1981 Renault R5 Turbo 1 for sale

This hot hatch, a 1981 Renault R5 Turbo 1, delivers Rad-Era looks and impressive performance. The company built only 1820 Turbo 1 models from 1980 to 1986.

Renault designed the R5 primarily for rallying. Engineers removed the back seat and placed the 1397cc engine in the middle of the car. The powerplant features an aluminum head, with hemispherical combustion chambers. It produced 160 horsepower from the factory.

The seller says, “the engine delivers little power at the low end, but output grows shockingly as the turbo boost needle swings clockwise with neck-snapping surge of acceleration, the R5 Turbo is like riding a lit bottle rocket.” They further state, “The mid-engine R5 Turbo may be without equal given its 40/60 weight distribution, race-spec suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes.”

This recently restored example has 19,000 original miles from new.

Find this 1981 Renault R5 Turbo 1 for sale from Autosport Designs, with a price available upon request. Hagerty currently values examples in No. 2 condition at $153,000.