1984 Renault 5 Turbo 2

¤79,500. Prins Classics, Nunspeet, the Netherlands

mention the name Jean Ragnotti to rally fans of a certain age, and they’ll be conjuring up images of the French maestro dancing through the snow in a Renault 5 Turbo en route to victory in the 1981 Monte Carlo. The act of bolting a turbocharger to the standard 5’s 1340cc Cléon-Fonte engine and dropping it behind the front seats turned Renault’s popular shopping car into a pimped-up powerhouse with bulging arches, meaty tyres and vents galore.

The first models were built to comply with Group 4 homologation and incorporated an aluminium roof, doors and other special bits. The later Turbo 2 variant used a greater number of standard ‘5’ parts and was more road-orientated, but it still weighed under 1000kg and offered thrills aplenty thanks to its 160bhp and rear-wheel drive.

Most Turbo 2s were mercilessly thrashed and many modified for amateur competition use, so original, well-cared for examples such as this one are difficult to find. The gleaming bodywork is the result of a high-quality repaint in the original bruin colour, nicely offset by of-the-period gold ‘turbo’ wheels with polished highlights. ‘Turbo’ decals are present and correct on the doors and rear window, while the hard-to-source plastic vents, grilles and air ducts are all undamaged. A full-length folding sunroof tops off the exterior.

Inside, the beige upholstery is baggy in places but undamaged, while all trims, gauges, switches and even the ‘Turbo 2’ floormats are factory-correct despite the Renault’s near-90,000 miles.

Perhaps most remarkable, though, is the history file that accompanies this example. The paperwork dates right back to the day it was delivered in January 1984, and suggests that all three of its owners (two in France and one in Spain) have maintained it to an unusually high standard.

And, if you think €79,500 seems expensive, check out similar Turbo 2s. During the past five years, values of these pocket-sized homologation specials have almost doubled. prinsclassics.nl