RE: Renault 5 Gordini | Spotted

[Drekly]

nickfrog said:

1602Mark said:

The best one I owned was a LHD version badged Alpine

I guess they were all Alpine with the UK cars rebadged as Gordini because Renault didn't have the IP rights of the Alpine brand in the UK then. Or am I making this up?
[Pedantic mode off ]

I don't know about whether there were any official RHD Alpine-badged R5 turbos, but I've definitely seen one in Britain many years ago (in the nice metallic blue) and chatted to the owner about it. Whether it came like that or had the badges retro-fitted I don't know.

Anyway regarding the non-Turbo Gordini, 94bhp from a carb-fed 1.4 was pretty pokey at the time. Bear in mind a 1983 Mk1 XR2 had about 10bhp less from 1600cc and the later CVH XR2 or XR3 barely any more.

[iainmrscalextric]

I bought a rusty non-runner with at least one bent inlet or exhaust valve! in fact the only good bit was oddly the interior (1980 V reg) 30+ years ago - too far gone for me to restore it properly so sold it on again at a huge (at the time) financial loss after paying my local Renault garage to skim the head and put a whole new set of inlet/exhaust valves in just to get it ticking over.... but now I wish I'd kept it after seeing this beauty! Still driving Renaults but now with lots more bhp (Laguna Coupe 3.0 V6 DCI 235 that's almost as rare as the Gordini).

[Jonny TVR]

There was a gordini Lotus .. Lotus with a gordini engine?

[Rumblestripe]

Lotus Europa was built with a modified Renault 16 engine, I guess some got the tuned Gordini version?

Beautiful shape the Europa but a very cramped cabin. Legend had it that Colin Chapman would decree that his cars would accommodate himself comfortably and as he was somewhere about 5'10" gentlemen of the larger frame could not comfortably drive 'em, the Europa being particularly restrictive.

[Dr G]

It's even got my name on the number plate; I'll take 3.

[Gavodicko]

Absolutely loved these as a kid and loved the film condorman as there is a scene where he is being chased by an army of them !

[CoupeKid]

That’s just asking to be snapped up by Renault for their heritage fleet.

[Notanotherturbo]

Had a couple of 'dinis and 3 turbo ones (2 modded 190BHP track car and 150bhp road/track car) . The turbos are a massive handful and fun but pretty ineffective. Carbed one is arguably the better road car but my advice would be to drive one before paying a lot of money. They aren't a patch on a GT Turbo and are incredibly poorly made. You would need surgically ingrained rose coloured contact lenses to drive one on anything but a very occasional basis.

[lost in espace]

I had a bog standard white X plate 5, had the softest suspension of any car I have ever experienced. Good little car though.

[Black S2K]

nickfrog said:

1602Mark said:

The best one I owned was a LHD version badged Alpine

I guess they were all Alpine with the UK cars rebadged as Gordini because Renault didn't have the IP rights of the Alpine brand in the UK then. Or am I making this up?
[Pedantic mode off ]

Nope - it's one reason why you had SIMCA 1307/9s and we had Chrysler Alpines.

[Top Banana]

i had one of these way back - was a hoot to drive and because it weighed the same as a tin can the 80-odd bhp
meant it could be worked along back lanes at quite a pace

A mate had a 2-litre Capri and this would have a hard time keeping up with me on the twisties...

It was especially fun taking roundabouts fast as it loved to wag a rear wheel about 5 or 6 inches off the deck.

Eventually sold mine to move into a Mk1 Golf GTi

[s m]

[nickfrog]

Black S2K said:

Nope - it's one reason why you had SIMCA 1307/9s and we had Chrysler Alpines.

Ah yes, I remember those my grand dad had one. Cool story. Weren't they called Talbot in France though?

[rs mexico]

Wow just talking about these yesterday in the bru room.Nearly bought a Gordini turbo back in the day,only put off by the half dozen dead rabbits and the owners air rifle in the back.Ended up with a MK11 1300 sport which turned to rust in a matter of hours.Prices now for the pair are mental .

[popeyewhite]

Mate bought a 5t back in the Eighties and he took us (three quite hefty lads) to a gig in it. On the way back he drove enthusiastically over a humpbacked bridge and when the (rather shyte) suspension compressed on the other side the exhasut was torn off. Boy was he upset, and how we laughed.

[Water Fairy]

s m said:

Christ that takes me back!

[Drekly]

s m said:

Thanks, thats great. I've actually owned two of those, a Mk1 GTI and a Fiesta 1300S (mechanically identical to the fluffed up Supersport). The RS2000 being the one that got away.

[s m]

Drekly said:

Thanks, thats great. I've actually owned two of those, a Mk1 GTI and a Fiesta 1300S (mechanically identical to the fluffed up Supersport). The RS2000 being the one that got away.

I had a couple of RS2000s and the Golf Gti
Friends had the Alfa Sprint and 1300S

[1602Mark]

Black S2K said:

nickfrog said:

1602Mark said:

The best one I owned was a LHD version badged Alpine

I guess they were all Alpine with the UK cars rebadged as Gordini because Renault didn't have the IP rights of the Alpine brand in the UK then. Or am I making this up?
[Pedantic mode off ]

Nope - it's one reason why you had SIMCA 1307/9s and we had Chrysler Alpines.

I recall something like that from the time. When I said 'best one' I meant best example, as opposed to it differing in spec' or something. My overriding memory is the terrible torque steer on boost and trying to keep it in a straight line along country lanes.

I bought an old Daily Star championship race car for a few hundred quid once. Possibly a TS? That was a fun thing.

[Black S2K]

nickfrog said:

Black S2K said:

Nope - it's one reason why you had SIMCA 1307/9s and we had Chrysler Alpines.

Ah yes, I remember those my grand dad had one. Cool story. Weren't they called Talbot in France though?

When PSA bought the shipwreck that was Chrysler Europe off the collapsing Chrysler Corporation, they had to think of a new name.

Talbot was common to both French and UK operations, but that was in the Edwardian era and so it latterly meant nothing to either nation.

Of course, nouveau Talbot sank without trace and the new Talbot Arizona became the Peugeot 309.