Blue 1981 Renault R5 Turbo

A rare blue 1981 Renault R5 Turbo leaving the Motor4Toys Charity Car Show & Toy Drive at Los Angeles Pierce College. Based on the Renault 5, the R5 Turbo (also known as "Turbo 1") was a homologation special built for rally competition and is powered by a mid-mounted 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels. Despite the FIA Group 4 homologation requirement of only 400 units, 1,820 Series 1 (Turbo 1) cars were built due to high market demand.

Leave it to the French to turn a humble little hatchback into a rally monster. The transformation involved sacking the rear bench, stuffing a turbocharged engine in its place, beefing up the bodywork to accommodate the new layout and wider wheels, and topping everything off with flashy colors both inside and out. Needless to say, the car drives and looks nothing like a typical Renault 5. I've seen (and filmed) several R5 Turbos and Turbo 2s, almost all of which are red, black, or white, so this example certainly stands out in comparison. The blue points clearly to the car's French heritage, and the gold wheels are an excellent touch. This car shows just how much fun you can have with what began as an economical everyday car, and it undoubtedly had a huge impact on the ever-increasing popularity of the hot hatch segment.

Would you add this R5 Turbo to your garage? Leave a comment on YouTube and let me know!