SLIDESHOW
(Mostly) great small Renaults
The reborn Renault 5’s unveiling was by far the most important event at this year’s Geneva motor show. Apart from its funky design, it was what everyone had been crying out for: an affordable small electric car with a battery big enough to deter range anxiety. We hope the new 5 can join this pantheon of great small Renaults, including that from which it takes its name. RICHARD DREDGE
Renault 5 1972
Stylist Michel Boué came up with the 5’s design as an extracurricular activity, but his bosses at Renault were so impressed that they put it into production virtually unchanged. Although it was just too small for the US and proved a flop there, Boué’s masterpiece of space efficiency and practicality sold 5.5 million examples elsewhere over two generations, with production running until 1996. Both generations spawned interesting high-performance versions: the 970kg 5Turbo of 1980 had its four-cylinder engine boosted to a heady 158bhp, then the second-generation GT Turbo of 1985, with 113bhp courtesy of a Garrett T2 turbocharger, became infamous for its laggy power delivery and general waywardness, especially in the wet.