What happens when you combine a stuntman, car designer, engineer and race car builder and set them loose on an old French classic hatchback – you get this, the R5 Turbo 3, one of the coolest restomods ever build.
The work of newly established Legende Automobiles who consist of founder Alan Derosier (designer), Charly Bompas (stuntman), Alexander Decleves (mechanical engineer), and Pierre Chaveyriat (race car builder), you might imagine probably created the stunning update of the original Renault Turbo 2 in an achingly cool suburb of Paris, but no. It was all done in Los Angeles.
Apparently, all four were united by their love of the original Group B homologation special from the 1980s and, over a glass or two of French red (we imagine) one thing led to another.
The plan originally was to combine the best of the of the Renault 5 Turbo 1 and the Turbo 2 while using modern techniques to improve it and cut any unnecessary weight.
Incredibly, while other restomods go for broke with outlandish, overblown styling, the R5 Turbo 3 is surprisingly subtle, even though almost every body panel is new.
Saving a huge amount of cash, Legende didn't hack apart an original R5 Turbo 1 or Turbo 2.
It's no surprise really, a good version can cost more than £100,000. Instead, the LA-based team started with a Renault Le Car – the US-spec R5 that was sold Stateside from 1976 until 1980 and available now from a couple of hundred bucks for a good solid one.
Adding back huge cost, not to mention complexity too was the converting the humble front-engine, front-wheel drive shopping hatch to the R5 Turbo 1/2 mid-engine, rear-wheel drive set-up.
Shaving off a plenty of weight, and ensuring their car is considerably lighter than the original, almost the entire R5 Turbo 3's body is made of carbon-fibre.
Improving handling is Legende's decision to plump for an optimum front and rear double-wishbone suspension that was used only on the motorsport-spec R5 Maxi Turbo that still competes in International Group B rally events.
Boosting grip, the team have added wider 16-inch front and larger 17-inch wheels at the rear.
Legende hasn't revealed what turbocharged engine it's used to power the R5 Turbo 3, but says it produces around 400bhp – a considerable bump up from the 160bhp the original R5 Turbo pumped out.
Channelling its power to the rear wheels is a racer-style sequential transmission.
Other upgrades, include huge brakes and modern electrics, plus a complete overhaul of the cabin.
In comes a digital instrument cluster that sits ahead of an ugly-looking two-spoke wheel. Despite stripped out, there's still a dual-zone climate control system, and a pair of lightweight bucket seats that integrate a six-point harness for track use.
Legende Automobiles has yet to release pricing for the R5 Turbo 3, nor how many it plans to make, but with a plentiful supply of Renault Le Cars lying around in scrapyards it could probably make hundreds without breaking a sweat looking for donor cars.
Keyword: R5 Turbo 3 is the coolest hot hatch ever