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I have never actually owned a Renault, however I have driven a few as one of my friends in London was the manager of a Renault Dealership, so quite often we would have a test drive of the latest model to hit the showrooms, but more of that later on.
One of the models I never got round to test was the Five, which was a pity as it had a great deal going for it, lets face it any car that sells more than 5.5million examples cannot be a dud, it says a lot about the manufacturer, if we play the numbers game we have the Renault 4 a colossal 8.1 million the Dauphine 2.1 million, and it goes on and on, we are only looking at the 5 Renaults first super mini.
Before I go on, If you are a fan of the five there is one sitting outside the garage in Grangemockler, it looks like it is either for stripping as the number plate has been removed, if anyone is interested I suggest you don’t hang around, it looks bodily quite good, mechanically no idea.
The Five first appeared in 1972 and sold right up to 1996, though some say it was 1997,the original five was called the first generation this is the model made between 1972 and 1985, the car was styled by Michael Boue, who sadly died before the car was released so he never saw what a fantastic car he had designed, life can be so cruel.
The Renault 4 mechanicals were used, a normal engine layout driving the front wheels with torsion bar suspension, the various engines used came from the 4, the 8 and the 16 ranging from a lowly 850cc right up to 1400cc, the gearbox is mounted in front of the engine and originally had a dashboard mounted gear lever, there was both 4 and 5 speed manual gearboxes, there was also a three speed auto, the body was a two door hatchback design with a very low drag coefficient of only 0.37. In 1981 a five door version was on offer. The spare wheel is in with the engine, giving much needed space in the boot.
Apart from Renaults factory in Billancourt, the 5 was built in Spain at Valladolid, Mariara Venezuela, Tehran Iran, Sahagun Mexico and Nova Mesto Slovenia,
Two versions were launched in 1972 an L and a TL model, the TL being the better equipped of the two, both models had folding rear seats, grey plastic bumpers and wind up front windows, three ashtrays, one in the front and two in the back, the TL even had reclining front seats.
The next year the gear lever moved from the dashboard to a more normal place between the front seats, a heated rear window for the TL version.
In 1974 Renault went over the top, bringing out an LS5, it had an illuminated ashtray with cigar lighter, rev counter, two speed ventilation system no doubt needed with so many ashtrays and the fragrance of Gauloise cigarettes, electric screen washers, a carpeted rear parcel shelf and front floor carpets, Iodine headlights and new style wheels.
1975 saw the LS renamed the TS, which was identical to the LS though true to form Renault put in new front seats with head restraints, a rear wiper, a clock and illuminated heater controls and reversing lights, and the bumpers went from grey to black.
1976 came the GTL R5 with a 1289cc engine which gave a top speed of 94 mph. An even hotter version arrived of the 5 the Alpine with a 1397cc motor this was the business it had hemispherical combustion chambers, high compression ratio and a special 5 speed gearbox, one presumes that there was an equally impressive upgrade of the brakes and suspension.
Finally in 1982 came the ultimate the Alpine Turbo, which had a Garrett Turbo, new alloy wheels stiffer suspension and discs on all four wheels.
The speed of the various engines depended on the version but went from 75mph for the 845cc up to 115mph for the turbo, petrol consumption was never an issue as the 5 was recognized as being frugal in that department so many achieved 50 mpg, and even today’s cars are not really achieving a great deal more, when you think of the advanced technology being used, isn’t there an old saying “they don’t makem like that anymore”.
Naturally there was a sporting side to the 5, it competed in the Monte Carlo in 1977, there was also a rally version in 1978 for Group 4 racing, well it was called the Renault 5 Turbo but was in truth anything but, it was mid engined for a start, the engine being put behind the driver, the drive was rear wheel, it looked like a 5 however it is stated that only the door panels were the same as the normal version, do you know it seems car doors have a life of there own, remember the Austin Land Crab doors they went in so many other cars.
The second generation 5 came out in 1985, it again was not the same as the original version the body shell and platform were completely new they were based on the 9 and the 11, the styling was by Marcello Gandini. The engine was now transversely mounted and Macpherson strut suspension used, the economy version achieved 57.4 miles per gallon at 55 miles an hour, it would not really be a true classic as yet so apart from saying au revoir mon ami and merci, you didn’t know there was more talent to me.
Can’t resist telling you this, living in London driving can be quite boring due to the amount of traffic, however you could have fun boxing in some of the more aggressive drivers, on one such occasion I was doing a right turn and in my correct lane when I spotted a Renault 5 trying to turn right from the wrong lane, oh no you don’t so having my 3 litre Volvo I knew he would have a problem, he did I managed to keep the five boxed in for at least a mile or so, the speed we achieved, lets say if they were giving out points we would have used up our quota, well eventually my nerve went and away sped the 5, little did I know up to that point who was driving the 5, it had the registration of SM7, no lesser man than Sir Stirling Moss himself, I really should have said sorry, perhaps he will read our Club page, hope so.
TED LAY tedlay@gmail.com
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