Nine inches wider and three inches lower than the standard R5, the Renault R5 Turbo was never meant to look subtle. In fact, this little hatch had a mid-mounted turbo four-cylinder in place of the rear seats. Naturally, a car as aesthetically and functionally as wild as the R5 Turbo would be a homologation special – and, indeed, it was. The R5 Turbo shared its basic body shell with the normal Renault 5, but virtually nothing else was kept. Marcello Gandini – the Bertone designer responsible for the Miura and Lancia Stratos – reshaped the body with massive flared fenders to accommodate the wider tires and house the intercooler. The resulting chassis weighed 2,138 pounds, heavier than the standard R5 (but still much faster).
Behind the front seats is a 1.4-liter four-cylinder powered by a Garrett T3 turbocharger with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection in place of the standard Weber carburetor. To cope with the boost pressure the compression ratio was reduced to 7.0:1, allowing for superb power delivery that rewards commitment. Output was approximately 157 horsepower at 6,000 rpm – making it the fastest French production car at the time.
With rear-wheel drive, four-wheel vented disc brakes and double wishbone rear suspension, the Renault R5 Turbo was built to compete, something the standard R5 could never come close to. A 0-62 mph time of 7.7 seconds and a top speed of 126 mph rivaled the size of the R5 Turbo. The road-going Renault R5 Turbo was also equipped with a centrally mounted, two-section, 93-litre fuel tank. The monster efficiency paired with a combined mpg of 25.6 yields over 600 miles on a single tank. At the right maintained speed and consistent mpg – say, around 33 mpg – the R5 could hypothetically drive more than 800 miles on a full tank.
A premier fuel efficiency and an enduring rally legacy
High production costs mean Renault will barely be able to complete the 400 road models required for Group 4 entry. Regardless, the mid-engined R5 immediately caught the sport’s attention with Jean Ragnotti behind the wheel. Ragnotti took home wins in the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally and the 1982 Tour de Corse – with the latter being part of the inaugural season of Group B rally cars.
Original production of the R5 Turbo ran from 1980 to 1982, resulting in only 1,820 units being built. Late 1982 saw the Turbo 2, which used the same engine and layout – this time substituting aluminum body panels for steel. With the added weight, Renault sterilized the cabin to more closely match the regular, front-drive R5. 3,167 Turbo 2 units would be produced through 1986, making this early batch rare to find.
In 1985, Renault would create a limited edition of the 200 MAXI 5 Turbo conforming to Group B homologation. The final competitive specification of the already exciting Turbo will feature a larger 1.5-liter engine that now produces approximately 345 horsepower. The lightweight package would benefit greatly from the additional power. With the rally arena increasingly becoming dominated by AWD vehicles, Jean Ragnotti’s R5 Turbo took Tour de Corse victory in ’85, while future WRC champion Carlos Sainz Sr. was runner-up in the Spanish Rally Championship the same year. A MAXI 5 victory would be the last symbol of the R5 Turbo’s competitive statement before the Group B series was canceled in 1986.
