The automotive world rarely causes real shock these days.
That’s no surprise, considering how difficult it is to make a car that breaks the rules in the 21st century. And not to forget: every conceivable niche is filled. Coupe SUVs, shooting brakes, roadsters with parking-friendly doors and four-door variants of two-door cars… That list alone comes from the BMW catalogue!
At this point it’s purely a winning game. But in the 1980s, the auto industry thrived on wild ideas born of experimentation, homologation, or both. Meet the 5 Turbo from Renault.
Launched in 1980 as a homologation special for Group 4 rallying, the R5 Turbo was far from the run-of-the-mill Renault 5 seen locally. bakeries. The design was inspired by the Lancia Stratos, which demonstrated the benefits of mid-engine setups for rallies.
With a 1.4-liter four-cylinder turbo engine behind the front seats, delivering 158 hp to the rear wheels, the R5 Turbo could sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 7 seconds and reach a top speed of 199 km/h.
The 1984 Maxi Turbo represented the pinnacle of this rally beast, with a wider, lighter frame and a manic 345bhp from its 1.5-litre engine. It must have been a riot to drive, even if it wasn’t a championship contender.
After production of the road-going R5 Turbo 2 ended in 1986, Renault struggled to maintain its performance image. To spice things up, the French automaker introduced the Renault Sport Spider. I’m glad it is – absolutely worship this car.
The Spider has a simplistic beauty that is missing from many track day specials: soft curves, a low nose and beautiful headlights. The rear is a little awkward, with taillights seemingly lost in space, but still the proportions are fantastic.
British models had a glass windscreen, but the European versions had the option of a literal ‘windscreen’ – an air scoop that directed the air up and away from the cockpit – ingenious!
Powered by a 2.0 inline-four from the Renault Clio Williams, the 930kg Spider matched the 5 Turbo’s 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds, delivering a fun yet manageable driving experience. My favorite detail? The butterfly doors, or, in the case of this car… the ‘baguette holder’. Very good!
Although the 5 Turbo was only slightly more expensive than a Volkswagen Golf GTI when new, it was produced in limited numbers. However, the Spider started at almost £30,000 (about $39,000 in today’s terms) – £7,000 (US$9,100) more than a Lotus Elise at the time. Practicality was also not the Spider’s strong point.
For those looking for a more practical entry into classic rear-wheel drive ownership, consider the Vauxhall Chevette HS and Talbot Sunbeam Lotus. Like the Renault 5 Turbo, these were homologation specials for Group 4 rallying, but they were rear-wheel drive from the start.
As such, creating high-performance versions of the base cars did not detract from their usefulness as a family hatchback, even though they were undeniably small hooligan machines.
The Chevette HS had an uprated 2.3-litre version of Vauxhall’s slant-four engine with twin Weber carburettors, while the Sunbeam’s 2.2-litre Lotus engine had Dell’Orto carbs. The Talbot produced about 150 hp, surpassing the Chevette’s 135 hp – high power for a small car in the late 1970s.
In Group 4 rally specification, both cars had almost 250bhp, which would have made them wild for weaving through forest roads full of spectators. While Group B can be seen as the pinnacle of rallying, the artistry of previous RWD rally cars was something else entirely.
Talbot and Lotus also deserve a special mention. The 1981 WRC Championship marked the final year of the Group 4 regulations, with Sunbeam taking the manufacturers’ title ahead of Datsun and Ford. From 1982 onwards, the dominance of four-wheel drive began, with the exception of the legendary Lancia 037 in 1983.
Fast forward to today, the performance car landscape feels standardized and boring. Two-litre turbocharged automatic hot hatches and twin-turbo V8 super sedans are the norm, with most vehicles AWD, quiet and burly.
Even supercars and hypercars have become uniform, electrified and bloated. Fed up with it all, one man in August 2020 unveiled a sub-1,000 kg (2,204 lb) manual V12 supercar that revs above 12,000 rpm and has functional ground effects thanks to the rear fan.
The man is Gordon Murray and the car is his GMA T.50.
I’d never seen a T.50 in real life until the Sunday Scramble in October at Bicester Heritage, where seven of these wonders were to be seen. While my passion leans towards 90s tuning and motorsports, this particular pair stopped me dead in my tracks.
It is refreshing to see us rising from the depths of monotony in the automotive sector, with modern technology and innovative thinking allowing creative minds to shine once again.
What stood out at this event in Bicester wasn’t just the cars. The Scramble is more than a show; it is a meeting. These are not polished show ponies, but real cars that roll in on a crisp autumn morning.
Long live the engineers who design such remarkable machines, and long live the enthusiasts who enjoy them to ride them!
Mario Christou
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