THERE'S still plenty of va-va-voom in the old girl yet according to Renault, which has announced plans to extend the life of the Clio II model - first launched in 1998 - in spite of the introduction of a new updated model this week.
A brand new range of bigger, more sophisticated Clios - dubbed the Clio III - has just gone on sale in Renault's British dealerships, but the French company is to continue production of the old version at a factory in Slovenia.
And it has even dusted down a model name last used on a Renault model in the early 1990s to provide the old shape car with a separate identity in order to distinguish it from the latest versions.
Designed as a lower-cost entry level option for buyers who can't run to the price of the latest Clio, it will be called the Clio Campus - a model name last used by the company on the Renault Five when it continued in production in basic form following the introduction of the original Clio in 1991.
Renault says that with the Campus branding, the old Clio - made famous by French soccer ace Thierry Henri's "va-va-voom" TV commercials - will continue alongside the latest Clio for several years
It will only be available in three-door form with prices starting from £7,895 - £1,000 less than the cheapest Clio III - rising to £9,495.
Buyers will be able to choose from two versions - Clio Campus and Clio Campus Sport. The former has a choice of 1.2-litre, 60bhp petrol or 1.5-litre, 68bhp diesel engines while the Sport offers a more powerful 75bhp version of the 1.2-litre petrol engine as well as the 1.5 dCi diesel.
The two Campus models will be far from stripped-down, entry-level cars and their specifications will be based on those of two run-out special edition models of the Clio III - the Rush (Campus) and the Extreme 4 (Campus Sport).
Both versions will come with ABS with EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution), driver and front passenger airbags, height adjustable driver's seat and steering wheel and body coloured bumpers, radio cassette player and remote audio controls.
In addition the Campus Sport has a body coloured rear spoiler and door mirrors, front fog lamps, sports front seats, a multi-function trip computer, satin chrome trim highlights, leather gear knob and steering wheel, front passenger map reading light and alloy wheels.