About the Renault 5 Turbo
The Renault 5 Turbo is a high-performance hatchback automobile launched by French manufacturer, Renault, at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1980. It was their response to the rally successes of the mid-engined Lancia Stratos, and while the car was primarily designed for rallying, a road version was also produced for homologation purposes.
The R5 Turbo was powered by a mid-mounted 1397 cc Cléon turbocharged engine placed behind the driver in mid-body in a modified Renault 5 chassis. The Turbo’s most radical change was the placement of the engine behind the driver and the change to rear-wheel drive. The engine was Renault’s C-Type four-cylinder inline engine with Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical fuel injection and a Garrett T3 turbocharger. Because the standard R5 rear suspension would have interfered with the transmission, the Turbo was upgraded to rear double-wishbone and coil-spring suspension.
The engine developed a total of 158 HP. The car made the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 6,7 seconds and can hit a top speed of 126 mph.
Looking to lower production costs but not suffer from a loss of performance, in 1983 Renault pared down the Turbo into what would become the Turbo II. This new lighter version removed the unique interior and replaced the aluminium body panels with steel, but it still retained the staggering 158 brake horsepower and used the same engine. These road-legal cars proved much more popular, and Renault produced a total of nearly 3,200 Turbo IIs out of an overall production of 5000.
Seeing most to many of the Renault Turbo’s and Turbo 2 were used for rally driving not many are left, which makes the allure of this bonkers 80’s mid engined classic grow with every day that passes.
About Us
Growing up in the 1980’s was a time of bad hair, bad fashion and some questionable music but there was a few things that kept me sane. Ferris Buellers Day Off, Back to the Future & Never Say Never Again, to mention a few, gave a sense of how cool a car can be but nothing came close to the outright bonkersness of the Renault 5 Turbo and so an obsession was born. Forced to live it through model cars and finally a Tamiya 1:12 remote control version I vowed that one day I would own one in the flesh.
Fast forward a good few years and here I am owning one. Words cannot describe the pure unadulterated joy there is to turning key and hearing the motor roar into life. It is the only car I have driven which makes me laugh with utter happiness due to the simple lunancy that is the Renault 5 Turbo. Everything else feels just a little boring.
Yes yes how very self indulgent I hear you cry but why this website? Well in the process of buying a Renault 5 Turbo I was lucky enough to also recieve an original copy of the M.R.221 Manual and when I showed Steve & John of John Price Rally they told me how very rare these manuals were and that they knew of many people desperate to get their hands on one. With the help of our good friends at Merry Printers we gently took the manual apart, scanned every page and now you can buy a reproduction of the book on this website.