Renault R5 Turbo

When Renault debuted the R5 Turbo as a challenge to the insanity being fielded by Lancia, the world was not quite sure what to think. The company had elected to use the smallest and least powerful of their lineup, the 5 supermini, be their giant killer.

But on the sly, a team of Renault-Alpine engineers had proceeded to take what was a simple, compact, urban car and turn it into a mid-engined beast. Ripping out the rear passenger seats to transplant a turbo charged, 1.4 litre engine that dished out 158 horsepower, 185 with the Stage 2 boost,  and giving it rear wheel drive, they had turned once quaint Renault 5 into anything but. Then Bertone, through the artistry of Marcello Gandini – creator of the LP400, injected the body with a serious dose of steroids to create box-flared rally monster that we now know as the Renault 5 Turbo,

The R5 held its own on the world rally stage in the early 80’s, with a long list of wins, including the Monte Carlo rally on its first outing. But when Audi’s Quattro arrived it, along with everything else, became virtually obsolete.