1984 Renault 5 Turbo 2 Hatchback

• Rare limited edition model
• Left-hand drive
• Circa 6,500 miles recorded
• Imported by the vendor

Not to be confused with the conventional front-wheel drive Renault 5 Gordini Turbo or GT Turbo, the Renault 5 Turbo (and later Turbo 2) was a mid-engined homologation special built in limited numbers for Group B rallying between 1979 and 1986. Renault's considerable Formula 1-derived turbo-charging expertise was applied to the humble 1.4-litre overhead-valve engine, resulting in a power increase to 158bhp (in road trim), an output sufficient for a top speed of around 125mph and a 0-60mph time of only 7 seconds. In the Turbo, this remarkable little engine was mounted amidships (where the rear passenger seats had been) and drove the rear wheels via a five-speed transaxle.

A thinly disguised two-seater supercar, the Turbo was first seen in prototype form at the 1978 Paris Salon and made its competition debut in 1980 on the Tour de Corse, where Jean Ragnoti's 250bhp works car led the event before succumbing to electrical trouble. In 1981 Ragnotti/Andrie won the Monte Carlo Rally outright for Renault and the following year Ragnotti won the Tour de Corse again. Faced with increasing competition from teams running four-wheel drive cars, Renault responded with more powerful 5 Tour de Corse and 5 Maxi Turbo variants, Ragnotti adding another Tour de Corse win in the latter in 1985. At the end of the season the works team retired the 5 Turbo from competition. Had Renault chosen to contest a full international programme with the 5 Turbo rather than concentrating on French national events, then its record at the highest level would surely have been even more impressive.

Once the first homologation specials had been produced, a Turbo 2 version was introduced using more stock Renault 5 parts in place of the light alloy components of the original 5 Turbo, while the Bertone seats and dashboard were swapped for the interior of the R5 Alpine. Many parts were finished in dark grey. The Turbo 2 was less expensive but had nearly the same level of performance as its predecessor, with a top speed of 120mph and a 0-62mph time of 6.9 seconds. In total 3,576 were built between 1983 and 1986 but the model was never officially sold in the UK.

Imported by the vendor from Japan and little used in recent years, this iconic hot hatch displays only circa 6,500 miles on the odometer. It appears to have had some modification in its life, with non standard inlet and exhaust noted among other things. With those modifications this is surely a perfect pocket rocket.