It’s amazing how in-tune I was with cars as a very young child. By the age of four I could tell you that Ford Mavericks and Mercury Comets were very popular in Colorado Springs, and that half of them seemed to have been built in two colors: Anti-Establish Mint and Medium Bright Yellow. I could tell you that 1977-up Chevrolet Caprice and Impala sedans were freaking everywhere, and that Chrysler Fifth Avenues were the choice ride of the elderly. And even then, back around 1987-89, I knew that the Renault 5, better known to most Americans as the “Le Car”, was the kind of car that most people would avoid like the bubonic plague. Small, quirky, stickered up with the gigantic “Le Car” graphics and rolling around on wheelbarrow tires, the Renault 5 was one of the few cars I knew about that made the Volkswagen Beetle look like the better choice in a comparison.

In America, we got the basic car. In Europe, where rally racing has always had a stronger presence than in America, they got a much better option: a homologation special. Group B was in full-force and yes, even Renault jumped into the game with the Renault 5. By cramming a turbocharged, highly-strung four-banger into the back of the car and widening the rear track to fit, the R5 Turbo and Turbo2. What could have possibly provided the inspiration for such a weird little Gaelic hot rod? An Italian wedge…the Lancia Stratos’ winning rally record inspired Renault leaders to give it a shot!