Renault 5 Turbo sponsored by ELF - Monte Carlo Rally - Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 1981
Car scale model kit in 1/24 scale manufactured by Tamiya (ref. TAM24027, also 24027)

After a series of forays with the small Renault 5 Alpine, Renault decided to do something similar to its successful Alpine A110, building a special version. Thus was born the Renault 5 Turbo. This model made its competition debut at the 1979 Giro di Italia, equipping the 1.4-litre 4-cylinder engine with a Garrett turbocharger that raised power to around 250 hp. But apart from power, the main advantage was that the engine was now in the centre of the car, behind the driver, and sent its power to the rear wheels. A configuration totally opposite to that of the small utility vehicle from which it was derived.

This first appearance was as a prototype vehicle, but in mid-1980 the Renault 5 Turbo was homologated as a Group 4 car. Its international debut in the World Championship was at the 1980 Tour de Corse, where Jean Ragnotti was forced to retire with a broken alternator and Bruno Saby suffered overheating problems, although he managed to finish the event in fourth place. Three months later, at the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally, Jean Ragnotti achieved one of his most important victories, although only after Hannu Mikkola's Audi Quattro had to retire.

The turbo engines of the Renault 5s were not as reliable as the brand would have hoped. The overheating problems associated with turbochargers and mid-engines were not easy to solve in days when electronics were not yet sufficiently developed to effectively control these parameters. In the 1981 Tour de Corse, where four cars were entered, all had to retire due to engine problems, fires or electrical problems. In the 1982 Monte Carlo Rally there were no official cars present, but in the Tour de Corse Jean Ragnotti again achieved another important victory. In 1983, the factory had no official presence, but in 1984 it returned with the car re-homologated as Group B, participating in certain events of the World Championship in order to prepare for the arrival of the R5 Maxi Turbo in the 1985 season. The third and last victory of the Renault 5 Turbo in the World Championship took place in the sadly remembered 1986 Rally of Portugal, after the decision of all the official teams to withdraw in protest at the placement of the spectators and the poor control over them, which led to the accident of Joaquim Santos' Ford RS200 in which several spectators died. That rally was won by Joaquim Moutinho.

The Renault 5 Turbo was probably most successful and popular among private entrants, and as well as winning the French and Spanish Championships, it was also used successfully at national level by Attila Ferjancz in Hungary, Branislav Kuzmic in Yugoslavia and “Leonidas” in Greece.