Renault’s raft of sporting models has been expanded with the addition of red-hot versions of the Twingo and Megane.

I know, I know. Twingo, the city car, doesn’t sound like much of a hot-hatch, but Renaultsport – the French company’s sporting wing – is expert at turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.

The Twingo is badged as the Twingo Renaultsport 133. Following the strategy with the recently-launched Clio Renaultsport 200, the Cup version of its Twingo baby brother provides a more focused driving experience with less equipment and a lower price.

The Twingo Renaultsport 133 Cup is priced at £11,795, £700 less than the standard version. The Cup does without air conditioning, automatic headlamp and wiper operation, extra tinted rear windows and features a one-piece bench in place of the usual independent sliding rear seats. Obviously, the Cup suspension pack is fitted as standard. Normally a £650 option on the regular 133, the Cup version is priced £1,350 less than a similarly-equipped car.

The Cup chassis offers handling to satisfy the demands of the enthusiast, offering optimum body control. The chassis rides 4mm lower than the standard Renaultsport setting and its lower centre of gravity improves in-corner performance thanks to reduced weight transfer. Tuned damper settings and higher spring rates (ten per cent stiffer front and rear) bring greater performance through improved body control.

Meanwhile, the new Megane Renaultsport 250 is priced from just £21,995 on the road and is available in two versions.

Renaultsport has a rich heritage in high-performance cars and the Megane Renaultsport 250 has been eagerly awaited since its unveiling in Geneva.

Continuing the range line-up of its Renaultsport brothers, Twingo and Clio, the Megane Renaultsport 250 is available in two versions: the Megane Renaultsport 250 Cup at £21,995 on the road and the Megane Renaultsport 250 at £22,995. The former includes the specific Cup chassis whilst the latter adds more equipment and the standard sport chassis setting.

Despite its performance intent, the Mégane Renaultsport 250 Cup is equipped with a generous specification including cruise control, speed limiter, eight airbags, automatic door locking, Brembo brakes, a stability system, Renault keycard and the Cup suspension pack.