1984 Renault 5 Maxi Turbo

By the mid ‘70s the sun had finally set on the Alpine A110’s glittering rally career, Renault’s rival Lancia dominating the scene with its mid-engined Stratos. Renault’s surprising answer to this Ferrari-powered supercar was an urban supermini, its hugely successful Five chosen as the unlikely basis for small, light and ferociously fast new mid-engined weapon. The idea was to move its engine from the front to the middle of the car to improve its traction and handling. The result was a rather strange looking Five, its rear wings distended by swollen wheel arches, its rear seats sacrificed to a box housing a highly tuned, turbocharged 1.4 litre engine of 162bhp. The Rally Championship rules required that this weirdly appealing little car enter production, in the process creating one of Renault’s many legendary performance machines and a highly collectible car today. The Renault Five Maxi Turbo scored its maiden win on the 1981 Monte Carlo rally, and remained a potent force until the all-wheel drive Group B cars arrived.

In Detail

Auction Sales History

1980 Renault 5 Turbo B0000520 – sold for €103,704

The almost new condition of this car makes it totally exceptional! Sold new in the French Ain region, where it remained, it was bought in 1990 by an enthusiast who sold it to the current owner in 2014. The car, which has not been driven for seven or eight years, has covered just over 64 000 km from new, and has never been raced or modified. Having a sound base, the car was completely restored at Team FJ, Alpine and Renault 5 specialists. The body was stripped back to bare metal, which confirmed there was no accident damage (see the feuille de marbre document in the file). The wheel arches, floor and sills were restored and the running gear sanded and treated. All mechanical elements were checked and the injection pump and distributor, piston rings and rod bearings replaced and turbocharger adjusted. The gearbox has been fully serviced. The interior, including the dashboard, conforms completely to the original, with red seats complementing the bright blue carpets, typical of the 70s/80s. This exceptional Renault 5 Turbo comes with a certificate listing the work carried out and the parts replaced, as well as documentation of the restoration on a USB stick, owner’s manuals, a factory certificate of conformity and inspection report.

Auction Source: Rétromobile 2015 by Artcurial Motorcars

1986 Renault 5 Turbo 2 VF182200000500128 – sold for €80,500

Un-restored, the car is presented in its original and very attractive colour combination of Blanc Gardénia with beige cloth interior. Only the bumpers have been re-sprayed in the original grey because the paint had faded with age. Otherwise the car remains outstandingly original. It is extremely rare to find a Turbo 2 in unmolested condition these days, and examples of this iconic French ‘homologation special’ don’t come any better than this. The car is offered with invoices for work carried out; previous-owner documentation recording the distance travelled; French Cartes Grises of previous owners; and current French Carte Grise and Contrôle Technique.

Auction Source: 2015 Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

1980 Renault Series 1 R5 Turbo B0000564 – sold for $130,000

Ultra rare Renault R5 Turbo number 428 of less than 600 produced. One family owned since new from just outside Paris, France. Rare Series 1 R5 Turbo with aluminum body and fiberglass flares. Concept art deco interior design only done in this 1st series. Highly original example with original French Blue paint and interior. 82,000 original Kilometers from new (51,000 miles). Turbocharged 1397cc mid-mounted motor with 158 HP and 5-speed transmission. Comes with a copy of original French title, full tool set and radio. Could be the best early production original example in existence.

Auction Source: Monterey 2014 by Mecum Auctions

Keyword: 1984 Renault 5 Maxi Turbo