Renault To Relaunch Iconic 5 Turbo As High Performance EV

Renault To Relaunch Iconic 5 Turbo As High Performance EV

Renault has announced the return of the iconic Renault 5 Turbo in all-electric form, promising ‘performance worthy of a supercar’ from the new hot hatch.

The original version of the 5 Turbo was introduced in the early 1980s as a homologation special in order to allow Renault to enter the car into the World Rally Championship – where it won on its first outing in Monte Carlo in the hands of Frenchman Jean Ragnotti.

The Turbo featured a raft of changes from the standard Renault 5, most notably the move to a mid-engine, rear-wheel driver layout compared the front-engine, front-wheel drive layout of the standard road car.

Revised suspension and a new gearbox were also a feature of a car that at the time, was the most powerful French production car available.

A second version of the car – the Turbo 2 – was then launched after the homologation specials had been sold, which featured a series of more standard parts but still provided high levels of performance.

Widely regarded as one of the most iconic cars of the 1980s, the original Renault 5 Turbo now change hands for a six figure sum with the modern-day version set to be one of the most hotly-anticipated new EV models to hit the market when it launches.

Revealed in a special documentary on the revival of the Renault brand that is set to launch on Prime Video, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E will arrive 46 years after the original machine and is based on a show car that appeared at the Paris Motor Show in 2022.

Aggressively-styled like the original, the 5 Turbo 3E – which will differ substantially body wise from the standard Renault 5 E-Tech - will be rear-wheel drive and will feature two electric motors in the rear wheels to provide more than 500bhp.

No news on range, price or performance has been revealed aside from a 0-62 time of under 3.5 seconds.

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