Lot details
- One owner from new
- Bodywork restored and mechanical reliability improved
- Sporty, fun handling with the ‘turbo effect’
- No reserve
Presented in January 1985, the Renault 5 GT Turbo went on sale in March that year, with the formidable task of competing with the 205 GTI, introduced a year earlier. Designed by Marcello Gandini, it followed on from the Renault 5 Alpine, explaining its first-rate performance thanks to its little 1.4-litre engine with a Garrett T2 turbocharger. With its air-cooled turbo, the Phase I 5 GT Turbo developed 115 bhp.
Bought new by its current owner, it was first registered on 25 May 1987. He used it at the time as a second car, to take his children to school in style. At his request, the GT Turbo was updated to Phase II spec, with the body components and wheels specific to that version, along with red upholstery to brighten up the interior. In 2019, the seller decided to carry out work on both the body and the mechanicals, to make his GT Turbo more reliable and to restore it to its former glory. The work was carried out with no expense spared, using new parts from Renault whenever possible. The odometer shows 32,500 km, having been reset to zero when the engine was rebuilt in 2005, at which time the car had just over 166,000 km on the clock. It is fitted with new tyres, which were replaced for the sale.
This makes it a car well preserved by its only owner, which is unusual for a model that often ends up in the wrong hands. This GT Turbo asks only to be driven and to offer you the now rare joys of the ‘turbo effect’.
Photos © Kevin Van Campenhout
