1982 Renault 5 Turbo Group 4

• For 1982, Renault introduced their Renault Turbo 5 Group 4 Rally car. 270 bhp, 1,397cc, turbocharged inline four-cylinder with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, five-speed manual box, rear-wheel-drive, independent front and rear suspension with anti-roll bars, and four-wheel disc brakes
• Supplied to and prepared by Renault Chartres with some support from the factory
• 1982 French Rally Championship winning car and 5-time rally winner from 1982 to 1984
• 4th Overall and 1st two-wheel-drive car at the 1984 Rallye Monte-Carlo
• Driven by rally legends Jean-Luc Therier and Jean Ragnotti
• Recommissioned in 2016 by model specialists 3S. Finished in its 1984 Monte Carlo Team Diac livery
• It joined our vendor's amazing collection of significant competition cars in 2016
• Supplied with its previous FIA paperwork, the Certificat d'Immatriculation and it is now UK-registered

Jean-Luc Therier, the renowned French rally driver, would compete in a total of 46 World Rally Championship events, earning five overall wins, 10 podium finishes, and 61 stage victories. During the 1973 World Rally Championship, he was the highest-scoring driver, though, at the time, no overall drivers' title was awarded, but his Alpine-Renault team did earn the championship. During his career, he would race an Alpine-Renault A110 1800, a Renault 17 Gordini, a Porsche 911 SC, as well as this 1982 Renault 5 Turbo. He participated in the Monte Carlo Rally 13 times between 1969 and 1984, with second place in 1971 as the best result. His career lasted until early 1985 when he suffered severe injuries while participating in the 1985 Paris to Dakar rally and sadly passed away on July 31, 2019, at the age of 73.

For 1982, Renault introduced their Renault Turbo 5 Group 4 Rally car and it turned out to be an absolute firecracker. It wasn't a 'homologation special' based on a warmed-through production car but a totally focussed little racer featuring a 270 bhp, 1,397 cc, turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, five-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel-drive, independent front and rear suspension with anti-roll bars, and four-wheel disc brakes.

This R5 (Chassis B0000454) was delivered new in 1982 to Renault's dealership in Chartres, who were immediately keen to enter events with it. Renault themselves were totally focussed on their efforts to win the Formula 1 World Championship and had no capacity for anything else, however, they did offer technical, design and parts support to Renault Chartres so this was as close as any R5 came to being a true Works rally car! Luckily the team at Chartres were able to secure the services of famed rally driver Jean-Luc Therier to pilot the R5 and he recruited the very capable Michel Vial as his co-driver.

They entered the 1982 French Rally Championship with the first event being the Criterium de Touraine in early March. In May, Therier and Vial competed in the Tour de Corse, and in April, they took overall victory in the Criterium Alpin de Grasse. The season continued with a 2nd place finish at the Rallye du Mont-Blanc followed by further overall victories at the 1000 Pistes and Terre de Biarritz events.

In September, the pair entered the most gruelling event of the year, the Tour de France Automobile. Held over 3,140 kilometres, 540 of which were competitive stages with 84 crews starting and only 38 finishing. Regardless, the all-French team was not intimidated and finished a sensational 2nd overall, helping to seal the 1982 French Rally Championship. The season ended well with a 4th and 2nd place finish at the final two events, thus cementing their championship win.

For the 1983 season, Therier would enter three events in the R5: the 1000 Pistes, d'Antibes, and Varand the season highlight was an overall victory at the Rallye d'Antibes. The following year was to be another successful season for Renault Chartres and Therier. They entered this two-wheel-drive Renault 5 Turbo in the Rallye Monte-Carlo held in January. The event comprised 30 stages held over 722 kilometres, though unpredictable weather led to the cancellation of two stages due to blizzard conditions. At the start, there were 209 crews, of which 120 qualified as finishers, and only 75 managed to complete the full route, highlighting how demanding the Monte Carlo event really was. Ultimately, Therier and Vial finished a respectable 4th overall, though most impressive was that they were the first two-wheel drive car to complete the demanding rally.

The next event was the 1984 Rallye Terre de Provence, which was held in May. This time, Therier stepped aside to allow Jean Ragnotti to drive. Ragnotti is well regarded as having truly mastered the Renault 5 Turbo, including victories in the 1981 Rallye Monte-Carlo along with winning the 1982 and 1985 Tour de Corse events. At the Rallye Terre de Provence, Ragnotti finished 2nd overall; however, he followed that up with a victory at the Rallye de Mont-Blanc in September. After the 1984 season, the Renault was entered in one more competitive rally, the Criterium de Touraine in 1985, this time driven by Bernard Levallois to a 3rd overall finish.

Chassis B0000454 was next spotted in Guadeloupe, where it was owned and frequently rallied by Max Berville, an accomplished amateur driver. It was subsequently located by a famous rally car dealer and returned to France in1999 where it joined a significant rally collection and whilst in that ownership, it was restored to the current condition. Subsequently used briefly in some historic events, including the 2012 Tour de Corse Historique, where it finished 4th overall.

Since that time, it has remained within a private collection and for a period of time was displayed at the Automobile Museum of Monte Carlo. The car was lightly recommissioned in early 2016 by noted model specialists, 3S, with very little mileage since, and is appropriately presented in its 1984 Monte Carlo 'Team Diac' livery.

Having been rallied by some of the sport's most successful and compelling drivers, with highly respectable results, this 5 Turbo is one of Renault's most historically significant competition vehicles. Pictures and information on this car feature in every important Renault 5 Turbo publication including a write-up and whole page picture in the English-language book by Peter Meaney