when Renault held its Porsche Cayman

At its inception, the Renault Helem V6 was to have a career in small series in the diamond range. © DR

At the rear, the mask of the Renault Spider remains clearly visible. © DR

From this angle the Helem (which here no longer has the Renault badge) looks like a Mercedes CLK GTR © DR

The Renault Spider’s scissor doors remain in place. © DR

The Helem V6 has a strong 250 hp 3.0 PRV biturbo engine. © DR

Mercedes CLK GTR © DR

Venturi Atlantic 300 © DR

Venturi Atlantic 300 © DR

The Renault Spider presented in 1995, then marketed in 1996. © Renault

© Renault

The Clio V6 has always been very popular second-hand and in collections © Silverstone Auctions

The width of the wings of this Clio V6 is intimidating, but the chassis of the Phase 1 is not the most successful. © Renault

With its central rear V6, the Clio V6 does not have much in common with the rest of the range. © Renault

It has false airs of Mercedes CLK GTR to which one would have grafted a muzzle of Renault Spider. The Helem V6 could have been Renault’s “Cayman”. Return on a missed appointment.

In 1996, Renault Sport launched its very first production vehicle, the Spider. Relatively light, the machine allows its pilot as well as its passenger to taste the joys of driving in the open air. Especially with the version without a windshield, which is then replaced by a windscreen. But the strong 150 bhp 2-litre four-cylinder engine, while sufficient for a one-make formula and especially for use by private individuals on the open road, is not powerful enough to take part in an endurance event. such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

A “closed” 6-cylinder Spider

At the rear, the mask of the Renault Spider remains clearly visible.© DR

A duo of enthusiasts, forming the RJ Racing team embarked on the adventure in 1996 and developed a variant intended for the GT FFSA series. Renault is on board and even promises to ensure a small series production of the Helem (for LM, the initials of Le Mans). The original engine is dismounted in favor of a V6 3.0 PRV biturbo derived from an Alpine A610. And in order to give it the best reception, the entire rear part of the chassis has been redesigned. For the record, the Helem was deprived of the V6 of the Safrane Biturbo due to anti-pollution standards. No matter, still having a power of 250 hp for a weight limited to 1,100 kg, the Helem is already very powerful.

But less accomplished than a Venturi…

Venturi Atlantic 300© DR

During 1997, the diamond brand, which had other projects in mind – in particular the beginnings of Alpine’s revival – withdrew from the project. This explains why as it develops, the car which no longer has the diamond at the end of its muzzle, adopts lines more and more differentiated from those of the Spider. At the end of 1997, the Helem badged RJ Racing is ready, it is displayed at the price of 350,000 francs.

But the clientele does not follow, even if it means paying a high price, they prefer to pay 150,000 to 200,000 francs more for a Venturi 300 or even a Porsche 911, which are safer values ​​for investors. The personal finances of the founders of RJ Racing are not sufficient to create the industrial tool, the Helem project then remains unfinished. It’s a shame because it was, in a way, the hyphen between the Renault Sport Spider (1995-1999) and the Renault Clio V6 (2001-2005).

Read also: What was the best Renault Sport? And the worst?

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