Rare Rides: This 1990 Renault 5 GT Turbo Is Le Car's Big Brother

Ah, bygone French cars. Citroen, Peugeot, and Renault all abandoned the American market by the early 1990s, leaving behind mostly memories of poor reliability and shoddy trim on underpowered little cars. But those in the know are aware of the other side of the coin. It’s the side where France was (is?) great at producing hot hatchbacks. French style and engineering came together to compete with the founder of the breed, the Volkswagen GTI.

For those people, today is a special day. Presenting the Renault 5 GT Turbo:

The Renault 5 was a mainstay in the French hatchback market for a long time. It filled cobblestone French streets from 1972 to 1996, and among those 24 years there are just two distinct generations.

The first generation debuted in 1972 and made its way to the United States on a big boat branded as Le Car, eventually becoming the butt of a Seinfeld joke — Le George!

Arriving in the U.S. in 1976, the Le Car would last just a few years. Sold through AMC dealerships, the Le Car’s derpy styling and 55-horsepower engine did not appeal to U.S. consumers. Though there was a revamp in styling for 1980 and a five-door hatch added in 1981, consumers stayed away. The death of the Le Car in the United States came in 1983, when the Kenosha-built Renault Alliance debuted.

But the 5 carried on successfully in France, evolving into a second generation in 1984. Renault saw a hot hatch opportunity in the 5, and in 1985 the GT Turbo version was born. Using a modified four-cylinder engine, it was also turbocharged and air-cooled.

The entire car weighed just 1,874 pounds, and the 113 horsepower on board motivated it along fairly quickly. But this was just Phase I.

Phase II arrived in 1987, with a styling face lift and some mechanical changes. The turbocharger swapped religions and became water-cooled. The 1.4-liter engine now revved higher because of a new ignition setup, drag coefficient was reduced from .36 to .35, and a special body kit was implemented solely for this model.

All these changes meant that in 1987, your French hot hatch went from 0-60 in 7.5 seconds. For reference, a BMW 635CSI accomplished the same feat that year in 7.4 seconds.

Interior revisions came for 1989, as the 5 GT Turbo neared the end of its life. 1991 would be its final year, as Renault had unveiled its now well-known hot hatch name (continuing to this day), the Clio.

Today’s 5 is a bit worse for wear in a couple of places, and has apparently been imported from Japan and into the rural farming community of Seattle.

With an asking price of $13,000, I’d generally think one might be able to find an example in better condition. But maybe not? Is this Renault the one for you, peut être?

[Images via seller]