharged motor. The trick here is the weight reduction and the RS engineers have shaved around 130 kg from the standard Trophy. There are tweaks to the Ohlins suspension, the chassis, the addition of trick performance tyres to make it go around corners quicker.

As for the Nurburgring record attempt, the man behind the wheel was Laurent Hurgon, who is the brand's development driver. Previously, he managed a 7:54.36 in the previous-gen Megane III RS Trophy-R, which held the record until the new Honda Civic Type R came along. The Japanese road-legal weapon posted a7:43.8 which has now been beaten by the 2019 Renault Megane Trophy-R. The time? A mind-blowingly fast 7:40.10.

To put that into context, that's faster than aMercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic+,Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series,Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 SuperleggeraandPorsche 911 GT3(997) to name but a few.The Renault Megane RS Trophy-R will go on sale in limited numbers and we don't expect any to make their way to South Africa, but we'll keep our fingers crossed. The Trophy-R will have its public debut on 24thMay 2019as part of the build up to the F1 GP inMonaco.

Further Reading

Spy Shots: 2020 Renault Megane Trophy R

Renault Megane RS 280 Cup (2019) Review

Renault Megane RS280 Lux (2018) Quick Review

Renault Megane RS Trophy Ups the Ante