R5 GT Turbo survivors race all the way to the bank

Arising star in the hot hatch firmament is the Renault 5 GT Turbo. Oxford Auto Sports has a restored ‘better than new’ 1990 example with 73k and ‘lovely history’ for a heady £30k. This makes CCA’S recent auction sale of an original and unrestored white ’86, 32,000-miler look positively cheap at £17,050.

Over the years R5 GT Turbos were brutalised, knackered or modified and the supply has dramatically fallen. In 2004 the DVLA had 1834 registered on its mainframe – now that’s withered down to just 369 examples. Strong premiums are being paid for mint survivors.

There are some tempting Japanese imports around – Seven-seas-motors in Dewsbury has a metallic grey ’98 with 48,000 miles for £12,995 – but most will be left-hand drive. UK supplied cars always fetch more and the ’87-on Phase 2 cars have better cooling, revised ECU and stronger trim. Find a metallic blue 1990 G-plater and you’ll have one of just 1000 special edition Raider run-out models. The final cars wore a J-plate. Cylinder head gasket failures, turbo problems and flimsy French trim and bodywork didn’t help the survival rate. But it was also a favourite of the Max Power generation. That’s one of the reasons for their collectability. They speak from a time when the hot-hatch cult swept British roads and they were the weapon of choice for Thatcher’s children. If you could afford one, you raced everything in sight and then stuffed it into a ditch. Happy days – a time before widespread Gatsos and ANPR cameras, and when midnight on the M25 in Essex felt like the Indy 500.