Renault 5
The Renault 5 is a supermini car produced by the French manufacturer Renault from 1972 to 1996 over two generations. It is a hatchback with either three or five doors and seating for five passengers. The first generation, which was made from 1972 to 1985, has a front mid-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. The second generation, which was produced from 1984 to 1996, has a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout.
The R5 was marketed in the United States and Canada as Le Car, from 1976 until 1983. Renault marketed a four-door saloon car variant, the Renault 7, manufactured from 1974 until 1984 in Spain by Renault's subsidiary FASA-Renault and exported to select markets.
The Renault 5 became the best-selling car in France from 1972 until 1986, with a total production exceeding 5.5 million over 14 years, making it France's most popular car.
First generation (1972–1985)
The first images and details of the Renault 5 were published on 10 December 1971, and the car's formal launch followed on 28 January 1972.The Renault 5 was styled by Michel Boué, who designed the car in his spare time, outside of his regular duties. When Renault executives learned of Boué's work, they were so impressed by his concept that they immediately authorized a formal development program. The R5 featured a steeply sloping rear hatchback. Boué had wanted the tail-lights to go all the way up from the bumper into the C-pillar, in the fashion of the much later Fiat Punto and Volvo 850 estate, but the lights remained at a more conventional level.
It was launched onto the right-hand drive U.K. market in the autumn of 1972, where alongside the recently launched Fiat 127 it competed as an imported but more modern alternative to British Leyland's Mini and Chrysler Europe's Hillman Imp — and without competitors from Ford or Vauxhall.
The Renault 5 narrowly missed out on the 1973 European Car of the Year award, which was instead given to the Audi 80.
Boué died of cancer at the end of 1972, just a few months after the car he designed was launched.
The R5 borrowed mechanicals from the successful Renault 4, using a longitudinally-mounted engine driving the front wheels with torsion bar suspension. OHV engines were the same as the Renault 4 and larger Renault 8. At the car's launch, the 782 cc and 956 cc versions were available depending on the model level. A "5TS/5LS" with the 1,289 cc engine from the Renault 12 was added from April 1974. As on the Renault 4, entry-level Renault 5s had their engine sizes increased to 845 cc in 1976, and at the top of the range, later models included the 1,397 cc version.
It was one of the first modern superminis, which capitalized on the new hatchback layout which Renault had pioneered on its 1961 Renault 4, and had expanded to its mid-range Renault 16 of 1965. The R5 was launched a year after the Datsun 100A arrived in the UK; and after the initial, booted fastback version of the Fiat 127. However, the R5 was launched three years before the Volkswagen Polo and Vauxhall Chevette, and four years before the Ford Fiesta – new superminis which met the growing demand for this type of car in Western Europe. British Leyland was working on a new modern supermini during the 1970s, but the end product - the Austin Metro - was not launched until 1980. It was also introduced six months before the Honda Civic, which appeared later in July 1972, and one year before the Toyota Starlet.
Sales in Japan began in 1976, when both the two-door and four-door were available at Capital Car Dealerships. It was called the "Renault Go" because that is the Japanese word for "five". While initially sold with North American spec emissions equipment, it was changed to a French emissions package. The car was initially sold as left-hand drive, then upgraded to right-hand drive.
Although the mechanical components came from earlier models, body construction involved floor sections welded together with the other body panels, resulting in a monocoque structure. The approach had by then become mainstream among many European automakers, but represented an advance on the mechanically similar Renault 4 and Renault 6, both of which used a separate platform. The monocoque structure reduced the car's weight, but required investment in new production processes.
The Renault 5 was targeted at cost-conscious customers, and the entry-level "L" version included the same 782 cc engine as the Renault 4 and drum brakes on all four wheels. In 1972, it was priced in France at below 10,000 francs. However, for many export markets, the entry-level version was excluded from the range, and front-wheel disc brakes were offered on the more powerful 956 cc "Renault 5TL" along with features as an alternator and reclining backrests for the front seats. From outside, the "TL" was differentiated from the "L" by a thin chrome strip below the doors.
The early production R5 used a dashboard-mounted gearshift like the Renault 4. It was linked by a rod that ran over the top of the engine to a single bend where the rod turned downwards into the gearbox, which was positioned directly in front of the engine. A floor-mounted lever employing a cable linkage replaced this arrangement in 1973. An automatic version, with the larger 1,289 cc engine, was added in early 1978. At the time, automatic cars usually represented just under five percent of the Renault 5 production. Door handles were formed by a cut-out in the door panel and B-pillar. The R5 was one of the first cars produced with plastic bumpers, which came from a specialist Renault factory at Dreux. These covered a larger area of potential contact than conventional car bumpers of the time and survived low-speed parking shunts without permanently distorting. This helped the car gain a reputation as an "outstanding city car," and bumpers of this type subsequently became an industry standard.
The R5's engine was set well back in the engine bay behind the gearbox. The passenger compartment "is remarkably spacious" compared to other modern, small European cars. The Renault 5 body's drag coefficient was only 0.37.
Other versions of the first generation included the four-door saloon version called the Renault 7 built by FASA-Renault of Spain, where virtually all examples were sold. A five-door R5 was added to the range in 1979, making it one of the first cars of its size to feature four passenger doors. The three-speed automatic transmission model, which received equipment similar to the R5 GTL, but with a 1,289 cc engine rated at, a vinyl roof, and the TS' front seats, and also became available with five-door bodywork. In March 1981, the automatic received the 1.4 L engine that increased performance and fuel economy.
