RE: History of the Renault 5 Turbo: Time For Tea?

[Limpet]

ttthilvester said:

I think the only breakage in 3 or 4 years was a clutch cable (common fault, but easily rectified, and no longer a problem once the factory recall upgrade was done).

One of the cars I most regret selling.

Edited by ttthilvester on Wednesday 22 October 07:02

Two friends had 5GTTs, and one of them always seemed to be off the road at any one time.

I think these are a bit like Alfas of a certain era, in that you could get a good one that ran reliably, or a bad one that broke your heart (and wallet). There wasn't much in between.

Stupidly quick for what they were though. I can't remember the last time I saw one on the road.

[PGM]

Saw this while on Corsica last summer, my family thought I was mental stopping in the road to photograph it

[XJSJohn]

dapprman said:

Even the 0.9 I was lent for a few months (with dashboard gear lever) was fun.

i remember my mum had one of those in the 70's ... memories of my Dad borrowing it and flinging it about the place, me rolling about the back seats (no seatbelts naturally) like a football and laughing my head off!!!

happy days ....

it was in Pine Green .... but the dashboard gearleaver was what triggered the memory!!

[dinkel]

Flames and flames.

[zebedee]

Cliov6dan said:

You could pick up a tidy phase 1 clio for around 10k or phase 2 around 16k.

Is the £6k difference an approximate value of the life of the driver if the road tests of the Phase 1 are to be believed?

That isn't a swipe at it by the way, I admire cars that are tricky to drive.

[s m]

Limpet said:

Stupidly quick for what they were though. I can't remember the last time I saw one on the road.

See a few round here as there is a local specialist for 5GTTs (CGB)

[iloveboost]

SteveSteveson said:

Someone tell me why it's a bad idea to buy a Clio V6... This makes me want one so bad and the seem reasonable price at the moment.

Well most are at least ten years old now and so rare that they should hold their money well. Evo said the early, cheaper ones are slower and have tricky handling, like an early 911. The later ones are better to drive and faster. They are all expensive to buy and fuel for the performance just like they were when new. Other bad points are a lower quality interior for the price and unique bodywork that looks good but people will think you just spent thousands modding it.
They sound great like a BMW M1 or half a V12 supercar, or a mid engined Alfa 147 GTA. I think people buy one because of the noise, rarity and looks. Also they've decided they don't want a 911/Boxster/Cayman.

[soad]

SteveSteveson said:

Someone tell me why it's a bad idea to buy a Clio V6... This makes me want one so bad and the seem reasonable price at the moment.

Tricky handling in the wet, apparently. Not a practical family car either.

If they made a Renault 5 Turbo successor today, it would sport a turbo.

Edited by soad on Wednesday 22 October 12:11

[PATTERNPART]

I first saw one of these in an article in my dad's Mayfair magazine. Or maybe it was Men Only. I'm pretty sure the car was being reviewed by Mike Reid DJ.

[roystinho]

soad said:

SteveSteveson said:

Someone tell me why it's a bad idea to buy a Clio V6... This makes me want one so bad and the seem reasonable price at the moment.

Tricky handling in the wet, apparently. Not a practical family car either.

If they made a Renault 5 Turbo successor today, it would be sport a turbo.

They need to make the twin run, or a version of it

[roystinho]

iloveboost said:

SteveSteveson said:

Someone tell me why it's a bad idea to buy a Clio V6... This makes me want one so bad and the seem reasonable price at the moment.

Well most are at least ten years old now and so rare that they should hold their money well. Evo said the early, cheaper ones are slower and have tricky handling, like an early 911. The later ones are better to drive and faster. They are all expensive to buy and fuel for the performance just like they were when new. Other bad points are a lower quality interior for the price and unique bodywork that looks good but people will think you just spent thousands modding it.
They sound great like a BMW M1 or half a V12 supercar, or a mid engined Alfa 147 GTA. I think people buy one because of the noise, rarity and looks. Also they've decided they don't want a 911/Boxster/Cayman.

I'd agree with most of that. I bought mine for the rarity, looks, noise, sense of occasion driving it. But my 'lesser' Clio Trophy would show it a clean pair of heels on anything but a long straight drag race.

Epic cars though. Not for the shy and retiring, and certainly if you don't like people coming up to you at petrol stations asking what it is, or how much they love them, or how much did it cost to modify, or they've not seen one in the flesh before.

I'll probably get another at some point in the future

[smilo996]

The man himself at Goodwood:
Ragnotti got a summons to the clerk of the Goodwood course for performing his trademark doughnuts on his way up the hill. and just nodded his way through the ticking off, The Gallic shrug and said something to the effect of 'ah, but it is OK, it is not a doughnut because the car is still moving so this is different.

Good to see Renault getting some recognition.

[threespires]

I had a number of these back in the early '90's. I'd import them from the Continent and sell them on. Great fun to drive, to me they felt like a little Dino.
Here are a couple I saw in France.
Renault 5 Turbo II

[Ddouble]

Vive le 5!

I would love to have a T1 in that red/red/blue colour scheme pictured!

Seems rather appropriate to post this pic I took at 'Origine Rs' @ Goodwood a couple of months ago:

[maxibaby67]

Love these cars!

Had an R5 Gordini in the late 80's and scared many friends witless with it, much of it due to my having recently passed my test...

One of my all-time favourite cars is the R5 Turbo/1/2. Would love to own one. One day, when the lottery coughs up, definitely in the dream garage!

Saw a few examples down at Goodwood Hot Hatch Breakfast the other Sunday (I was there with my Mini GP), the interior certainly brought back memories.

[dbdb]

A friend of mine had Renault 5 turbo in the late 1980s. It was marvellously bonkers. Unfortunately he crashed it in the end, though not with me in it, thankfully.

The modern equivalents to the R5 Turbo are bland in comparison, but bland is what the market wants.

[mnx42]

A girl I knew back in the day used to go out with this guy who was from a well to do family. His dad bought him a 5GTT as his first car ( day after he passed his test at 18). He wrote it off in day 1...I kid you not.

[dinkel]

1983 Jan Lammers car.