Renault 5 Turbo 3E: a taste of the WRC?

This is the (good) surprise of this Friday, December 13 in the world of automobiles: Renault announced the series production of the Renault 5 Turbo 3E, which until now remained a concept car presented at the Mondial de l'Automobile in 2022. A real coup on the part of the Diamond, which will provide a successor to the legendary Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2 that made so many children and adults dream in the 1980s... and still today!

It's in the fourth and final episode of the documentary series Anatomy of a Comeback (available on Prime Video), offering an unprecedented immersion into the heart of the transformation of the Renault Group after a major crisis in early 2020, we discover the future Renault 5 Turbo 3E. Inspired by the show car presented at the 2022 Mondial de l'Auto, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E combines cutting-edge performance and a bold design that is totally respectful of the spirit of its ancestor.

A tribute to the R5 Turbo and Turbo 2, its retro-futuristic style is enriched with sporting references, notably its livery evoking the legendary versions rally from the 80s. Fully electric, it incorporates modern elements such as a charging socket cleverly hidden in a rear scoop. Its carbon structure ensures lightness and rigidity, essential for an exceptional sports car. With a propulsion with two electric motors housed in the rear wheels, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E develops more than 500 horsepower, offering 0 to 100 km/h in 3 seconds with certainly a sweet smell of burnt rubber!

In 2022, De Meo "dreamed" to enter the Renault 5 in the WRC

If the announcement of the series production of the R5 Turbo 3E is a surprise, beyond its look and the promised performances, it is because it will be marketed under the Renault brand, and not Alpine. However, the A arrow is supposed to be the sports range of the Renault Group, while the Diamond killed off its Renault Sport brand a few years ago precisely to make room for Alpine. A surprising choice that raises questions: could there be an even bigger project than the “simple” Renault 5 Turbo 3E in the pipeline for the Renault Group?

Coincidence of the calendar – or not – the WRC presented on Wednesday the new guidelines of the 2027 regulation. The future Rally1s will be less expensive (around 350 euros per car), with a common safety cell but above all, with a diversification of engines. If the initial objective is for competitors to use sustainably powered internal combustion engines in 000, a diversification including hybrid systems or fully electric technologies could be introduced at a later stage.

That's good: in October 2022, Luca de Meo had confided that he dreamed of entering the Renault 5 in the WRC ! "We have almost found the technical solutions to make it happen, we just need to find the space in the budget, explained the CEO of the Renault Group at the 2022 Paris Motor Show. But if business does better than expected, maybe we could afford to expand it? This would be perfect to make it the top of the range from Renault. The dream is to fight for a World Rally Championship (WRC), but the FIA ​​should review the regulations to allow pure electric vehicles. »

With the regulations now revised, will the Diamond take the plunge? As a reminder, the Renault Group is already involved in most of the major championships: in Formula 1 and WEC with Alpine, but also in W2RC with Dacia. If the R5 Turbo 3E arrives in WRC in the future, Renault would then be present on all levels!

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Renault 5Turbo 3E

(Photos: Renault)

With Gautier Calmels

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