clio forum .net blog

We take a look at one of Winstons most famous rides. The Clio illiams. This RAT look, hood ride was featured by Performance French Car Magazine in 2007.

It is very much a modern icon of Clio modding, hoodrides are something almost exclusively left to the VW fraternity (Dubbers). We let Winston explain how this legend was born and how it died (as all of Winstons cars seem to do… ending up in scrap heaven!) Enjoy.

After the RSi-brid I said to my self i was done with Clios for good… in the time between i had owned a BMW E30 325i, VW Caddy 1.6D & 2x VW Mk1 Golf 1.1’s but they just didn’t have the pace or handling of the Clios and i wanted a car i could take on track.

A cheap Ph1 black 16V came up cheap on Clio16valver.co.uk… it had failed its MOT for being to low (very fitting lol).. So off i went to Scotland to pick the car up (cheers for the lift Gav!)

I then tucked the car away till i could find a good Williams Clio engine for it.

I found out King Stromba was breaking a Williams 2, so i got in touch with him and to cut a long story short I bought the hole car from him ish (minus interior, dash, wheels) and drove it back home… with the agreement to bring him back the brakes, body panels and any other parts from the list… my plan was to use the black valver as donor for any extra parts the Williams needed.. main reason for binning the valver was the sunroof (ive been rained on oh too many times !!)

Both cars at my mates yard…

After taking Strombas parts i was left with this…

I painted some steel wheel i had matt black and fitted my fibreglass bonnet shell from my old black hybrid..

The results… looking very slag!

I removed all the sound deadening tar, as the Williams has alot more than the valvers. A nice little weight saver.

The Williams was starting to look rather ill and ratty… I got my stanley knife blade out and the illiams was born!

The stenciled bonnet and the bees nest as Ali called it…

Refitted the Williams tailgate and illiams’d it!

In order to dave more weight I removed the aux fuel tank.. which ment i could fit my phase 1 filler cap… BONUS!

Hillpower decat ready to fit…

Now its wheel time again!… I needed something ratty, but super light weight, I found these BBS RS on eBay and just had to have them.

They needed the centerd bored out from 57.1 to 60.1, so i sent them away to be done, but they broke the machine lol. Instead i used a flip wheel to do it!

Fitted a Phase 1 manual mirror set, and yes i now it needs lowering!

I took illy to the Clio16valver pod meet to get some times best of the day was 14.6 @ 95mph… was abit unhappy with that.

Photoshoot with the rusty steels, very ill!

At this point it was crying out to be lowered, A photo-shop confirmed the fact.

Lucky for me I got the JR coilvers back from my past projects for the bargain price of £40… At long last lowness!!!

Showing F0xy what low is!

Time for FCS 07. I didnt have to do alot of prep for this, just a few stickers and a quick wash! (I also fitted a side exit exhaust)

At FCS the car was carded by the editor of PFC magazine… get in … so the photoshoot followed at disused sugar factory

Few pics i took at the shoot.

The day after the photoshoot I took the engine and gearbox out as they had already been sold at FCS.. just had to use the car for the shoot first, so I left the engine less illy sitting on my nans drive

Next step for The illiams was to turn into a real track car now… I had had my fun.. Question was what engine do i use….?

First thought was a Ph1 172 engine, so i bought a written off 172 but ended up putting the engine up for sale as everyone else on Cliosport was starting Mk1 172 builds.

Lucky for me i found a 2.0 8V engine out of Formula Renault race car on eBay and he was willing to swap for the 172 engine

I also bagged to of the wheels from the donner race car!!

I trail fitted them (14*8J wheels)

Fitted some bucket seats…

Then it all went a bit stale and everything sat doing nothing, I was busy doing other things to other cars…. Then my ex found out Stromba had a rust free Williams 1 shell, which i ended up swapping for the race engine, then i needed the space to build that car so illy had to go… broke my heart but i had no where to keep the car

I don’t expect everyone or anyone to understand the illiams… call it rat, scrap, sh*t… what ever you like… To me it will just be an ill Williams, it was great fun to own and build

Thanks for reading
Winston

PS (from Andy) I found this pic from FCS with me, with a very bad hair do, Winston, the illiams and i think its Cliolords car.

Let us know what you think, we like to hear your comments!