The Sport Spider is not the kind of car most people would expect from Renault, but it's just the type of car you would expect them to build if you are familiar with their history. After all, these are the guys who put a Renault F1 engine in an Espace. Because why not?! While the bread and butter of the company are econoboxes and occasional hot hatches, they have a proud motorsport pedigree that runs strong to this date. The Clio Cup is home to very exciting races for over two decades now, and the brand's one-make series has been running since 1966. They are also quite a force when it comes to rallies and Formula 1.

The year was 1996, and Renault was at the top of their game in Formula 1. Renault-powered teams, Williams and Benetton, were winning both driver's and constructor's championships since 1992, and Renault was hailed as masters of engine and racing technology. But when millions came to the showrooms to see the champion's offerings, all they got was a Williams Renault Clio and not much else. So, to further reap the benefits of their dominance, Renault created the Renault Sport badge and a sports car to go with it; the Renault Sport Spider. There's so much to remember about the quirky Renault Sport Spider, but most of its details fade as time passes.

Related: 10 European Cars Only True Gearheads Appreciate

8 It Launched the Renault Sport Badge

Renault Sport Spider Via-Renault 5
Via: Renault

If you are a young person living in Europe, you've either had a Renault Sport car or know a person who has or had one. Renault's Sport sub-brand is very important for European car enthusiasts. If you want to go fast on a budget, you get a Renault Sport Clio, if you want to participate in club racing, you buy a Renault Sport Clio. This brand of cars are the Miatas of Europe.

Small-11136-1995RenaultSportSpider
Via: Renault

Renault started the brand back in 1996, and they started it with a bang. The Renault Sport Spider was one of the wildest cars Renault ever made. It created many headlines and made the Renault Sport brand famous almost overnight. It looked strange, it didn't have many options, to be frank, it didn't have anything but essentials, but it was pretty, and it was fast, and that's all that matters.

7 Built For A One-Make Racing Series

Renault Sport Spider Via-Renault 11
Via: Renault

As we mentioned earlier, Renault is the master when it comes to one-make racing series. They've been doing it for 55 years under different names and with different cars. One such car was the Renault Sport Spider. The one-make racing car series was the intention of Renault when they were developing the Spider. There were different series of Spider Cups and one of the most successful ones were in Britain.

Renault Sport Spider Via-Renault 10
Via: Renault

The UK Spider Cup was a support race for bigger events like BTCC and Formula One. It ran between 1996 and 1999 and produced some exciting racing. While the racing program wasn't without its flaws, it produced two amazing Touring Car drivers. The series' first champion Jason Plato went on to become a BTCC legend and the last champion, Andy Priaulx is still racing successfully.

6 No Creature Comforts

Renault Sport Spider Via-Alpine
Via: Renault

While the Renault Sport Clio is a beast that you can use every day and then enjoy on your local racetrack, the Renault Sport Spider is completely different. When we say no creature comforts were present on the Renault Sport Spider, we really meant it. This car doesn't have power steering, servo brakes, or a heater. It doesn't have a roof either. There are a couple of extras you can order it with, like a windshield and a radio. Yes, you read it right, the windshield was an optional extra for the Renault Sport Spider. You have a wind deflector as standard but to drive the car, a helmet is highly recommended.

Renault Sport Spider Via-Alpine 2
Via: Alpine

This car was designed with racing in mind, so what you have is a steering wheel, three dials for rev counter and water and oil temperature. The speedometer is center mounted and digital, it also contains the fuel gauge. Also, you got two Recaro seats and a weatherproof interior. It doesn't get more basic than that.

Related: Here's What Made The Renault Clio Williams A ’90s Hot Hatch Icon

5 A Pocket-Sized Supercar

Renault-Sport-Spider-Via-Renault-8-1
Via: Renault

Renault Sport Spider is a small and light car. Weight was so important for Renault, it doesn't even have external door handles. But what this car has is scissor doors. But to open them, you need to reach inside and pull the handle. This is an odd compromise, but all this weight saving makes for a spirited car to drive.

Renault Sport Spider Via-Renault 7
Via: Renault

Because this car only has the 2-liter engine from the Renault Williams Clio that produces 148 horsepower, it needs all the help it can get. However, thanks to the diet it got from the Renault engineers, this car puts out very respectable performance.

4 It Was Very Agile

Small-11133-1995RenaultSportSpider
Via: Renault

If we look at the raw performance data, this is a pretty impressive car for its time and price. It weights 2050 lbs and powered by a 2-liter inline-4 that sends 148 horsepower and 131 lb-ft of torque to rear-wheels through a 5-speed manual transmission. Top speed is a respectable 131 mph for the road cars. The racing cars were a little more powerful and got a 6-speed manual.

Small-11139-1995RenaultSportSpider
Via: Renault

Renault Sport built the Spider on an aluminum space frame, which is fantastic. The chassis is really stiff and this makes it a very nimble car. Momentum is the name of the game for a car this light, and this car could hold some momentum through corners.

3 An Overshadowed Beast

Small-11140-1995RenaultSportSpider
Via: Renault

The Renault Sport Spider is a seriously cool track day beast, so it took one of the all-time greats to overshadow it: The Lotus Elise. The Elise was a worthy car to carry Colin Chapmans legacy, it was light, simple, and quick around a track. Mention the Elise's name to a British motoring enthusiast and watch them tear up, because it was one of the last true British sports cars.

Small-11130-1995RenaultSportSpider
Via: Renault

This was very unfortunate for Renault Sport because the Elise was stiffer, lighter and overall better car than the Renault Sport Spider. It was cheaper, too. The only advantage of Renault was it's power, but this was negligible because it was more than 300 lbs heavier than the Elise.

2 It Is Very Rare

Small-11128-1995RenaultSportSpider
Via: Renault

The Elise's success doomed Renault Sport Spider and sales numbers stayed pretty low, especially in Britain. In total, between 1500 and 1900 Renault Sport Spiders were built. Only 60 of them were right-hand-drive. This makes the Spider a rare and exciting alternative to the Lotus Elise.

Small-11121-1995RenaultSportSpider
Via: Renault

When you go to a track day or a meeting, Elises are everywhere, but most people can't remember when they last saw a Renault Sport Spider, it's even more likely that they've never seen one. This makes the Arachnoid of Dieppe an interesting conversation starter at car meets.

Related: These Are The 10 Most Iconic Renaults Ever Made

1 Prices Are Still Reasonable

1995 Renault Sport Spider
Via: Renault

Renault Sport Spider's rarity and quirky nature makes it a modern classic. There are some good news too, first model year cars are now legal to import to US. So, if you want to import one from Europe, expect to pay between $18,000 and $47,000 before taxes and import costs.

Renault Sport Spider Via-Renault 6
Via: Renault

The car was almost $70,000 if we adjust it for inflation. So, even if the prices have started to appreciate recently, it's still reasonable for a rare, quirky race car for the street and track. So, if you are looking for a modern European classic to be your new track day toy, you should consider a Renault Sport Spider.