Avant Garde Pure Rally Car - Investment With Benefits

On offer a unique and spirited Renault R5 Turbo 1 fresh from a Japanese collection with remarkably low original miles - 23k Miles / 36k KM.  Very stock and correct, this car shows beautifully in it’s original provocative red finish.  Composite bumpers front and rear and various body kit items are in great condition.  The racy bodywork is set off by original Turbo 1 staggered alloy wheels with new tires.  These are the hard to find, correct Michelin TRX models. The bold exterior shows the dramatic flares and scoops that make the R5 a 1980’s icon.

The 1.4 liter hemi is original to the car and of the 160 HP specification.  As expected with such low mileage the engine starts, idles and runs very well, and the 5 speed transmission runs thru the gears without issue.

The radical and racy interior offers the dramatic pop color scheme and Bertone design dash and upholstered rally seats, dash pad, carpets, door panels and headliner.  The bright red and electric blue theme is an artful statement.

The Turbo 1 was a very limited production homologation model and only 1,820 were built, before production shifted to the decontented and more conventional Turbo 2.  A factory plate is affixed to the dash showing this unit as #1089.  Comes with a certificate of origin from Renault confirming originality and authenticity.

Very rare here in the US and already a favorite of serious collectors, the 1981 Renault R5 Turbo 1 is a special and iconic car that captures the passion of one of the most dynamic periods in WRC competition.  This is a stunning example, in superb overall and ready to thrill. 

This car has a clear Washington State title and all import paperwork is in order.

MODEL HISTORY

The early 1980’s ushered in the Turbo Era in World Rally Cup competition and Renault entered the fray with the very limited edition, purpose built R5 Turbo launched in 1980.  The Renault 5 Turbo was created as a homologation special to compete in Group 4 and later Group B rallying.  It achieved notable success in rallying, including winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1981 with Jean Ragnotti at the wheel.

Completely reengineered for Rally performance the R5 Turbo was a hit with sports minded consumers and a success on the WRC Rally circuits.  The R5 featured a mid-mounted 1,397cc engine fitted with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and a Garret T3 turbocharger.  In standard trim the combination developed 158 HP and 163 lb ft of torque, enough for very spritely performance.  Tuning variations developed 185, 200 and ultimately 250 HP for the competition cars.  The body was modified with radical wheel flares and deep sculpturing crafted by Marc Deschamps under Marcello Gandini at Bertone.  The original R5 Turbo ( known as the Turbo 1) featured many many special light alloy components and a unique and colorful designer interior scheme.

In 1983 Renault revised the R5 Turbo and created the R5 Turbo 2 variant.  Many of the custom components were replaced with stock R5 parts and the interior scheme was toned down. These changes allowed a price reduction, but performance was comparable to the original.  The Turbo 2 proved a popular success on the streets and the circuits and was produced until 1986.  A total of 4,987 (1,820 Turbo 1 and 3,167 Turbo 2) R5 Turbos were manufactured during the six-year production run, this includes the original 400 homologation cars and a very limited series of “Cevennes” rally versions tuned and fitted the same as the factory Rally cars.