84 Renault 5 Turbo - Motorsports Almanac

Renault 5 Turbo 'Tour de Corse' FIA Group B-car
Jean Ragnotti on the 1984 Rally of Portugal
Technical Specifications (1983/84)
The Renault 5 Turbo car was introduced
to the general public at the 1978 Paris
Motor Show. Visitors were immediately
won over by its compact, dynamic look,
strapping wings, and unusual interior
treatment. But the Renault 5 Turbo was
anything but a showroom car. When it
went on sale in July 1980, the Renault 5
Turbo was the first French car to be
equipped with a turbocharger. Drawing
on both competition and road car
technology, it embodied everything the
engineers had learned from motor sport.
With an output of 160bhp from only
1397cc, the Renault 5 Turbo produced
some astonishing figures. It made its
racing début in the Tour of Italy in 1979.
Next came the 1980 Tour of Corsica,
where the car, skilfully driven by Jean
Ragnotti, would have been hard to beat
but for a mechanical fault. Its first victory
came at the Monte Carlo rally in 1981 -
only its fourth race.
HOMOLOGATION
Début : 1978 Paris Salon
FIA race début : 1980 Tour de Corse
First win : 1981 Monte Carlo Rally
Production start : May 20, 1980, at the Alpine plant in Dieppe, France
Production period : 1980-1982 (Renault 5 Turbo)
1983-1986 (Renault 5 Turbo 2)
Special versions : 1982 ’Cevennes’ with 200PS
1983 ’Tour de Corse’ with 240PS
1985 ’Maxi Turbo’ with 350PS
CHASSIS / BODY
Type : Renault 5 sheet steel monocoque with an aluminium roof, aluminium doors and
rear hatch.
Body : Front and rear wings, front compartment cover, front and rear bumpers, rear wheel
arch extensions and sill panels in GFP Polyester. Polyurethane foam roof gutter
surrounds (rigid) and spoiler mounted to rear hatch upper beam.
ENGINE
Model : Renault 840-30 turbo
Type : 4-cylinder, in-line, OHV side-mounted chain-driven camshaft, 2VPC, 5 main
crankshaft bearings, hemispherical combustion chambers.
Preparation : Renault Sport
Capacity : 1397cc
Bore x Stroke : 76.00 x 77. 00 mm
Max Power : 300 PS @ 7000 rpm
Max Torque : 329 Nm @ 5000 rpm
Compression ratio : 7:1
Ignition : Marelli electronic ignition.
Fuel System : Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical.
Turbo : Garrett T3, air/coolant intercooler.
Boost control : Airflow control valve installed upstream of compressor, boost pressure control
provided by double-function capsule taking account of information upstream and
downstream of the compressor, and operating via a "wastegate" blow-off valve.
Max boost : 0.86 bar

Cooling System : Pressurised cooling system with aluminium radiator.
Materials : Cast iron block, light alloy head.
TRANSMISSION
Layout : Rear wheel drive, mid-engine installed ahead of the rear axle. Tripod CVJs, ø 82
mm driveshafts.
Gearbox : 5-speed Renault 369 (derived from Renault 30 TX), all synchromesh, manual shift,
aluminium alloy casing, with cooling via radiator and electric pump.
Ratio : I : 3,364: 1 (37/11)
II : 2,059: 1 (35/17)
III : 1,381: 1 (29/21)
IV : 1,057: 1 (37/35)
V : 0,868: 1 (33/38)
R : 3,182: 1 (35/11)
Final drive : Ratio: 3,889: 1 (35/9) 9 x 35 8 x 35, 9 x 31
Clutch : MFZ 190 single dry-plate
SUSPENSION
Front : Double wheel-locating wishbones - load supporting lower wishbone, longitudinal
torsion bars. Shock-dampers, 21mm anti-roll bar.
Rear : Double wheel-locating wishbones, coil-over-dampers , 23mm anti-roll bar
BRAKES
Front and rear : 260 mm vented discs, ø 54 mm DBA series IV single-pot calipers
WHEELS
Front : 135 x 340 mm (TRX type)
Rear : 195 x 365 mm (TRX type)
TYRES
Front : 190/55HR340 Michelin TRX
Rear : 220/55VR365 Michelin TRX
STEERING
Type : Rack-and-pinion, 330 mm steering wheel, 3.2 turns end-to-end.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Battery : 12V 250/50 Ah.
Alternator output: 50 A. Integral regulator.
