Renault 5
Encyclopedia : R : RE : REN : Renault 5
The Renault 5 was a supermini produced by the French manufacturer Renault in two generations between 1972 and 1996.
First generation (1972–1984)
The original R5 was Renault's first foray into the supermini market, and its most prominent feature was its styling by Michel Boue (who died before the car's release), which included a steeply sloping rear hatchback and front fascia. Boue had wanted the taillights to go all the way up from the bumper into the C-pillar, in the fashion of the much later Volvo V70, but this was not to be. The lights remained at a more conventional level.Underneath the skin, it borrowed heavily from the Renault 4, using a longitudinally-mounted engine driving the front wheels with torsion bar suspension. OHV engines were borrowed from the R4, Renault 8 and Renault 12, and ranged from 850 to 1400 cc.
Early R5s used an idiosyncratic dashboard-mounted gearshift in true French style, but this was later dropped in favour of a floor mounted shifter. The other distinctive feature was the door handles, which were formed simply from a cut-out in the door panel and B-pillar. Other versions of the first car included the Renault 5 Alpine (Gordini in the United Kingdom), Alpine/Gordini Turbo, and the Renault Le Car, which was designed exclusively for the North American market and sold by American Motors. A four-door sedan version was called the Renault 7 and built by FASA-Renault of Spain.
There was also a highly successful rallying version, developed according to Group 4 (later Group B regulations. It was named as the Renault 5 Turbo, but it being mid-engined and rear wheel drive, bore little technical resemblance to the road-going version. The shape and general look of the 5 was maintained using the same lights, and interestingly, it only shared door panels with regard to the body. Driven by Jean Ragnotti, this car won the Monte Carlo Rally for its first race in World Rally Championship.
The original Renault 5 continued to be built in Iran by Pars Khodro, as the Sepand. In 2002, the Sepand was replaced by the P.K, a car that adopted a styling reminiscent of the second generation, but still using the slightly-modified original bodywork.
Second generation (1985–1996)
The second generation Renault 5, often referred to as the Supercinq or Superfive, appeared in 1985. Although the bodyshell was completely new (the platform was based on that of the Renault 9/11), the classic 5 styling touches were left untouched, and was designed by Marcello Gandini. The biggest change was the adoption of a transversely-mounted powertrain taken directly from the 9 and 11, plus a less sophisticated suspension design, which used MacPherson struts.The R5 also spawned a panel van version, known as the Renault Extra, which was intended to replace the R4 F6 which had ceased production in 1986.
A "hot hatch" version, the GT Turbo, was a car beloved of boy racers through the 1980s and 90s. Sporting 115PS (85 kW/113 hp) in the Phase 1, the Phase 2 GT Turbo later brought 5 extra horsepower to the table, a slightly altered torque band and higher reliability. Coming from a simple 1397 cc OHV engine, this was considered quite a feat. Due to strict emission demands in certain European countries, the GT Turbo was not available everywhere. Because of this Renault decided on using the naturally aspirated 1.7 liter from the Renault 19, which utilized multipoint fuel injection. Under the name GTE, it produced 95PS (70 kW/94 hp). Although it wasn't as fast as the turbo model, it featured the exact same interior and exterior looks, as well as an identical suspension and brake setup.
The model was starting to show its age by 1990, when it was effectively replaced by the more modern and better-built Clio, which was an instant sales success across Europe. Production of the R5 was transferred to the Revoz factory in Slovenia when the Clio was launched, and it remained on sale as a budget choice until the car's 24-year production run finally came to an end in 1996.
Appearances in media
- The Renault 5 is the car that the main character are looking for in the movie Dude, Where's My Car? and can also be seen in the TV series My Name is Earl.
- A Renault 5 can also be seen in The A-Team.
- George comments on the TV series Seinfeld that his father used to drive a Le Car.
- A modified Renault 5 Turbo was featured on Ali G within The Eleven O'Clock Show and in the movie Ali G In Da House
External links
| Renault car timeline, 1940s-1980s - edit] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||||||||||||
| City car | Twingo | Twingo II | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Supermini | Super 5 | Clio I | Clio II | Clio III | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Small family car | 9 / 11 | 19 | Mégane I | Mégane II | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Large family car | 18 | 21 | Laguna I | Laguna II | Laguna III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Executive car | 25 | Safrane | Vel Satis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mini MPV | Kangoo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Modus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compact MPV | Scénic I | Scénic II | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Large MPV | Espace I | Espace II | Espace III | Espace IV | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Avantime | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coupé | Fuego | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.