As a rallying homologation special, Renault made the R5 Turbo, which has a vast body, a mid-mounted engine, and turbochargers. This is part of the Lane Motor Museum’s collection, and it is being kept in good condition and made ready for its next driver. The current offer, with five days left, is USD 75,000. The first Renault 5, which came out in January 1972, was a small, beautiful, and helpful car that sold a lot. At least in Europe, it did. When Renault brought the Cinq over the Atlantic as the Le Car, people in America said, “How about Re-no-thanks?” Renault didn’t officially import its craziest model, which may have been a form of retaliation. The French kept the best for themselves, just like they did with their wine. However, this R5 Turbo II is more like a Molotov cocktail than a Beaujolais. The 1985 Renault R5 Turbo II is today’s auction pick from Bring a Trailer, owned by Hearst Autos and Car and Driver. The R5 Turbo was made for Group B rallying homologation and can only be driven by professionals who know what they are doing. The R5 Turbo resembles Napoleon Bonaparte on bath salts, but the Citroen DS epitomizes easy going French style. It’s wonderful. Every Parisian raced the standard R5, which had about 50 horsepower, around the Arc de Triomphe, like René Arnoux was setting a fast lap for an F1 race. Renault commissioned the Lamborghini Miura’s designer to give their “mutant” vehicle the hips of a Pixar mom. A turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine was added where the back seats used to be. The Renault R5 Turbo was the most potent mass-produced French car then. It could easily beat BMWs with six cylinders. Since turbo lag was typical in the 1980s, the R5 Turbo may send you careening into a ditch without you even being able to say “Désolé.” Even though it was a cheap car, it had the attitude of a Porsche 930. So, it was a good choice for the bad guy Fatima Blush in the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again from 1983. Sean Connery’s bike couldn’t keep up with the speed and agility of a red R5 Turbo. One of the later versions, the Turbo II, was less expensive because it was made with fewer aluminum parts. It used to be in the collection of the Tennessee Lane Motor Museum. With only 43k miles on the clock, this beauty rolls on a set of rare HRE rims. If you still need to go to the Lane Museum, it’s a treasure trove of strange cars, like this beautifully twisted Renault. The Lane Museum is where the cars are expected to do more than sit there. Even though it says “nonfunctional” on the horn, this model has just been fixed and is ready to use. French drivers who wanted to be taken seriously could only go up to 12 seconds without honking at someone in their way. With five days left, the bids have gone up to $75,000. This is a lot of money for a car meant to be a cheap French model. Yes, but a Renault R5 Turbo II is the kind of car where feelings are more important than facts.
