Equipment
1397/210hp upgraded Tour de Course turbo four, 5-speed, Michelin TRX tires, cassette player, Renault Sport camshaft and intercooler.
Condition
A first series R5 Turbo with lightweight aluminum doors, roof and hatch. Good paint other than a single crack on the hatch near the Renault 5 badge. The driver's side reverse light has condensation. The underbody is very clean and indicates little use despite the 90,942 km showing. The interior is very clean and free of abuse. Mechanically overhauled in 2014 but never fully restored, it's a solid and usable example of an '80s rally icon in great colors.
Market commentary
A more desirable, earlier Turbo 1-spec R5, this car has a different interior layout as well as aluminum doors, roof and hatch, so it has more in common with the actual rally cars than the later all-steel Turbo 2s and is therefore more desirable. This one sold for $80,802 at Bonhams' Goodwood sale in 2015. The demand for rally specials has only increased since then, so the consignor was reasonable to expect more than the reported high bid, but the overall market is more soft and this may have been a missed opportunity.