DIMENSIONS
Length : 3.66m
Width : 1.74m
Height : 1.32
Turning circle, kerbs : 10.40 m
Turning circle, walls : 10.90 m
Kerb weight : 930kg
Fuel tank : 93 litres
PERFORMANCE
Top Speed: 170-250kph depending on gearing
Acceleration: 0-400m : 15.0sec
RENAULT 5 TURBO HISTORY
In 1972 Renault adopted the turbocharged engine in motor sport, an invention patented 70 years earlier by its
founder. After wins in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Monte-Carlo Rally and numerous Formula 1 Grands Prix, the
turbo was adapted for production models. On December 17, 1902 the French patents office registered an
application for a patent lodged by Louis Renault. The invention in question was "intended to increase the
intake pressure of gas into cylinders of internal combustion engines [to] increase [...] the quantity of gas
admitted into the cylinder on each aspiration. This quantity of gas being greater, compression will be higher,
the effect of combustion greater and there will therefore be an increase in engine power." To obtain this result,
Louis Renault installed "a fan or a small compressor on the tube carrying the combustible gases to the engine",
the intake manifold of which was linked to the carburettor. The principle of supercharging by
turbocompression was born. It was used in aviation and on Renault railway diesels until the 1960s, before
coming back again ten years later, this time in the car. In Formula 3, Renault Alpines fitted with the 1600 cc
Renault 16 engine were racing against higher-capacity engines. The idea of turbocompression emerged as the
only way of increasing power without increasing engine capacity: the compressor could be driven by energy
from the exhaust gas as opposed to engine-generated mechanical energy. Difficult beginnings Although the
principle was simple enough, installing a turbocharger on a petrol engine required high-performance materials
that could withstand pressure and delicate adjustments to be performed that the F3 engineers had neither the
time nor the means to carry out. A talented engine mechanic by the name of Bernard Dudot (now technical
director of Renault Sport) "souped up" an Alpine Berlinette with a supercharger which increased its power by
nearly 30% (giving it very nearly 200 bhp!), but still qualified it for the starting grid of the 1972 Civennes
criterium. It pulled off a completely unexpected victory, due as much to the talent of its driver, Jean-Luc

Thirier, as to its engine. As there was a 2 to 3 second delay between accelerator movement and response (with
the same phenomenon on slowing down), acceleration and braking had to practically be reversed! Jean
Terramorsi, then head of Renault Gordini, nonetheless believed that Renault had the technology in its grasp
that would one day allow them to beat Porsche in the Le Mans 24-hour race. He convinced new CEO Bernard
Vernier-Palliez of the feasibility of adapting a turbocharger for the V6 2.0 L racing engine. First time out, in
March 1975, the Alpine A 441 driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille outclassed both Porsche and Alfa Romeo at
Mugello. A master-stroke, indeed, but still an experimental one. In 1977, the three Alpine Renaults in the Le
Mans race fell victim to "the Hunaudieres syndrome", a burnt-out piston at the end of the famous straight.
Engineers worked all year long at improving the endurance of the engine, testing it on American circuits with
their long straights, which are almost as long as the Hunaudieres. They then moved it to a new test bench,
delivered only a few months before the race, where they could simulate the Le Mans track as many times as
they wished. 1978, a golden year Finally, on June 12, 1978 Jaussaud and Pironi overtook the two Porsche 936s
to cross the finishing line, with an average speed of 201 kph. This win resolved Renault to pursue its Formula 1
racing venture, begun the year before. Jean Terramorsi, however, cherished a different dream: that of adapting
a turbocharger on a Renault 5 to compete in international rallies. But it was after his death, the year of the Le
Mans victory, that the first prototype rolled out, with a 1,397 cc engine, a derivative of the unbreakable "Clion
fonte". The same year, the first production Renault 18 Turbos rolled off the lines. In 1981, overthe snowy
heights of the Monte-Carlo rally, Jean Ragnotti made his mark in the Renault 5 Turbo. Four years later, it was
the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo, benefiting from numerous innovations developed for Formula One, that won the
French superproduction championship.
