There’s something missing. It’s hard to place, but it’s missing. The arches are there, the chequered cloth interior. The yellow? Got it.
It’s Jeannot. And it’s him flicking between radio stations, from Bananarama to Billy Idol.
It was minus 27 in Braemar last night and Margaret Thatcher’s son Mark has mistaken his left for his right somewhere between Paris and Dakar.
It’s 1982.
Encore.
Every now and then a car comes along and stops you in its tracks for the second time. Heading back to the top of the ’80s, rallying’s eye was collectively drawn to Ingolstadt and Audi’s fancy, new quattro. And that was a shame because, let’s face it, the first incarnation of the German game-changer was a touch dull with its look of a tickled Audi 80.
If we’d stuck our head above the mountains and peered north towards the Parisian suburbs, we’d have seen something special. We’d have seen Renault’s 5 Turbo.
Jean Ragnotti, a Renault 5 Turbo and a village on Corsica's east coast. All that's missing is a fresh baguette from the local boulangerie.
In his book CARS, Stephen Bayley talked of the original 5’s interior as being: “Frankly addressed to an audience not yet debauched by the fripperies of postmodernism.”
I liked the way you opened the doors.
And I really liked the idea of the engine leap-frogging the front seats to sit in the middle… with a big Garrett blower bolted to the side. Driveshafts became a thing for the rear and a Monte Carlo-winner was born.
Jean ‘Jeannot’ Ragnotti made the most of the original 265bhp Turbo, adding a Corsican win to his success in the famous French Alps. But when the 5 Maxi Turbo (or Turbo 2 as it’s widely known) arrived in 1985, that ever-present smile spread wider. There was an extra hundred horses, improved aero, cooling and front geometry.
And that characteristic fizzy-whizz soundtrack was amplified by the shift from Group 4 to Group B. But it was still a front differential short of greatness.
And then everything was done. Finished. Group B gone, taking this stunner with it.
Until now. The Renault 5 Turbo 3E has bridged the last four decades beautifully and once more the world pauses to take in familiar lines redrawn with a modern take.
You're going to be staring at this thing for a while. This is a reminder to keep scrolling – there's more below
If this is postmodernism, bring on the fripperies.
What a way to start a Monday morning: opening an email littered with pictures of a 20-inch-wheeled piece of electro-art rooted firmly in rallying. Stop staring. Read on, it’s bringing 540hp and 4,800 Nm of torque. It has a power boost button on the Alcantra steering wheel, a six-point belt to harness you in the bucket seat and handbrake that’s just made for playtime.
Being all-electric it has a multitude of drive modes, including a drift-assist function.
First time around, Renault would have happily traded a body part or two for drive to all four corners, but this 5 Turbo 3E’s proudly rear-wheel drive. In the ’80s, those fabulous squared and flared rear arches hauled as much air in as possible to cool the brakes. There’s some of the same thinking this time around, but also hiding behind that section of carbon are the in-wheel motors turning charge into charge.
For those who live for such detail, it’s powered by a 70 kWh lithium-ion battery which can be filled from nothing to 100% in eight hours via a 11 kW AC bidirectional charger. Or, for those in a hurry, it can go from 15-80% in 15 minutes via a 350 kW DC.
And hurrying really is a thing here. Crack on in track mode and you’ll see 60mph in three and a bit seconds. Keep her pinned and you’ll nudge 170mph.
The downside? Much as it’s out now, it’s not actually out and on the streets until the first half of 2027. And when it does drop, there will only be 1,980 of them. Land one and you can name your color. Don’t be silly here, it has to be yellow, black and white.
From the blunt front all the way through the raked a-pillar to the vertical lights hugging the tailgate, this is an all-out 5, turbocharged for today.
