RAD RIDES: 1981 Renault R5 Turbo
STORY | EVAN GRIFFEY
PHOTOGRAPHY | LEIF BERGERSON
Leave visions of the pathetic Le Car econobox in the rearview, the R5 Turbo was a full-bred homologation monster with an eye on the WRC’s Group 4. Sure it was very loosely based on what we once knew as Le Car in America, but the R5 Turbo was a radical departure from the pedestrian version. When it came time to replace the successful A110, Renault really flipped the script.
The homologation model for this new racer was actually based on the R5 Alpine/Gordini, a tuner version of the Renault 5. The R5 was transformed from front-engine, front-drive to a mid-engine, rear-drive configuration with a rigid subframe cradle positioning the motor in place of the back seats. The rear was widened 10 inches, a turbocharger was added to the mix, and a set of vents behind the doors cooled the engine and radiators.
Dubbed the R5 Turbo, the hot hatch hit the street in 1980. It was powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder that was fueled via Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and boosted by an air-to-air intercooled Garrett T3 turbo system. The motor generated 160 horsepower but included a large helping of that ‘80s turbo lag.
The rally version was tough to tame. The car was a bit tail happy, and its inherent turbo lag made it hard to smoothly modulate acceleration and realize the Renault’s full-speed potential on twisty sections of trail or tarmac. The R5 Turbo won the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally but it hit the scene at an inopportune time as the WRC would soon be dominated by cars like the Audi Quattro Sport and Peugeot 205.
KHALED MOUNIR’S 1981 R5 TURBO
Khaled, who grew up in Alexandria, Egypt, says he had a large collection Majorette die-cast cars as a kid and he reports the R5 Turbo was the one to have. “I probably went through three or four of those Renault 5 Turbos as I put a lot of play time on them. Besides that, I used to watch a good deal of rally racing on TV and the widebody R5 Turbo is easy to remember. So in general it was a mix of childhood obsession with cars and imagining that I would own one of these cool, super-fast cars in real life that led me to this point.”
“As a kid playing with those die-cast cars I knew the word ‘turbo’ meant fast. So I became addicted to anything turbo not knowing what a turbo was. My first dream car was a 1988 Saab 900 Turbo SPG and it taught me what turbos were all about. After feeling the rush, I became more addicted to turbos. In fact, every car I have ever owned has been turbocharged.”
Khaled moved to the U.S. in the 1990s and says he spotted an R5 Turbo in Long Beach, New York. Seeing one in the wild provided the spark and a decades-long search was on. Fast forward to 2020 and Khaled found an R5 Turbo on an expired auction website. Wisely, he proceeded to reverse engineer the auction process. “I traced it to the original auction dealer,” says Khaled. “Lance from Stratas Auctions was kind enough to introduce me to the owner who lived in Canada and had imported the car from the UK in 2015. A year later, in 2021, that Renault was in my garage.”
Khaled relates that the Renault 5 Turbo is light and compact and its mid-engine design makes it handle like it’s on rails. “The wideness of the car… its staggered look, the aggressive air vents and air ducts, and the boxiness of everything… I can go on and on about this car,” quips Khaled. “The raw, wild interior of the Turbo 1. The intoxicating sound. All of that gives you an experience like no other car.”
This car sees the road. Khaled says he’s always keen to go on local canyon drives, tours of Malibu, and runs up the Angeles Crest Highway. He says the auction advertisement indicated the car was outfitted with a larger intercooler, a performance camshaft, special distributor, and a Devil exhaust system. “The car sounds incredible. These mods supposedly up the horsepower from 160 to 210 and I can say that it feels that way. I’ve added the wheels and replaced some decals. It is loud but beautiful. I usually push it out of the garage if I’m leaving early in the morning so I don’t wake up my neighbors. It has nice torque, it’s fast and engaging, and because the power is mostly in the higher rpm you find yourself always driving a little faster than everyone else. It’s popular at car meets but I must say that driving this car around my neighborhood draws attention from every living soul. Men, women, children, and I can almost say dogs. LOL. If I park on the street for an hour I can guarantee you that every five minutes somebody’s taking a picture.”
Who can blame them… after all that’s what we lined up to do. The R5 Turbo is a rare gem with only 1,820 produced before the series one gave way to the R5 Turbo 2 in 1983. A scant 3,167 Turbo 2s were made before production ceased in 1986. So if you’re lucky enough to see one, make the most of the opportunity.