Renault 5 Alpine / Gordini / Copa
The Renault 5 Alpine was one of the first 'hot hatches' launched in 1976 – two months before the original Volkswagen Golf GTi. The right-hand drive 5 Alpine was shown at the British Motor Show in 1978, with sales from 4 April 1979 in the U.K. – but as the Renault 5 Gordini, because Chrysler Europe already had the rights to the name "Alpine" in the U.K. They had just used it on the Chrysler Alpine, the U.K. badged RHD Simca 1307, introduced at that time. It was months before the 1976 VW Golf GTi right-hand drive, which took Volkswagen three years to convert to RHD.Use of the name Gordini came from Amédée Gordini, a French car tuner with links with Renault and previous sporting models, such as the Renault 8. Those cars and the Alpine Turbo models were assembled at Alpine's Dieppe factory beginning in 1975. The U.K. launch price was £4,149 – nearly a third more than the previous top model, the 5 TS, at £3,187 – showing the considerable changes to the car, over the 5 TS, which could not reach, compared to the Gordini, which could reach.
The 1.4 L OHV engine, mated to a five-speed gearbox, was based on the Renault "Sierra" pushrod engine, but having a crossflow cylinder head with hemispherical combustion chambers and developed, twice as much as a standard 1.1 L Renault 5. The larger engine and its various performance parts meant that the spare wheel could no longer fit there and was relocated to the boot. The Alpine could be identified by special alloy wheels and front fog lights and was equipped with stiffened suspension, but still retaining the torsion bar at the rear with added anti-roll bars. Renault quoted a top speed of and tested in the July 1979 issue of UK magazine Car, it achieved a top speed of and 0-60 mph in 9.7 seconds. The UK car magazine Motor road test figures quoted top speed of and 0-60 mph in 9.7 seconds.
Renault 5 Alpine Turbo/Gordini Turbo/Copa Turbo
The Renault 5 Alpine Turbo was launched in 1982 as an upgraded successor to the naturally aspirated Alpine. In Britain, the car was still called Gordini rather than Alpine. Motor magazine undertook a road test of the Turbo in 1982 and while they appreciated the performance, they were critical of its high price as it was £2 more than the larger Ford Escort XR3.The 1.4 L engine in the Alpine/Gordini Turbo had a single Garrett T3 turbocharger, increasing the power output to. Sales continued until 1984 when the second generation Renault 5 was launched, and the release of the Renault 5 GT Turbo in 1985.
Renault 5 Turbo
The Renault 5 Turbo should not be confused with the Alpine Turbo or GT Turbo as it was radically modified by mounting a turbocharged engine behind the driver in what is usually the passenger compartment, creating a mid-engined rally car. It was also driven by the rear wheels rather than the front wheels. The Renault 5 Turbo was made in many guises, eventually culminating with the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo. With 8-valves, the 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-four Cléon-Fonte engine produced at 6000 rpm and maximum torque of at 3250 rpm.Renault Le Car
Renault had about 250 dealerships in the United States. The North American Renault 5 debuted in 1976, but sales were disappointing, and many cars remained on dealer lots. Renault's response was to change advertising agencies and rebrand the vehicle for the following year as "Le Car." The new marketing campaign stressed the car's sporty character and successful European competition history.Renault formed an alliance in January 1979, allowing Renault cars to be sold and serviced by American Motors Corporation dealers. The automaker marketed it through its 1,300 dealers, where it competed in the United States against such front-wheel-drive subcompacts as the Honda Civic and Volkswagen Rabbit. It was described as a "French Rabbit" that "is low on style, but high on personality and practicality".
American Motors' ad agency launched the car in the U.S. with a marketing campaign emphasizing that it was Europe's best-selling automobile with millions of satisfied owners. It did not achieve such immediate success in the United States market, even though the Le Car was praised in road tests comparing "super-economy" cars for its interior room and smooth ride, with an economical as well as its smooth-running engine. Advertisements also focused on the Le Car's standard features and low base price, actually comparing it to the imported Ford Fiesta, Honda Civic, and VW Rabbit.
The U.S. version featured a 1289 cc inline-four engine rated at. In 1977, it dominated the Sports Car Club of America "Showroom Stock Class C" class. Ever tightening emissions legislation meant that power was down to by 1980.
The Le Car was offered in three-door hatchback form only from 1976 until 1980. For the 1980 model year, the front end was updated to include a redesigned bumper, grille, and rectangular headlights. A five-door hatchback body style was added in the 1981 model year. Sales increased each year, from 6,800 in 1976 to 37,000 in 1982. Although the Le Car did not see popularity in the U.S., it sold reasonably well in Canada. Imports from France continued through 1983, when the car was replaced by the Kenosha, Wisconsin—built Renault 11-based Renault Alliance. Sales in Canada continued until 1986, two years after the second generation Renault 5 had replaced it in the European market. Despite the 'Le Car' brand being created specifically for the North American market, Renault later applied the name to special edition versions of the Renault 5 in Europe from 1979 onward.
The Le Car was used as a law enforcement vehicle. The La Conner, Washington, police department acquired three of the vehicles for its fleet in the late-1970s. Because they were early adopters, Renault advertised Le Car's versatility in a full-page ad illustrating its use by the department. The chief of police, Russ Anderson, was quoted "Gas is killing us. With Le Car, we were able to decrease our budget and increase our mobility." Another small town, Ogunquit, Maine, used five Renault 5s as their police cars in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Heuliez built and sold van conversions as Le Car Van. The rear side panels were replaced with plastic panels incorporating a round porthole window and a new liftgate featuring a smaller window. The interior was red velour. It was available both in two- and four-seat versions. Between 1979 and 1983, about 450 Le Car Vans were built.
U.S. Electricar, based in Athol, Massachusetts, performed electric vehicle conversions on the Renault Le Car, installing sixteen six-volt lead-acid batteries, providing a modest range of. In 1978, the converted cars were rebranded "Lectric Leopard" and marketed to government agencies.