Vive la France – a celebration of flair

That means the Renaults, Peugeots, Citroens, perhaps Matra, Alpines and Simca cars and motorcycles and scooters with such badges as Peugeot, Ultima and Velosolex being polished up for display at the free monthly gathering at the historic Sussex motor circuit.

The gates are open from 8.30am to midday and if that means an early start the lure is the breakfast bars with organic produce from Goodwood estate's farm.

While there are sure to be some classics including roadgoing competition machines, one of the interesting new models making its UK debut is the Clio Renaultsport F1 Team R27 celebrating the French manufacturer holding the crowns for the Formula One drivers'and manufacturers' FIA World Championships.

The books have now opened for orders on the run of just 500 cars but the first customer deliveries don't start for another month, so the planned presence of this car is quite a coup.

The Clio Renaultsport 197 is already being hailed by many as the undisputed small hot hatch class benchmark, but Renault's performance arm has already sought to move the game onto the next level with the launch of the eagerly-anticipated Clio F1 Team R27.

This new limited edition is also the first Clio Renaultsport 197 to feature the new Cup Chassis, which will become optional on the standard model later in the year.

Built at the Renaultsport factory in Dieppe, the new addition to the Clio Renaultsport range is inspired by the back-to-back success of the FIA World Championship winning-Renault F1 Team, and understandably shares part of its name with this year's Grand Prix car, the R27.

Continuing Renault's rich heritage for producing grin-inducing hot hatches, the Clio F1 Team R27 features £1,500 worth of extra kit within its price tag of £17,250.

Among the specification improvements are the aforementioned Cup Chassis, plus 17in Anthracite coloured alloy wheels, extra tinted windows, red painted Brembo brake callipers, Recaro seats and exclusive Renault F1 Team decals (those on the doors and roof are a no-cost delete option).

In keeping with Renault's tradition for offering a Cup Chassis option on its models for those performance enthusiasts who want an even more focused driving experience, the Cup Chassis fitted as standard on Clio Renaultsport 197 F1 Team R27 and includes a raft of enhancements for both track and road driving.

Among them, the ride height has been lowered by 7mm compared to the Clio Renaultsport 197 to ensure a lower centre of gravity and reduced load transfer for more effective cornering.

Its cornering power has been improved even further by the springs which have been stiffened by 27 per cent at the front and 30 per cent at the rear, giving reduced body roll and pitch when cornering.

With a ten per cent increase in bending stiffness and more flexible bump-stops, the double-axis strut suspension system is also more stable when braking and offers greater steering precision when negotiating bends in quick succession.

Lastly, it is equipped with the standard Clio Renaultsport 197's robust, powerful Brembo brake system, using 312mm ventilated disks at the front and 300mm solid disks at the rear.

Clio Renaultsport 197 F1 Team R27 is powered by a normally-aspirated 2.0 16V engine and mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Offering a wide power band, maximum power of 197hp is available at 7,250rpm, with 215Nm of torque at 5,550rpm.

The new flagship Clio Renaultsport reaches 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds and takes only 27.5 seconds to travel 1,000 metres from a standing start.

I have driven it on a race track and it certainly goes like a train and handles brilliantly while those Recaro buckets help keep the occupants in place comfortably.

Combined fuel consumption is 33.6mpg with carbon dioxide emissions of 199 grams per kilometre.

In keeping with its motorsport lineage, the new version features Brembo four-piston brake callipers at the front and the striking Liquid Yellow paint which originally appeared on the Clio Renaultsport 182 and Clio Renaultsport V6 255.

Derived from the world of Formula One, it also boasts a rear air diffuser which channels airflow to increase downforce on the car's rear end, so counteracting lift.

Meanwhile, on the side of the car, extractor vents on the front wings reduce turbulence to optimise the car's drag coefficient and facilitate the outflow of under-bonnet heat.

The new model is available in six colours, including two non-metallic (Ultra Red and Racing Blue) and four metallic colours (Liquid Yellow, Deep Black, Nimbus and Albi Blue).

The F1 Team R27 offers the same comprehensive standard equipment list as the Clio Renaultsport 197, including air conditioning, cruise control, switchable electronic stability program and speed limiter.