1980 Renault 5 Turbo Group 4

We’ve featured a fair few rally cars available to purchase here on the pages of The Coolector but we might just have a new favourite in the shape of this visually vibrant and top performing 1980 Renault 5 Turbo Group 4 which is going under the hammer with RM Sotheby’s. Don’t expect this one to come cheap, however, just because it’s not a Porsche, Ferrari et al – it has a guide price of €350k-450k so you’re going to need decidedly deep pockets if you want to add it to your own car collection in 2022.

The 1980 Renault 5 Turbo Group 4 from RM Sotheby’s is the first-ever Renault 5 Turbo to be homologated for Group 4 racing and the only surviving ex-Works, Calberson-liveried Renault 5 Group 4, according to a report by marque historian, Gilles Vallerian – which is why the price tag for this one is so lofty. It was driven by Jean Ragnotti and Jean-Marc Andrié in the 1980 editions of the Tour de France Automobile and Tour de Corse and featured on the cover of the 1980/1981 L’Année Echappement, the long-running French motorsport annual. So, as you can see, it comes from good stock.

MIGHTY IMPRESSIVE MACHINE

This particular 5 Turbo was made by Renault at its Formula 1 department in Antony, France, and it was constructed at the same time as Alain Prost’s single-seater race car. This makes chassis number “B0000036” the solitary non-F1 entrant to have been built at this famed facility, with all other cars assembled at other Renault locations in Viry or Lyon. After the end of its competitive career, this landmark Renault was retained by the factory until it was sold at Chateau de Fontainebleau on 25 April 1989.

Eventually, this 1980 Renault 5 Turbo Group 4 became the property of Jean Sage (the former sporting director of Renault Sport from 1977 to 1985) and it’s a fine testament indeed that the boss was to personally own one of his previously overseen combatants. In 1997 it was purchased by its next owner who went on to keep the Renault for the next 17 years. Maintenance and servicing records on file from 2003 to 2016 total in excess of €50,000 expenditure. In 2014, the Renault was sold to the current owner, who displayed it at the prestigious Chantilly Arts & Elegance concours in 2016.

This immeasurably attractive Renault 5 Turbo provides an enviable opportunity to acquire an ex-Works Renault Sport vehicle that was driven by then lead driver, the great Jean Ragnotti in some of the most renowned rallies on French soil. According to historian Gilles Vallerian, this iconic Turbo retains its period-correct paint and stickers, alongside its factory-correct engine, gearbox and mechanical components. This spectacular 5 Turbo from RM Sotheby’s is not only an important part of Renault’s rich rally history it is also extremely eligible to venture into on the historic motorsport scene with its next owner if desired.

buy now | €350-450k