Tp Gear 9th June

I thought JC was little harsh on the C4S on Top Gear this evening. Of course I would say that, since I am biased. I know the C4S is not as good as a turbo, but then I would expect not, since there would be little reason to buy a turbo if it was. He mentioned that it was just a body kitted C4, but I think that is not quite true. The list price is £3270 more than the the C4. But you get lowered chassis, 18" wheels, electric seats and Porsche sound pack (10 speakers) as standard, which is worth £2670, plus you get the leather interior (which I don' t have a price for since I am not sure exactly which bits are different). You also get the rear track 60mm wider and larger tyres (which I don' t think you can have on a C4). Evo and Car magazine reckon that next to the turbo (which is 25K more and not so easy to afford) it is the one to go for. Additionally, it has the highest residuals (72% after 3 years). This does not mean that the C4 is not a fine car, merely that the two are different and that the price difference is justified. However, it is true that a C4S does not scare you, and is not super car fast. Now if it had 400+ bhp then things would be different.... Wonder who can tune it for me.

Stuart, What disappointed me was that the Stig did not drive the C4S. It would have been interesting to see how much slower it was compared to the Turbo, I bet in the wet it would have been close. After the comments by JC my wife as nicknamed my car Pamela!!.

Kevin, I thought the Pamela bit was very funny. As a 996 Turbo owner I have an obvious biase, but joking aside Clarkson was unfair on the C4S , it is a great car in it' s own right & as Stuart point' s out one of the best value packages in the Porker range. Shame it was wet otherwise the Turbo would have strutted it' s stuff !!

Stuart, Easy answer C4S with a GT3 engine = 380bhp = C4S well sorted. Full race GT3 engine good for up to 460bhp if you feel the need for speed![ ]

Do you think such a thing is possible? Would the various parts be available? I don' t know that I would actually do anything to modify the car (what about warranty & trade-in, original is better). It couldn' t be too extreme since it is used everyday, so I wouldn' t want to compromise the reliability. However, it is fun to dream.

Guys, Mines got the power kit so 345bhp officially but apparently normally around 350bhp. The extra horses do seem to make it a bit quicker than other C4S' s. Regards

Easy answer C4S with a GT3 engine = 380bhp = C4S well sorted. Full race GT3 engine good for up to 460bhp if you feel the need for speed! .................... GARY you' ve lost it...we already have this it' s called the TURBO, same 3.6 engine as the GT3 ( yes with the same racing pedigree, although some of the internals are changed as it isn' t designed to rev as high because of the turbo' s) the standard 3.6 (alla C4S) wasn' t deemed tough enough. But with 414 hp & more importantely the same torque, plus can be tuned to 5-6-700 hp if you wish. GT3' s eat them for breakfast !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The bit I cannot understand was JC' s comments on how the " Clio V6 can out-accelerate the C4S tested" . Renault quotes 5.8s 0-60 for the Clio, exactly the same time CAR achieved in their test on the Clio. So how can JC' s comments be accurate? I would expect the gap to get bigger s we push above 60mph. I do not own a C4S but I am so incensed by such disrespect for the C4S that I would quite happily put up my C2 cabriolet against the Clio .......Please dont tell me there is a chance of loosing with identical driver!!!

No doubt about it, my C2 will be on the grid for the Clio challenge also! Date/Time is all that is required now......Top Gear is one of the best programmes on at the moment, but please lets have the facts,

I noticed that comment and thought it unlikely but couldn' t be arsed to check, however, now you mention it I thought I would. The new version has had the power increased from 230 to 255, assuming the weight is unchanged at 1335 kg, the power to weight is 191 bhp/ton. The C4S is 218 bhp/ton. Peak torque on the Renault is 300 NM @ 4650, whereas C4S is 370 @ 4250. Renault don' t have the same variable valve lift and timing as Porsche, so I strongly expect the torque curve is not as flat. I suspect the gearing is shorter on the Renault, but I can' t see how it can make up for 25% less power (14% less on the power to weight ratio) and 23% less torque, when it is 10% lighter (assuming the weight is accurate, Renault don' t have a figure on their website). I believe Renualts figure of 5.8s. The top speed is lower (153 v 174 mph) and it' s interesting aerodynamics can' t help over 60. Anyway Top Gear, and JC in particular, like to be " controversial" . Maybe it was an exaggeration and they were using poetic license. It is annoying though since you can' t then believe their other comments. In the end though it' s not about 0-60 figures, but dynamic abilities and I know which car I would rather have, especially in the wet! The piece on the program did bring me some mild abuse at work from half a dozen people, but most comments can be fended off with " So what" . (E.g. Merc has 500 bph, M3 is cheaper, Clio looks more aggresive, could have had a 300 bhp Impreza, so you like silscon breasts). The only one that is a bit harder is " it' s not a turbo" . However I have a solution - http://www.g-force-motorsport.co.uk/perf_upgr/996upgrade.htm - level 4. Not cheap though! But cheaper than swapping for a GT2.