RENAULT R5 TURBO "TOUR DE CORSE" VIN. #B0000698 - THE ULTIMATE RENAULT RALLY CAR - A GROUP 4 AND GROUP B PROTAGONIST - LINES DESIGNED BY MARCELLO GANDINI FOR BERTONE - RACED BY RENAULT ITALIA IN THE ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP - EXTREMELY RARE, RACE READY After years of racing the Alpine A110, at the end of the 1970s Renault found itself having to race with the small 5 Alpine front-wheel drive, undoubtedly an agile and powerful car but far from capable of competing with the Fiat 131 Abarth Rally. It was Jean Terramorsi, vice-president of Regies’s production department, who came up with a winning idea for a more competitive car, and it consisted of turning the engine of the R5 Alpine through ninety degrees, and positioning it behind the passenger compartment, which thus lost the two rear seats. Given the need to turbocharge the small 1.4-liter engine, the oil, air and water radiators had to be positioned at the engine side, which meant widening the body behind the doors, completely altering the look of the car. Bertone was thus called upon to advise, and thanks to the esthetic flair of Marcello Gandini managed to come up with a harmonious and at the same time aggressive-looking solution. The first objective was to bring out the road version, which needed to be sold in at least a thousand units in order to be homologated for racing in the Group 3 racing class (Grand Touring cars) and subsequently in the more extreme Group 4 class (Sports Cars). But changes in competition rules instead saw the extremely powerful Group B cars (which basically only retained the appearance of the standard production cars) rising to prominence in the rally racing world. Renault, since it already had a car that, technically, lent itself perfectly to being developed, decided to prepare, for 1983, its first 5 Turbo Group B. The customer version of this car delivered 240 HP up to 300 HP for the works team. From 1984, it competed in the World Championship with a version, now remembered as the “Maxi Turbo”, which had been developed still further and boasted an engine capable of delivering 350 HP. Success was not slow in coming. The Renault 5 Turbo, which debuted in 1981 and did best with Jean Ragnotti at the wheel, won the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally, the 1982 and 1985 Tour de Corse, and in 1986 allowed Portuguese driver Joaquim Moutinho to win on his “home turf”. The car offered for sale is one of the very rare Tour de Corse versions with a dry sump engine, dog clutch gearbox, aluminum doors and hood panels, and plastic roof and fenders. Registered in 1981 it competed in the Italian Championship supported by Renault Italia. It has now been with the same owner, a passionate collector, for more than 20 years. It already holds a FIA HTP passport (this just needs to be renewed), and it is ready to race. It is hard to think of a better vehicle to use for participating in historical rallies.
RENAULT R5 TURBO "TOUR DE CORSE" VIN. #B0000698 - THE ULTIMATE RENAULT RALLY CAR - A GROUP 4 AND GROUP B PROTAGONIST - LINES DESIGNED BY MARCELLO GANDINI FOR BERTONE - RACED BY RENAULT ITALIA IN THE ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP - EXTREMELY RARE, RACE READY After years of racing the Alpine A110, at the end of the 1970s Renault found itself having to race with the small 5 Alpine front-wheel drive, undoubtedly an agile and powerful car but far from capable of competing with the Fiat 131 Abarth Rally. It was Jean Terramorsi, vice-president of Regies’s production department, who came up with a winning idea for a more competitive car, and it consisted of turning the engine of the R5 Alpine through ninety degrees, and positioning it behind the passenger compartment, which thus lost the two rear seats. Given the need to turbocharge the small 1.4-liter engine, the oil, air and water radiators had to be positioned at the engine side, which meant widening the body behind the doors, completely altering the look of the car. Bertone was thus called upon to advise, and thanks to the esthetic flair of Marcello Gandini managed to come up with a harmonious and at the same time aggressive-looking solution. The first objective was to bring out the road version, which needed to be sold in at least a thousand units in order to be homologated for racing in the Group 3 racing class (Grand Touring cars) and subsequently in the more extreme Group 4 class (Sports Cars). But changes in competition rules instead saw the extremely powerful Group B cars (which basically only retained the appearance of the standard production cars) rising to prominence in the rally racing world. Renault, since it already had a car that, technically, lent itself perfectly to being developed, decided to prepare, for 1983, its first 5 Turbo Group B. The customer version of this car delivered 240 HP up to 300 HP for the works team. From 1984, it competed in the World Championship with a version, now remembered as the “Maxi Turbo”, which had been developed still further and boasted an engine capable of delivering 350 HP. Success was not slow in coming. The Renault 5 Turbo, which debuted in 1981 and did best with Jean Ragnotti at the wheel, won the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally, the 1982 and 1985 Tour de Corse, and in 1986 allowed Portuguese driver Joaquim Moutinho to win on his “home turf”. The car offered for sale is one of the very rare Tour de Corse versions with a dry sump engine, dog clutch gearbox, aluminum doors and hood panels, and plastic roof and fenders. Registered in 1981 it competed in the Italian Championship supported by Renault Italia. It has now been with the same owner, a passionate collector, for more than 20 years. It already holds a FIA HTP passport (this just needs to be renewed), and it is ready to race. It is hard to think of a better vehicle to use for participating in historical rallies.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
