2003 Renault Clio 172 Cup

This car has been in the current owner’s custodianship for the past 7 years. Due to this, the history is extensive and up to date, serviced routinely by renowned Renault specialist in Nottingham, Diamond Motors. All parts that have needed replacing have been genuine Renault parts and importantly the cambelt, oil dephaser and aux belt were changed in 2019, something important to complete every 5 years on these Clio’s, so you’re safe until 2024.

The car has had new genuine dampers which transform the ride of the car, new wishbones, tie and track rods, steering rack mounts, top mounts, and engine mounts. In addition to this it has had a full geometry set up, both driveshafts replaced, new brakes (front and rear callipers, discs pads, brake lines, handbrake cables) and whole host of other upgrades which we’ll document in the following sections.

The current owner has spent a huge amount of money, time and care to keep this car at its best during their time with it. This has resulted in a very original car which is extremely honest and in great condition. It even had a full intensive detail in 2020 including removing wheels and professionally cleaning the wheel arches to keep everything clean and ward off any corrosion.

The owner is selling due to the car just not being used as much as it deserves. It has clearly had a pampered life though and the love and care afforded to it clearly shows, with the owner even upgraded the garage it was kept in to be heated and dehumidified. This car is surely one of the best out there and we’re certain will continue to delight.

Finished in the beautiful metallic ‘Modial Blue’ as the majority of the 172 cups were the exterior of this car is very good indeed. Whilst it does have some age-related general wear and tear it is much less than expected, the body is straight, and the paintwork is in good condition. The car also does not suffer from the slight shade differences in colour from the main body and the bumpers (which degrade at different rates from UV as they are different materials).

The wheels are Speedline Turinis in 16” specification as was standard on the 172 cup and were refurbished in 2016, one wheel has a very minor section (about 1 cm) that has lost some paint. This could easily be rectified either at home or by a local shop, it hasn’t dug into the metal and doesn’t detract from the look of the wheel overall. The tyres are Michelin’s Pilot Sport 3’s which are a very popular choice for the Clio and look to have plenty of life left in them with a good tread depth.

All the trim and plastics around the Clio are in good condition with the lights being clear and free from hazing and the front fog lights are in good condition too. There is no obvious corrosion to be seen on the outside of the vehicle and even the window rubber trims are in good condition, especially around the windscreen which can deteriorate visibly around the top corners. There's a smattering of stone chips on the front, as you'd expect from a car covering this mileage.

Overall, the exterior of this Clio is good, aside from the low levels of wear and tear this is a fantastic looking car with plenty for it to shout about, for one to keep for years to come you’d have to look (and pay) a lot more for a better one we think.

Totally original inside, the interior of the Clio is in great condition, very clean with little to no marks anywhere in the entirety of the car. The seats are in great condition, the bolsters look to have plenty of rigidity and shape and the fabric is in good condition also with little wear and no marks we can see. That goes for the back bench too, this car has had a full detail last year and with how clean it is inside the detailer was clearly a good one. The headlining is not sagging and is free from stains, rips and tears, the carpet is in good condition to with over mats protecting the underneath which is free from stains, rips and with little to no wear and tear.

A big plus for this Clio is the dash steering wheel plastics which can become sticky as the cars age. This car does not have this issue, the plastics are in good condition with no damage and little to no marks on them. The standard large diameter steering wheel feels good in the hands and encourages you to throw the hot hatch into a corner with its thumb grips, it also matches the subtle nature of the look of the whole car.

Whilst the interior of the Cup isn’t particularly inspiring in its standard form it suits the nature of the car prioritising function over form, everything in the car is in great condition including the gear lever knob which again has very little wear, accents of blue are common throughout the interior which adds a nice touch to the otherwise large swathes of grey. This is a fantastic condition interior for this car and its clear the owner has spent considerable time and effort maintaining it during their time with the car.

