Spotted: a 2010 Renault Mégane R.S.

The spotted specimen

In a parking lot in the wooded area between De Bilt and Zeist, we saw this 2010 Renault Mégane R.S.
The car has been registered since 2012.
Is it just us or do you see this Mégane R.S. model very rarely?
It seems like you even see the later Mégane R.S. more often than this model, despite the fact that the later one was even more expensive because of the bpm.
Anyway, nice to come across one again.

The first Renault Mégane R.S.

The first Renault Mégane appeared in 2004 based on the second model generation of the regular model.
At that time, there was still a choice of three- and five-door variants.
Under the hood was a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with an output of 165 kW (225 hp), good for a 0-100 time of 6.5 seconds and a top speed of about 240 km/h.
A sports suspension, modified steering and sports seats completed the sporty package.
Those who wanted even more sportiness could turn to the R.S. 225 Cup (from 2005), the R.S. 230 Renault F1 Team R26 (from 2006) or the more exclusive R.S. 230 Renault F1 Team R26.R (2009).
There was even a sporty diesel version in the form of the R.S. dCi 175.

Second-generation Renault Mégane R.S.

The second-generation Renault Mégane R.S. we spotted entered the market in 2010.
Its debut was for the R.S. 250, with the 2.0-liter four-cylinder, as its name suggests, delivering 184 kW (250 hp).
Through a six-speed manual transmission, this power was transmitted to the front wheels.
Basically, the concept of the new Mégane R.S. was similar to that of the first, but the body shape did change.
There was no longer a five-door version and the three-door – like the regular three-door Mégane – had much more of a coupe-like silhouette.

Once again, there were models that went the extra mile in terms of sportiness.
Thus, there was soon a Cup version of the R.S. 250, with a number of weight reductions and a suspension tuned even more for track use.
In 2011, the R.S. 265 Trophy, limited to 500 units, followed as the superlative.
This was followed in 2012 by a “regular” Megane R.S. 265, which replaced the 250 version.
A fun fact is that the R.S. 265 came from a tender from the Gendarmerie National, for a new high-speed service vehicle that had to have at least 261 horsepower.
The R.S. 265 was actually used as a service vehicle by the Gendarmerie.
Once that more powerful version arrived, Renault made it available to the general public as well.

Facelift for Renault Mégane R.S.

This second generation Renault Mégane R.S. also saw some limited editions, such as the Red Bull RB7 and RB8 Edition (2012 and 2013).
In 2014, the Mégane R.S. underwent a facelift along with the regular model, but for the R.S. it was only cosmetic.
The limited-edition R.S. Mégane 275 Trophy and Trophy-R (2014-2017) completed the offering, after which another completely new model generation was ready in 2017.
That model has shone in this column before.