Sounds like a match made in hell. But think again, 180bhp, let alone 225bhp in a tuned GTi is marginal in the dry, a positive disadvantage in the rain and real bummer when it snows. 

Well one Dimma Autostyling customer won't be too concerned about the weather from now on, as the Clio he picked up the day after we tested it boasts the viscous-coupled four-wheel drive system familiar to Cosworth Sierra or Escort owners. Best of all, world-class design and fabrication by Dimma's Terry Pankhurst and his crew ensures this one-off car feels and drives just like it had rolled off the assembly line of a major manufacturer. Not only did the little car feel rock solid, it had a ride quality that would do credit to a sporty executive saloon, and all with no sacrifice in handling and grip in the bends.

Starting the Dimma Clio-Cosworth 4x4, to give it its full title, is a bit fiddly. You first have to disengage the Gemini GAT anti-theft imobiliser fitted to all Dimma products, enabling them to maintain the same insurance rating as the standard car. This would make a lousy getaway car for a bank job! Other insurance friendly factors include Datatag plates concealed in the GRP body panels.

Once past the front-line defences, turn the key and the engine roars into life with a deep growl totally alien to Clio 16V drivers. Ford Cosworth owners will smile at the familiar sound though, the more enthusiastic instantly distinguishing the boom of the Ford Group N free-flow exhaust, even though its been shortened to fit.

The Clutch, though stock, is no lightweight. But it's progressive and the shortened gearlever crowned with a distinctive red knob gives a positive and short throw connection to the Ford 4x4 transmission.

All the running gear is straight Sapphire Cosworth 4x4, the engine to latest 225bhp spec with the small turbo and plenty of lowdown torque. The reinforced Clio bodyshell is less weighty than the Ford, so step-off is good with boost hitting the combustion chambers from around 2000rpm. Even driving under 4000 while the vital fluids warm up, the car feels brisk and responsive.

A few miles down the road, with the mechanicals properly warmed, I began to extend the revs towards the Cossie's 7000rpm peak. Unlike early Cosworth Sierra engines where boost comes in with a wallop, this latest spec motor is smooth and progressive, giving the impression that the Clio-Cosworth has at least three litres shared between its four cylinders when on boost. 

Thus it's a fast but not frantic mile eater, and allied to the supremely balanced chassis with the Ford 4x4's 34:66 front to rear torque split, traction and handling in the wet is sure-footed and balanced. No wheel spin, torque steer or tail slide when overtaking as with a two-wheel drive car, just point the Clio's nose and accelerate past. With the 215/40ZR17 Michelin Pilot tyres on the latest Dimma 8Jx17 alloys adding more weight to the helm, the Ford power steering takes on added feel. Turn-in is positive but not over sharp so the car is never nervous like an early Cossie. Stringing together a series of bends with inch-perfect entry and exit lines is a doddle. There's plenty of margin left in the chassis for more power, and already the Clio's owner is threatening to add the odd 100bhp or so to the motor. Less mass means the Clio-Cosworth stops better than the Ford. You can stand the car on its nose in the dry, and the 4x4 system helps traction when braking in the wet. "It is possible to adapt the Ford ABS system," says Terry, an experienced race and rally driver, "but my customer and I prefer the feel and the options allowed by non-ABS brakes.

The Clio is not the first 4x4 car to erupt, kicking and screaming, from Dimma's Cheshire HQ. "We built a Dimma Peugeot-Cosworth 205 4x4 a few years ago," Terry explains. "A customer with a Turbo-Technics powered Dimma 205GTi said one day he loved the car but wanted a lot more power. I told him he needed four-wheel drive, so he'd need more power to make up for the weight and transmission losses. We eventually agreed it would be easier to use the Ford Cosworth engine and mechanicals as they were proven units and the car would be fabricated around them". 

Terry's next 4x4 project was based on a Peugeot 309 which he built for himself. "We have also built a few race and rally cars, and we run a Clio for a client in the Renault race series." So when Dimma was approached to build the 4x4 Clio, the mechanical solution was obvious. "Racing the Clio for three seasons made us completely familiar with every nut and bolt on these cars. For example we know the floor plan is a weak point and so this is heavily modified and strengthened."

The Renault engine is installed transversely, and sits quite far forward in the chassis. The Ford Cosworth drive train requires an in-line installation and a longer and wider transmission tunnel, for both the big gearbox with its take off for the front drive shaft and the prop shaft going to the rear axle. "In effect we created a backbone for the Renault floor pan and further strengthened it by making up front and rear chassis rails to take the Ford axles and then linked these to the backbone." A brace across the reinforced suspension towers further stiffens the shell.