In the late 80’s if you wanted a Sierra Cosworth but didn’t fancy re-mortgaging your house to pay for the insurance there were few alternatives. This was before the Impreza become the quick hoon-saloon of choice and frankly the Cossie was the nuts, or at least until it got stolen from your driveway by joy riders the day after you bought it.
But if you cared little for issues like reliability, and thought an egg box was the yardstick by which good quality should be judged then there was another option – and it came from France. The Renault 21 2.0 Turbo was derived from a rather boring looking saloon, but this range topping version somehow managed to look pretty good. It was subtle enough that you may not give it a second look at the lights, but the beauty was in the detail, a body kit styled with a ruler and a rear spoiler that if you squinted, sort of looked a bit like an E30 M3’s. And that spoiler would be the last thing you saw as the 2 litre, forced-induction motor flung the lightweight French missile down the road.
Flimsy, yes, but strangely comfortable and the ability to destroy pretty much anything it came across. I sat in the back of one once, when it had first been launched, and what struck me most was the amount you were squeezed, cartoon-style, into the overly squashy leather seats as it catapulted down the road.
The 2 litre turbocharged engine was good for 175 bhp and 0-60 mph could be cracked in under 8 seconds. Top speed was officially 141 mph, but some owners claimed to hit 150.The later Phase II model was even offered in four-wheel drive in a bid to keep all that power on the road. The car was quick on paper but nothing prepared you for the awesome mid-range power surge.
The vehicle we have here was found on the Autotrader website and is the later Phase II model, although it looks to be a front driver. From the pictures it looks clean and incredibly it looks unmolested – a rarity with these cars. It comes in possibly the best colour – 80’s white – and the 121,907 miles are low for the age. Inside you get lots of orangey colours splattered around and even what looks to be some chewing gum already in the ashtray.Everything looks pretty good apart from a chunk missing from the front spoiler, possibly as a result of a bit too much body roll.
All in all this is a bit of turbo-charged history and at 700 notes, who can resist? The thought of overtaking a Cosworth flat-out while the body panels peel off is awfully tempting…
Ad says: 1991 H Reg RENAULT 21 2L Turbo,4 Doors, Manual, Saloon, Petrol, 121,907 miles, White. Insurance Group:14, £700