After the interlude provided by the Subaru WRX, the rapid intervention brigade returned to a French sports compact at the beginning of the 2010s. But if the gendarmes lost two driving wheels in the operation, they gained in performance as well as in operating costs. use.
Retirement at last! If the Mégane RS from the Musée de la Gendarmerie could speak, it is undoubtedly the exclamation that it would have uttered when it joined its predecessors of the rapid intervention brigade (BRI), in the spring of 2021. Ten years long , the career of this sporty compact was indeed very eventful. Its counter testifies to this: it has traveled nearly 400,000 km! A distance which was mainly carried out on the French motorways, but not only. A small sticker on the rear window reminds us that it also passed on the favorite circuit of our test driver Mathieu Sentis, the famous north loop of the Nürburgring.
The first engine prepared from the BRI
The story does not say if the gendarmes took the opportunity to make a little point on the autobahn …With their 250 hp, the first Mégane 3 RS were already given for 245 km / h. But the 64 copies delivered to men in blue from 2011 benefited from a small engine reprogramming, bringing the power of the 2.0 turbo four-cylinder to around 255-260 hp. A first in the history of the BRI, although some rumors sometimes claim that the R21 Turbo from the early 1990s received the same treatment.
We are thus far from the 167 hp of the Peugeot 306 S16, the previous French compact used by the brigade, and we far exceed the 225 hp of the Subaru Impreza WRX which was replaced by this Renault. Despite the disappearance of all-wheel drive, not necessarily essential in this use, pilots in kepi have not really lost in the change. Especially since they took advantage of the optional Cup chassis with firmer suspensions and self-locking differential: with this set, the Mégane 3 RS offered benchmark handling in its category at the time.
TO READ. Renault Sport: the history of road models from 1995 to 2021
Neon yellow replaces red and white
Compared to the Japanese sedan, the aesthetics also change significantly. This is not just linked to the return of a three-door body. The zebras in front and behind also swap their red and white color against a more conspicuous fluorescent yellow. We also note the arrival of a writing “gendarmerie” on the hood, while the penetration lights change location at the front. They leave the grille to come to the bottom of the windshield, in order to be more visible to offenders when they start flashing. The rotating beacon becomes a little thinner by swapping its bulbs against diodes, and the variable message panel is returned to the rear. As for the paint, as with Subaru, it simply comes from the manufacturer’s catalog., savings oblige. This time it is Extreme blue, lighter than the famous blue gendarmerie… or the royal blue which will be used on the Gendarmerie limited series, available in 20 copies in Japan in 2014.
Some war wounds to deplore
As a bonus, our copy of the day bears some war wounds linked to its sometimes hectic existence. That bump on his left front wing? ” It was during an intervention on the motorway, they held down an offender and by placing him on the car, he gave a knee to that place ”, explains Jean-Yves Hardouin, referent for mechanical memory at the Musée de la Gendarmerie. These seats where only one of the beads is torn? They were caused by the service weapon, the pilot of this Mégane being left-handed and its patrol leader right-handed. But these minor faults do not prevent this three-color compact from having been well treated.
“” The pilot maintained his car, he started it in the morning 30 minutes before taking the shift, time to have a little coffee and give a briefing before entering the vehicle, relates Jean-Yves Hardouin, and as soon as the engine was hot, 30 minutes later, you could hit it straight away ”.“
Even if this practice can be considered reprehensible for an individual, it will have contributed to making it possible to exceed the barrier of 390,000 km, by avoiding cold starts which are always dangerous for the mechanics. Bonus, the costs of using this Renault turned out to be less painful for the state budget than those of the Impreza, greener and more demanding. It thus leaves excellent memories to the BRI: difficult for the Seat Leon Cupra to pass after it, especially since it very quickly found itself in the hot seat after its entry into service at the end of 2020. Many reproach it in fact for its nationality. … While the Mégane RS was also produced in Spain. Not always easy, life in the gendarmerie.
Renault Mégane RS technical sheet
- Engine: four-cylinder in-line, 1,994 cc3, turbo, 16 valves
- Power: 250 hp at 5,500 rpm *
- Torque: 340 Nm at 3,000 rpm
- Transmission: traction, six manual speeds
- Weight: 1,387 kg
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 4.30 x 1.80 x 1.42 m
- 0 to 100 km / h: 6.1 s
- Max speed: 245 km / h
* 255 to 260 hp approximately on the gendarmerie versions, unknown torque
Largus.fr warmly thanks Magalie Dufour, Jean-Yves Hardouin, the teams of Gendarmerie museum and the Fontainebleau Police School for their welcome and availability.
The saga of the Gendarmerie museum
Don’t miss any episode of our saga dedicated to the Gendarmerie museum reserves. Find all the subjects in photos and videos dedicated to iconic sports models by clicking on the links below:
- In the reserves of the Musée de la Gendarmerie!
- Everything you need to know about the plates and colors of Gendarmerie vehicles
- Unusual vehicles in the Gendarmerie museum reserves
- Rapid Intervention Brigade: mythical vehicles to rediscover
- Matra Djet 5S (1966-1967). The first racing car of the BRI
- Renault-Alpine A310 (1974-1987). The BRI runs in six cylinders
- Citroën SM. His majesty in the ranks of the BIS
- A110, CX 25 GTI R21 Turbo. The other French stars of the BRI
- All about the 4x4s of the gendarmerie
- Peugeot 405 T16 BRI. The very discreet missile of the gendarmerie
- Peugeot 306 S16 BRI. The gendarmerie goes downmarket
- Subaru Impreza WRX BRI. First infidelity to the French