Classifieds' Car Of The Day: Raucous Renault Clio V6

Today's featured COTD isn't so much a car, as an example of motoring lunacy. You really do have to wonder what sort of crazy pills the guys at Renault were taking when they came up with the Clio V6 - a version of the little hatchback with a 3.0-litre V6 dropped in the middle.

Thanks to their mid-engined, rear-drive, short wheelbase set-up, Renault Sport Clio V6s are incredibly tricky to drive, and not for the faint-hearted. That mid-engine configuration lost you the rear seats and most of the boot space too, making this one of the least practical hatchbacks ever made. Not only that, with 230bhp in the early 'Phase 1' versions, it wasn't a whole lot quicker than the much cheaper - and less scary - Clio 182.

So, to summarise, it's impractical, unwieldy, expensive and not particularly quick. But should you want one? Hell yes. If you give the Clio V6 the attention it deserves, it really delivers, while that howling V6 provides a better soundtrack than any four-banger hot hatchback. And just look at it: the way it squats low and wide with those big intakes behind the front doors; the humble Clio has never looked so good.

Above all, it's the madness of it that really appeals. It's a homage to the old mid-engined Renault 5 Turbo, but that car was created for motorsport homologation regulations, while the Clio V6 was made for the sheer hell of it.

Phase 2 cars came with 255bhp - giving a decent 0-60mph time of 5.6 seconds - and aren't quite so pant-wettingly scary to drive, so are the most sought after. Just 354 right-hand drive Phase 2 cars were built, so if you find one, expect to part with a lot of cash. Car number 287, for example, is currently up for £20,995. On the plus side, it's only clocked 12,310 miles and has a full service history. Sure, spending over £20k on a nine-year-old Clio isn't exactly sensible, but that's befitting of the fantastic absurdity of this car.