Before we look underneath the car let’s start by looking at the engine, the 2.0L 16 valve engine from Renault (designated ‘F4R’) is a fantastic unit in standard form with plenty of potential to release a few more horses with some simple modifications. This one has been well cared for as has the rest of the vehicle, with the history to back it up, which we’ll go through briefly in the next section. Lifting the bonnet, you’re met with the prominent intake with ‘Renault Sport emblazoned across it in raised lettering, the other notable part being the fuel injector rail guard and the bright yellow oil cap. The engine looks to be in good condition with regards to exterior condition with the owner confirming that it performs just as good as it should in the lightweight hot hatch. All rubber pipework along with any wiring looks to be in good condition with no splits, tears, or exposed wires we can see. The engine mounts look to be in good condition, and they are the originals which go a long way to reducing the NVH levels in the cabin, though it should be noted that there is small heatshield rattle at @4,000 RPM and the Carbon Canister has been known to tick on occasion too. As indeed they do with many a Clio! The rest of the metal work in the bay is in good condition as well with that prominent Mondial Blue adding some colour.

Going underneath the body then and its much the same story under here as it is for the exterior, very good condition with levels of wear and tear much lower than you’d expect. The underside is free from damage and the metal work is free from corrosion from what we can see that factory underseal clearly doing a great job over the years. The owner has also kept the car in a heated and dehumidified garage which has definitely helped keep the dreaded tin worm at bay. The suspension is all original and the shock absorbers were even replaced for genuine items recently with the owner stating that they are getting harder to find replacements now. The rear suspension beam looks good, working alongside the springs and dampers to keep the Clio from lifting a rear wheel under hard cornering.

The owner states that the wheels were all removed during the intensive detail the car had in 2020 and all the grime and dirt was cleaned off the wheel arches.

There is a good amount of history for the Renault, recently mainly done by Diamond Motors in Nottingham, a renowned Renault Clio specialist. It’s had all major belts and dephasers done in 2019 which means it will not need doing again for another 5 years. The Clio has 3 previous owners and has been in the current owner’s possession since 2015. In his time, servicing and or oil changes have been recorded in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Also included in the history file, is the full suite of owner’s manuals, V5C, service book and the standard leather wallet that came from factory and it comes with two keys as well.

Below is a summary of some of the additional ongoing maintenance and paperwork:

- Timing belt, camshaft oil seals and fixings replaced – Diamond Motors – 11/06/2014

- Intermediate service, suspension refresh (shocks, top mounts, wishbones, ARB inner and outer bushes, track rods and ends, steering rack bushes), new brakes and lines, new handbrake cables, rear calipers and engine mounts – SJ Motorsport – 27/02/2015

- Brembo front and rear discs, Ferodo racing DS2500 pads, Goodridge braided brake lines, ATE brake fluid – Road Track Race parts

- High level brake light – Hartwell Oxford – 25/04/2015

- Wheels refurbished – Platinum Alloys – 14/12/2015

- Replacement driveshaft set, gearbox oil changed, minor service and inspection, adjust parking brake cable tension, replace OSR caliper, replace OS engine mount – Diamond Motors – 21/03/2016

- Oil filter, Air filter, valeo clutch kit, gearbox and engine oil – Diamond Motors – 17/03/2017

- 4 new fuel injectors – RenParts – 21/03/2017

- Timing belt kit, Aux drive belt, dephaser pulley, oil seals and fixings, oil filter unit, timing end float oil seals, timing case – Diamond Motors – 15/02/2019

- NSR brake caliper, front discs and pads – Storm Autos – 29/07/2019

- Oil and air filter, sump plug washer, brake caliper RH – Storm Autos – 12/01/2021

- Full detail – Pinnacle detailing – 03/06/2020

- Front and rear dampers – Diamond Motors – 19/02/2022

This is a good example of Renault’s popular hot hatch and one that consolidated Renaults reputation whilst bringing glory in the battlefield of various motorsport disciplines. With the market for these cars increasing in the last few years, they are set to continue on this upward trajectory as these cars represent a great option for a lightweight and massively fun B-road blaster. This example is a low owner, relatively low mileage example that is totally original, it surely has to be one of the best examples for the money on the market right now.

We estimate this car to reach in the region of £5,000 - £8,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, especially as this particular car is located with us at The Market in Abingdon. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.