THE UK has seen a raft of new hot hatches burst onto the scene in the last 12 months, including the latest offerings from Renault's performance arm, the Clio Renaultsport 182 Cup and the Megane Renaultsport 225. Now, Renault has combined all its motor sport expertise to produce arguably one of its most focused road cars ever in the form of the Megane Renaultsport 225 'Trophy'.

The latest addition to the Renaultsport stable, officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, takes its lead from the awe-inspiring Megane Trophy race car which is set to grip the motor racing world as part of the 2005 World Series by Renault race meetings, which start in Zolder, Belgium on April 30. Launched in April 2004, the current Megane Renaultsport 225, on which the Trophy is based, has continued to attract hoards of fans, particularly as it's as comfortable on long distances as it is on the track.

However, much to the delight of driving fans everywhere, the Renaultsport team hasn't been content with the plaudits flooding in for their latest creations, so they have now taken things one step further by enhancing the car's brakes, chassis and steering to give the purest driving experience possible for the performance enthusiast and track day driver.