RENAULT 5 TURBO - DESCRIPTION
A wizard at rallies and a virtuoso on the racetrack, the Renault 5 Turbo is still an exceptional vehicle more than
20 years after it was first produced. This thoroughbred had a thrusting, athletic look and was the first French
car running on petrol to be fitted with a turbocharger. Glowing references that gave it direct access to the
world of legendary cars. Maxi 5 Turbo An idea... and the will to make it work : As well as the convincing
result of a technical demonstration, the Renault 5 Turbo was the culmination of a tale of extraordinary human
endeavour. It was the brainchild of Jean Terramorsi, deputy director of the Product Planning Department who
was in charge of small-scale production models, and his assistant Henry Lherm in 1976. They wanted to bring
out a more powerful version of the best-selling Renault 5, which was then being produced at a rate of 2,400
units per day, by fitting it with a turbocharger. Dubbed project number 822, the assignment would take four
years to complete. Senior management gave the go-ahead because they believed it was important to come up
with a successor to the Renault 8 Gordini and the Alpine Berlinette. The specifications : Jean Terramorsi died
later in 1976 but his project lived on. The Renault Sport engineers got down to the task of designing the turbo
engine, while styling was entrusted to the Renault Alpine company. The specifications were extremely
detailed. They stated that the Renault 5 Turbo must be "a powerful, easy-to-drive vehicle with excellent
roadholding, capable of shining on the racing circuits with only a small number of alterations". Other
requirements included a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine, five-speed gearbox, maximum weight of 950kg,
substantial comfort, good soundproofing and an overall appearance similar to that of the Renault 5. It was also
quite a challenge to design a racing car on which a roadgoing model aimed at the general public would be
based. That was another first. March 9, 1978 : late at night, as about 20 people gathered at a racetrack near
Arques-la-Bataille, not far from Dieppe, a growl was heard. It came from the first prototype of the Renault 5
Turbo, which immediately got off to a good start. Among the group were Gerard Larrousse, head of Renault
Sport, and Michel Tétu, an excellent all-round engineer who provided the technical input for the Renault 5
Turbo. Further tests and adjustments were carried out. Aluminium put in an appearance on the doors and
tailgate, and the Garrett company was selected to supply the turbo. Unveiling in Paris and on to victory : The
new car was introduced to the general public at the 1978 Paris Motor Show. Visitors were immediately won
over by its compact, dynamic look, strapping wings, and unusual interior treatment. But the Renault 5 Turbo
was anything but a showroom car. It was happier eating up the miles on the open road or getting to grips with
the rally circuits. It made its racing début in the Tour of Italy in 1979. Next came the 1980 Tour of Corsica,
where the car, skilfully driven by Jean Ragnotti, would have been hard to beat but for a mechanical fault. Its
first victory came at the Monte Carlo rally in 1981 - only its fourth race. Monaco, May 1982: Renault 5 Turbo
Cup An astonishing winning machine : The following season saw Ragnotti's car win the Tour of Corsica.
Even so, Renault's absolute priority was its commitment to Formule 1, which meant the R5 Turbo did not take
part in the world championship. Nonetheless, a lightweight, independent body was set up to continue the
adventure and run national championships for the various subsidiaries. A Racing Customers Department was
opened to sell more than 350 racing cars to professional or amateur drivers, offering a choice of five different
models. Between 1981 and 1986 the R5 Turbo added to its list of international wins. The drivers who took it to
victory were little known at the time but were soon to make names for themselves. They included Carlos Sainz,
Didier Auriol, Bruno Saby, Francois Chatriot and Dany Snobeck. From racing to current production : The
assembly line for the Renault 5 Turbo, which provided a link between racing cars and roadgoing models, went
into production at the Alpine plant in Dieppe on May 20, 1980. A total of 802 units, available in red or blue,
were made that year, 536 the next year and 352 the year after that. The European Cup : On April 5, 1981, the
Renault 5 Turbo Cup was launched on the Hockenheim circuit in Germany. The first season covered 12 races
on the leading European circuits, starting with Formula 1 Grands Prix and the Le Mans 24-hour race. All these

events helped to further establish the fame of the car that won hearts and raised dust all over Europe. They
also confirmed that its founding fathers were right to have made a commitment to an exceptional human and
technological adventure.
PRODUCTION SUMMARY
Numbers built : 1980 : 804 (Renault 5 Turbo)
1981 : 571 (Renault 5 Turbo)
1982 : 445 (Renault 5 Turbo)
1983 : 1345 (Renault 5 Turbo 2)
1984 : 1497 (Renault 5 Turbo 2)
1985 : 182 (Renault 5 Turbo 2)
1986 : 143 (Renault 5 Turbo 2)
Total : 4987 cars
COMPETITION HISTORY – RENAULT 5 TURBO
Year Driver Championship Other info
1980 Jean Ragnotti French Rally Champion -
1981 Jean Ragnotti Winner Monte Carlo Rally -
Bruno Saby French Rally Champion -
1982 Jean Ragnotti Winner Tour de Corse -
Jean-Luc Thérier French Rally Champion -
1983 Various Spanish and Greek National Champions Total 70 wins in 1983.
1984 Jean Ragnotti French Rally Champion -
1985 Jean Ragnotti Winner Tour de Corse -
IMAGE GALLERY
Jean Ragnotti on the ’83 Tour de Corse driving a Renault 5 Turbo 2 ‘Tour de Corse’
Lars-Erik Walfridsson on the ’82 Swedish Rally Dany Snobeck on the 1985 Monte Carlo Rally
SOURCES
http://www.renault.com/gb/passion/culte_p4.htm
http://www.retdmag.renault.com/en/htm/biblio/savoir/article.cfm?ArtIdx=607&FromPage=theme
© Compilation by Rainer Nyberg 2002-06-29 / 2003-04-14 Fact-sheet 03/050