RenaultSport Twingo 133 Cup – The Twingo with Extra Go-Go

Hot hatch enthusiasts everywhere will be going crazy with excitement for the new RenaultSport Twingo 133 Cup, the cheapest RenaultSport ever.

Although there’s already a Cup option for the existing RenaultSport Twingo 133, this is the new lightweight Cup version, which strips down equipment in the car and, unlike the lightweight versions of supercars, actually costs less.

So, is Renault trying to confuse us with Cups? Almost – the current “standard” Twingo 133 has a Cup chassis option that adds 10% stiffer springs and dampers, a 4mm reduced ride height, and larger 17-inch alloys.  The new lightweight Cup uses the same suspension set-up as it’s higher-specced sister model, but it doesn’t have the air conditioning, automatic headlights and wipers, and extra tinted rear windows.  And instead of the usual independent sliding rear seats, it has a one-piece bench.  By removing all this equipment, the new Cup is about 10kg lighter than the standard Twingo with the Cup chassis option.

The new lightweight version keeps the same 1.6-litre petrol engine producing 132bhp and 118lb-ft, pushing it from 0-62mph in 8.7 seconds. And at £11,795, it is £700 less than the standard Twingo 133, but because the Cup chassis is no longer a £650 option, it actually works out £1350 cheaper like-for-like. That’s cleared that up then! The upshot is that this is a seriously fun car to thrash around the B-roads and track days and thankfully maintains the traditions of all the previous RenaultSport models, just a bit more extreme.

You can spec your Twingo Cup with Glacier white paint and gloss black door mirrors, rear spoiler and bumper trims, and you can have black wheels too.  It also keeps the same insurance rating of group 8.

The new Twingo Renaultsport 133 Cup will go on sale at the start of October, with customer deliveries from November.