1985 Renault R5 Turbo II is our price pick of the day Bring the trailer
This is no Le Car, that unfortunate 1980s import. This one was built for rallying, and it is absolutely bonkers.
Intended for homologation, Renault’s R5 Turbo is insane with a wide body, mid-engine, and turbocharger.
This example from the collection of the Lane Motor Museum is working and ready for the next driver. For the remaining five days, the price is $75,000.
Introduced in January 1972, the original Renault 5 was a stylish little car that sold in the thousands.
Or at least it happened in Europe. Renault brought its five across the Atlantic as Le Car, to which the American buying public responded “bout Re-no-thanks”. Perhaps as a punishment, Renault refused to release its worst model.
As for wine, the French have kept the best to themselves – although the R5 Turbo II is a little Beaujolais and a Molotov cocktail. Today’s auction pick from Weta Trailer, part of Hearst Autos and Car and Driver, is a 1985 Renault R5 Turbo II, and it’s quite the classic.
Designed for group B rally homologation, the R5 Turbo offers a unique driving experience like no other. If the Citroën DS is the epitome of Gallic cool, the R5 Turbo is Napoleon Bonaparte in bath salts. It’s good
The standard R5 produced around 50bhp, although all the Parisians were smashing it around the Arc de Triomphe as if Rene Arnault was preparing for a Formula 1 qualifying lap.
Renault tripled the power with a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, filling the engine where the back seat is, and then he hired the man who made the Lamborghini Miura to give this hot creature some hips. to one of the mothers in a Pixar. movie.
Being the most powerful French production car at the time, the Renault R5 Turbo beat BMW’s six-cylinder engine all day.
However, as in the fast 80s, make a mistake behind the wheel and the R5 Turbo will throw you into the pit without the appearance of “Sorry”. It was built on the principles of an economy car, but it has the proud character of the Porsche 930.
On-screen, this made her the perfect choice for the villain Fatima Blush in the 1983 James Bond film Never Say Never Go Back. Sean Connery’s bike is no match for the speed and power of the Crimson R5 Turbo.
This Turbo II is one of the later models, which is more affordable, due to the small amount of aluminum used. It has 43,000 miles on the odometer and a set of custom HRE wheels and was once in the collection of the Lane Motor Museum in Tennessee.
If you haven’t been there yet, the Lane Museum has a treasured bank of car eccentrics like this delightful Renault.
In addition, the Lane Museum is the kind of place that expects its cars to be more than just a show.
This example has recent work and is good to go, although the horn is listed as non-functional which will be fixed. No self-respecting French driver can go more than 12 seconds without leaving someone he perceives to be in his path.
With five days to go, the price has reached $75,000, which is not a small amount for a car that started out as a French economy car.
Ah, but the Renault R5 Turbo II is the kind of car where emotion trumps logic. What’s more French than that?