Renault 5 GT Turbo: PH Heroes
The 1980s was the era of the thrilling but flimsy hot hatch, and the GT Turbo delivered on both counts
Because one of this 5's sisters was the first performance car I ever drove, indeed the first one with an output north of 100hp. How much further north I don't actually know, because like many of its brethren it had been tuned, and with more enthusiasm than expertise. It had a wastegate that snuffled and whistled like an asthmatic aardvark, springs low enough to produce grinding noises from the underside and a sound system that could have earned an ASBO at half volume. To complete the full effect it had also been inexpertly resprayed into metallic purple and proudly wore a "no fat chicks" sticker.
When turbo meant faster, not more efficient
TWOC 'til you drop
Which is how, at the ripe old age of 19, I got to learn about turbo lag, wheelspin and torque steer, all in the space of a half-hour joyride. I was fascinated by the binary action of the turbo boost gauge and the way the steering would writhe in my hands as it flicked to full. I also clearly remember the butt-clenching sensation that came from glancing at the mirror after a burst of spirited acceleration to see a police-liveried Ford Sierra directly behind, its driver eyeing me suspiciously. Cue some urgent thoughts about the exact intricacies of my insurance situation, but the blue lights stayed off.
By the time I returned the car my fingers had practically worn grooves in the steering wheel and I'd almost sweated through the seat. Fortunately for me, the brother never found out; he wrote it off a couple of months later.
Interiors have come a very long way!
Considerably older and fractionally wiser, I'm sitting in a 5 GT Turbo and it feels like 1994 all over again. This is a different and much rarer version, of course - a standard, unmodified car which belongs to Renault and is a cherished member of its collection of significant cars. The 5's combination of low cost, easy tunabilty and lightweight construction meant that it was easy for younger drivers to afford, modify and then frequently smash up. Tens of thousands were sold in the UK when it was new, but now it's one of the very rarest of the 1980s hot hatches.
Survival rates weren't helped by its shell suit image and the fact it was often dismissed as a bit of a one-trick thug. While middle-class owners were cherishing Golfs and 205 GTIs as future classics the 5 GT found its fall to the bottom of the socio-economic demographic practically unchecked; this was the car chosen for Ali G to drive around Staines in the film spun off the TV series.
Yet the demonization was unfair. The Renault might have been cheaper than either of the posher GTIs, but it could call on an illustrious performance hatch heritage - Renault had built a spectacular mid-engined turbo version of the first generation 5, and had also pioneered turbos in F1. The GT Turbo was intended to take the concept mainstream and act as a halo for the second-generation 5 - sometimes known as the Supercinq - with a Garrett turbocharger strapped onto a 1.4-litre overhead valve engine and boosting output to an impressive 122hp in Phase Two cars like this one.
Dinky little 5 weighs just 850kg
That output looks more exciting when you consider the 5 GT weighs just 850kg. A fact that's instantly obvious the moment you climb inside. Forget that hoary old chestnut about bank vaults, the doors here feel like they've been made from tinfoil and then dipped in an acid bath. The dashboard seems to have been made from reconstituted Styrofoam offcuts and firing the engine into rorty life is enough to get the trim rattling. Start to actually move and it sounds as if a family of mice have moved in, such is the plastic-on-plastic squeaking. Small wonder that banging ICE systems were such a popular upgrade.
Yet there's lots to like here too. The gearchange has a nice, hefty resistance to it, and far more accurately defined planes than those I remember from the 205 GTI. The unassisted steering is heavy at manoeuvring speeds, but it begins to deliver meaningful communication as soon as velocity increases. The throttle pedal is a revelation, with the sort of rat-trap responses that would disappear once fly-by-wire systems were introduced. The Renault radiates enthusiasm in a way that none of its modern equivalents get close to.
5 GT a lesson in old fashioned lag
What it doesn't feel is particularly fast, at least not at first. Confusingly the turbo boost gauge under the rev counter flicks to full as the engine passes the 4,000rpm mark, but does so without a proportional increase in shove. I'm wondering if one of the turbocharger's pipes has fallen off, or if the residual memory of the modified one I drove two decades ago has made the standard car feel utterly anaemic. Then, with foot still pinned to the floor, the boost arrives. Pretty much all at once: a real, old-fashioned shove in the back.
Which is why, although time has blunted the impressiveness of the GT's raw acceleration numbers, it still feels properly exciting. To give its best the engine has to be kept on the boil; changing up too soon, or even easing the throttle momentarily and letting the wastegate open, sees the engine drop out of its boost zone. You have to work it hard for faster progress, but it's thrilling to do so.
Four wheels or three?
Less power and suspension settings that are still as the factory intended means this GT feels far less wayward than the last one I drove. Yes, there's some torque steer over rougher surfaces, and even a chirp from the tyres as boost arrives in second gear, but it's not wayward. The steering stays good as loadings increase and although grip levels aren't high - probably thanks to some fairly old 195-section tyres - the handling balance feels pretty much spot-on. It's not as throttle steerable as a 205 GTI, lifting off produces more of a snap than progressive line-tightening, but it's certainly a fun way to attack a sequence of tight corners. Photographer Tim reports having seen a cocked rear wheel through his viewfinder a couple of times.
It's far from perfect. Ride quality is poor, refinement is pretty much non-existent and the brakes lack both feel and bite, threatening to overheat even under fairly restrained use.
Keep one if you can find one!
While the classifieds still offer a relative abundance of 205s and Golfs - even a couple of Astra GTEs - the Renault is dangerously close to extinction, to the extent that people are now actively selling European-sourced left-hookers in the UK. Modified ones are still out there, complete with optimistic claims for 200hp-plus outputs, but when original, unmolested cars do come up they often end up wearing serious money pricetags. I wish I'd filled a warehouse when they were £500 a pop...
Changing times have sharpened the 5 GT's appeal. The underdog status it had when new was because it seemed crude even by the standards of 1980s hot hatches. But as cars have got more polished and sensible, so the relative appeal of its rawness and whizz-bang performance has grown. It's a flawed gem, but I really don't think you'll find a more exciting hot hatch.
RENAULT 5 GT TURBO
Engine: 1,397cc, inline-4 turbocharged
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 122@5,750rpm
Torque (lb ft): 122@3,750rpm
0-62mph: 8.0sec
Top speed: 128mph
Weight: 830kg
MPG: 39.8
CO2: N/A
Price new: £10,350 (1989)
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Photos: Tim Brown
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