84 Renault 5 Turbo - Motorsports Almanac

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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
Page 1: Renault 5 Turbo 'Tour de Corse' FIA

84 Renault 5 Turbo - Motorsports Almanac

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