Description
Here we have something very special, it’s a Clio Williams, which is pretty special in itself but this particular Williams is not only completely original and unmolested but has had just 1 private owner from new!!
The Backround
Despite the connection to the Williams F1 team, the Clio Williams was actually an homologation special. It was built because Renault Sport wanted to go rallying, given this was still the era of homologation into classes A and N, oh how we all miss that! Renault simply had to build 2500 road cars to qualify, although it would eventually build many more.
Renault Sport breathed their magic into the humble Clio with increased engine capacity and squeezed 148bhp from the reworked engine out of the 16v model, codenaming the engine the F7R. A sizeable amount of work was also committed to the suspension, with thicker anti-roll bars, a reinforced front subframe borrowed from the Clio Cup Racer, and uprated springs and dampers. Each vehicle was given a set of 7J Gold Speedline wheels that were half an inch wider, bolted onto an increased track width of 34mm.
Even with the thorough reworking, Renault kept the weight below 1000kg and the public demand soon outstripped their expectation. At the time this caused consternation among owners as Renault made more to capitalise on the model’s popularity, but today with some finding a permanent home at the racetrack and many others long lost to the dreaded tin worm ( “How Many Left” state there are only 34 Williams 2’s left on the road) finding a good honest example has become a challenge for those wanting to own a slice of real hot hatch royalty.
The Car
Our particular Williams was bought new from West’s Garage of Cambridge on the 22nd of November 1994, the owner loved it so much that he kept it for the next 30 years! We understand that the only reason the car has become available for sale is that the gentleman is now in his 90s!!
The car is in exceptionally nice condition, having been garaged all its life and is showing 83808 miles recorded.
The Mechanicals
The Williams was taken off the road in 2008 and went into dry storage, when the decision was made to finally part with it this year, it was handed over to Merlin Motors who carried out a complete and thorough recommissioning of the car consisting of….
• New timing belt
• New water pump
• New battery
• New fuel filter
• New spark plugs
• New auxiliary drive belts
• New hand brake cables
• New rear discs
• New rear brake pads
• New rear callipers
• New front discs
• New front pads
• New front brake hoses
• New KYB rear shocks
• New front springs
• New top suspension mounts
• New bottom ball joints
• New catalytic converter
• Fresh oil, filters, brake fluid and coolant
All of the works were carried out at 83739 miles, just 70 miles ago!
The Exterior
Finished in Sport Blue (449) with contrasting Gold Speedline wheels, our Williams looks fantastic. Having been garaged its entire life goes someway to explaining the condition of the paintwork, it has a deep, even gloss to it with only the most minor of imperfections, mainly on the roof and it looks amazing out in the sun!
All the trim and Williams badges are present and correct, all the panel gaps are even and there are no signs of corrosion to the bodywork.
The original and correct Speedline wheels are all in nice, presentable condition and are wrapped in a very recent and matching set of Michelin Primacy 4 tyres.
It’s a similar story underneath the car, no nasty corrosion and the sills and jacking points all appear to be original and rot free, please refer to the underside photo section.
The Interior
Moving to the inside and the originality continues, right down to the original Philips radio cassette still wearing its screen protector!!
The deeply bolstered front seats are in excellent condition, as are the rear ones, with no discernible signs of wear and tear. The plastic trim, again is all in very nice order with nothing broken or damaged, just some very light scuffing to the sill covers.
The dash is crack free and the blue faced dials are bright, clear and fully functional as are all the electrics (windows, mirrors, fan etc)
The boot, again is clean and tidy and still retains the parcel shelf with zip up suit holder.
The Paperwork
The Williams comes with its V5, showing zero previous owners, current advisory free MOT certificate valid until December 2025, current and clear HPi report, original book pack with all books present and receipts for the recommissioning work carried out at the start of the year.
The Conclusion
Finding a Clio Williams is not easy, finding a very good, rust free one is becoming harder and harder, finding a very good, rust free one that has just undergone a significant and very recent recommissioning and has only had 1 private owner, is a kin to finding the holy grail!!
