Renaulstrid 211ti

Ah yes, the Renaulstrid 211ti. A partsbin special from the mid 90's, containing the 2.4L B4T from the troubled 312 sedan, the 5-speed gearbox from an 80's Tsunoda cargo van, and a body made from scrap aluminum shards from the factory floors. You could say then that it's an eco-friendly sports car.. if it wasn't for the terrible emissions and fuel economy. It'll make anywhere up to 340hp depending on what amount of money you had in excess while filling out the options list.

Not too shabby for the 90's, you could say. You could also say that the Yugo was an amazing sports car, but it also just isn't true. The base model 211's were a big success purely because of the bang you got for the buck, but as the trim names got fancier, the price got much, much higher. A non-optioned RK211 could cost you up to twice as much as a base model from '91.

Trims
 211ti S
 211ti 12V
 211ti GT
 RK211

Speaking of which, I should probably mention that there was a mid-production run refresh in 1995, mostly just because the car the engine originated from did as well. The 12-valve variant (see image) became the new base model, the highly unnessecary S was eliminated, and a few more special editions were introduced.

These specials were the GT and RK 211's, two editions limited to 1000 or less units made each. The 211GT was directly inspired by the race-winning Renaulstrid Kareinen 211R, complete with replica livery and all. The RK211 was the top-of-the-line track focused trim with all the bells and whistles you could possibly want. Engineered by the Renaulstrid Kareinen team, both of these got the maximum weight reduction as standard, plus the highest power engine package, which pushed the same 2.4L engine to over 300hp in both trims.

And it is at this point we must sadly move on from that, and talk about the recall.

In the later months of 1996, while the execs were celebrating yet another good sales season, they got a call. It's from the Dealerships Association. They had had thousands of their customers who'd come in for a massive rebuild because of a broken frame and/or engine. Panic ensued as the entire workforce at the headquarters scrambled to the production line to try and figure out what was wrong. Meanwhile, the production and sales of the 211 are halted completely, pretty much grinding the entire company to a halt. As it turned out, the way the front subframe was constructed on the Renaulstrid 21C chassis meant it would completely rust through within 5 or so years of leaving the lot, letting the entire engine drop out of the engine bay and scrape the ground. This caused many accidents as drivers suddenly lost power and grip on the motorway.

Then came the horrifying realisation that they would have to basically close the whole company for perhaps years on end; the entire Renaulstrid lineup in 1996 used the 21C chassis and would thus be affected in the near future if it hadn't already. Renaulstrid issued a full international recall of all their cars produced from 1980 onwards. This would turn out to be one of the largest automotive recalls in history, costing many jobs in the company due to internal arguments. In total, Renaulstrid dealerships recalled and destroyed approximately 40000 of the 60000 or so cars. A horrifying sight for an economist and car enthusiast alike, you could see recalled 211's filling car parks all over the world.

Long story short, the company successfully got the willing owners to give them their dangerous car, destroyed most of them, couldn't handle the financial losses from closing their entire operation while building a new chassis and setting up new factories, and kadunk. Bankrupt.

All in all, the 211 was a very good car... until it wasn't.