The R5 Turbo was always on my wish list. It may be hard to believe, but after almost 25 years in this job as a tester, there are only a few that I would like to drive one day. One of them is the Renault 5 Turbo, as a road or rally car, it doesn’t matter. Until now I hadn’t had that option.
But a few weeks ago, at Renault we were invited to the Magny-Cours French motorsport circuit to drive an R5 Turbo. I was elated… but when I read the invitation a second time, I saw that there was a “3E” behind the denominations. And I thought of last year in Paris, when Renault showed an electric concept car based on the R5 Turbo. My enthusiasm faded again… but I signed up for the appointment anyway.
Two electric motors deliver 380 hp
The day has come, and in France the weather is unbeatable. Meeting point: the smaller version of Magny-Cours, the Circuit Club. We run into the pit lane, I’m about to freak out! Five old R5 Turbos are lined up on the right side of the building’s wall.
I was like, “can I drive one?” Then an “Oui” from the lady from the press. Out of pure happiness I almost forgot the protagonist of the day. I drive nothing less than the R5 Turbo Coupe d’Europe Original by Jean Ragnotti, quite an experience.
But, now yes, here we have come to something else, and it is my turn. It’s time to get on the R5 Turbo 3E. There it is, lingering on the charging cable, the techs are busy on it. The engineers need a few more minutes, the test pilot Yvan Müller (French Touring Car Championship legend) puts on his flame retardant overalls, and it’s time to talk tech.
Two electric motors are mounted behind the rear axle, delivering 380 hp and 700 Nm to the 325 rear wheels. It wears 225 tires up front. Behind the rims are XXL disc brakes, operated without a servo, including a 50-degree head angle for easy drifting.
The lithium-ion battery installed in the flatbed has a capacity of 42 kWh. Weight? The car only weighs 980 kilos, but together with the battery it reaches 1,500.
Design
Visually there is a lot and, however, little to say. The body is modeled inch by inch inspired by its ancestor. Wide “jaw” and side air intakes, as before, all carbon, another 10 inches wider than previous models.
Inside, two carbon shell seats, an imposing handbrake lever, and a battalion of digital displays in front of the wheel. The car is already ready, and I quickly ask how fast it is. “3.5 and 200!”answers a mechanic.
Drift at the push of a button
Helmet on and inside the box, first as a passenger. Muller shows me how the electric r5 in a few turns. Even as a co-driver, the car feels amazingly agile.
The extreme hum of the engines puts you in a good mood, the curves are taken like a race sports car. On a long right, Muller presses a button on top of the handbrake lever, the R5 turns as if by magic on dry tarmac and is held at the chosen drift angle with the accelerator pedal.
Wait a minute: how do you press the button? The French have used a seemingly simple trick: how do you make a car slide? With water! So fluid is sprayed onto the rear wheels at the touch of a button, and that’s it. With a big smile we return to the pit lane, it’s time to change drivers.
Now I can do four laps behind the wheel. Muller sits next to me, he announces the curves to me, like in the old rallies. And the thing works, when you brake your calves hurt, the steering wheel is stiff, everything like in a racing car.
Momentum? well a Taycan TurboS It’s even more powerful, but the speed in the Renault is more than good.. Are we drifting in the dry? “Non, we drive onto the wet ground, s’il vous plaît,” Muller tells me.
Ok, two pylons have been installed in the irrigated area. “Rush up, pull the parking brake lever, and accelerate,” Muller tells me. Trust me, it’s as easy as it sounds. It’s wonderful how engines depend on gas and can be finely dosed. The speed increases, the proximity to the pylons gets closer every time…
I’m having a great time, but the engineers are waving their arms to get me back in the pits. It is not because they fear for me or for the car… They fear for autonomy. And it is that, for a moment, I had forgotten that I am in an electric car…
