1987 Renault 5 GT Turbo

During the mid-1980s the tenacious little Renault 5 GT Turbo was utilised for racing for with great effect. They raced in the Renault-supported "Renault 5 Elf Turbo UK Cup" championship until 1990/91. The cars were largely based on the road-going versions but were stripped, mildly tuned and had a few modifications especially for racing including brake ducts, a different boost pipe and engine mounts, a roll-cage cage and strut brace. From 1991, the Clio 16v took over as the flagship one-make, running with the BTCC. After this time, the Renault 5s completed in their own one-make championship in the early 1990s, then in the 'Super Coupé Cup". This was a championship that ran from the mid-1990s to 2003 and catered for many one-make championships that no longer had manufacturer support.

The car presented here has been known to Renault motorsport specialist Mark Fish and his team for a long time and back in 2000/2001 they meticulously built the car up with the intention for it to compete in the "SCC". The build utilised a clean donor 1987 shell with all the correct modifications and many genuine parts to make it competitive, however, its only competitive outing was in the Renault 5 Anniversary Race at Thruxton in 2004 where it qualified on pole position and finished second.

Since 2004, Mark Fish Motorsport have looked after the car for a customer who used it for track-days. At this time the car was bright red and in 2009 was the subject of a magazine article in "Performance French Cars" (see photos). Some years later, the owner saw some photographs of the "Harlow Sheet Metal" sponsored cars that Mark Fish raced so successfully in the Renault 5 Elf Turbo UK Cup championship and decided he would really like a replica. He commissioned Mark Fish to do a full nut & bolt rebuild and faithfully recreate the car that would have run in the official manufacturer-supported races. The car was built to the regulations of the Cup, with performance in line with Renault"s specifications for the championship, being completed in 2014. Since then, the car has only been used once and is presented to very high standard, both mechanically and cosmetically.

The car in its current guise uses many original parts from the period, with the engine benefiting from a raft of new components. It is a fully rebuilt, blueprinted unit producing 150 bhp at the flywheel, with 14.5PSI boost, a separate 13-row strapped inter-cooler and a competition air-filter. Like the race cars, there is also a baffled sump, uprated engine mountings, an oil cooler and thermostat. The suspension set-up uses Koni Sport adjustable dampers. The exhaust system is straight-through with side exits whilst the race-spec brakes benefit from front bumper ducts. The car sits on original steel wheels specified for the Cup championship and is complete with a full spare set (10 original wheels – 6 x Michelin slicks & 4 x Dunlop wets)

This restored racing example was prepared with track-days in mind and has two new Corbeau seats with full harnesses. The attention to detail is evident, with the car even displaying the original and highly sought-after "Coupé" badge on the rear.

With the remaining Renault 5 GT Turbo road cars now appreciating in price, this is an opportunity to acquire an even rarer commodity – a fine example of one of the most iconic hot hatches from the 1980s and a throwback to a golden era of the national racing scene. What with Mark Fish"s long association with this car and his wealth of Renault knowledge - during the 1990s his team won seven Renault 5 championships in a row – it really should inspire confidence in what is a great car offering all the flavour and excitement of an in-period race-car but at a very reasonable price.