1995 Renault Clio Williams 2

Highlights

A charmingly original and unmolested example of 90’s hot hatch royalty
Providing a great basis for further improvement or to use and enjoy as it is
A long period in current ownership with a comprehensive paperwork trail

The Appeal

Renault had long been masters of the fast hatch back with the concept originating with the Renault 5 Gordini of the early 1980’s. Thanks to its success, especially in the UK, Renault were soon upping the performance ante with the introduction of a 5 Turbo. Inevitably enough, then, the new Renault Clio was guaranteed to get the hot hatch treatment. The pinnacle of the hot Clio lineage arrived in 1993 in the shape of the Clio Williams. Making the most of Renault’s status as engine supplier to the Williams Formula 1 team at the time, the Clio Williams was a homologation special with a limited run of just 3,800 cars. Such was its success that a Series 2 model followed along in 1995.

This Clio Williams 2 is a well-used but well-loved example. It has been in its current ownership since 2008 and is, by the owner’s admission, ready for some additional love and attention. The beauty of this example is clearly its originality. There are a few unseen upgrades but to all intents and purposes this is a stock car with all the special Williams cues and touches that helped make the model such a revered example of French hot hatch dominance in the 1990’s.

The History and Paperwork

This Clio Williams 2 was first registered in February 1995
The first owner paid the princely sum of £18,403.44 for the Williams 2
A further two keepers followed before 2008
The current owner acquired the Clio back in 2008 at around 115,000 miles
With a father who ran a garage he knew they could give the Clio a good home
At that stage the Clio was registered to the garage with it becoming the fourth keeper
The owner later registered it in his own name to become the fifth keeper
With the owner travelling internationally for work the Clio was stored from 2013
A couple of MOT attempts were made during this fallow period
These resulted in a list of jobs requiring attention
These were finally addressed fully in May 2023 together with wider recommissioning
This included a new timing belt, water pump, clutch and more
At that point the Clio achieved an advisory free pass at 144,582 miles
Less than a couple of thousand miles have been added since
With the car not much used to suited to the owner’s needs it is offered for auction
There is a healthy archive of paperwork included
The current V5 Registration document is present
As is the current MOT in hard copy
The latter is valid until May 2025
Numerous earlier MOT hard copies are on hand
The original Renault book pack is present
There are numerous invoices included for work undertaken and parts sourced
The most recent of these are from May ’23 and June ‘24
These are both from hot Renault specialists Beanie Sport and cover over £1,500 expenditure

The Condition

Like all Clio Williams 1 & 2 cars this example is finished in 449 Sports Blue
The superb Speedline wheels are finished in R9312 Gold
The condition of the exterior of the Clio needs some future attention
As such there are some paint and bodywork issues to include:
- Lacquer peel on front bumper, wing mirrors and rear spoiler
- Rust on rear arches and rust spots on sill
- Bonnet has a dent near offside headlight and is stone chipped
- Small dent on passenger side door and on roof
- Some paint / lacquer peeling on alloys
- Window trims display some bubbling
- Driver’s door exhibits a large panel gap between door top and roof
- A large panel gap between passenger side wing and bonnet
The Speedline alloys are shod with quality Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres
These were fitted in 2023 and so have covered very little mileage
The interior of the Clio is entirely original and complete
This extends to an unbutchered (but repaired) parcel shelf and rare integral suit holder
The velour seats are in great condition for the car’s age and mileage
The inner foam remains good, and they are impressively comfortable
The embroidered Williams “W” is in fine fettle
Likewise, the rear seats look excellent with very little signs of wear
The dashboard is complete with the extra centre console gauges
The owner does report that the fuel gauge is a little temperamental, however
The trip reset button is noted as not working but everything else is as it should be
There are some black stains to the passenger footwell carpet
They are present to a lesser extent on the driver’s side
A set of original Williams F1carpet floor mats are fitted and included
The storage pocket plastic on the door cards has become discoloured
The door card arm rests have also collapsed slightly
The boot is in fine order with a very solid looking boot floor

The Mechanics

This Clio is reported to drive “fantastically with no knocks or bumps”
The owner reports the gear change as being “sweet” thanks to a new linkage in ‘23
The wider recommissioning at that stage was impressively thorough
The work included:
- The aforementioned new timing belt, water pump and clutch
- New engine mount, PAS rack and PAS pump
- New coolant hoses, battery and fuel pump
- New track rod ends, bottom ball joints, front wheel bearings, and brake pads
- Full service including filters & spark plugs
A custom stainless steel exhaust was also fitted in 2023
This includes a sports CAT and OEM look tip
The sports muffler and backbox delivers “a nice tone but not too loud”
The owner reports that the rear wiper to be temperamental
The fitted Cobra alarm is currently disconnected
The central locking works on the original Renault key, however
In June 2024 specialists Beanie Sport carried out a full service
They also fixed a fuel and coolant leak and replaced o/s/f CV gaiter
As such the Clio Williams is ready to be used and enjoyed
It is reported that “it gets a lot of thumbs up and positive comments at petrol stations”

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