Renault 5

Sunday 20 September 2009
The Renault 5 was introduced in January 1972 as Renault's first supermini. Styled by Michel Boue, who died before the car's release, the R5 featured a steeply sloping rear hatchback and front dashboard. Boue had wanted the taillights to go all the way up from the bumper into the C-pillar, in the fashion of the much later Fiat Punto and Volvo 850 Estate / Wagon, but the lights remained at a more conventional level. The R5 borrowed mechanicals from the Renault 4, using a longitudinally-mounted engine driving the front wheels with torsion bar suspension. OHV engines were borrowed from the Renault 4, Renault 8, and Renault 16, and ranged from 850 to 1400 cc. Early R5s used a dashboard-mounted gearshift (the gearbox is in front of the engine) — later replaced with a floor mounted shifter. Door handles were formed by a cut-out in the door panel and B-pillar. The R5 was one of the first cars produced with a plastic bumper bar — or fascia — that's since become an industry standard.
The R5's engine was set well back in the engine bay, above and half behind the gear box, allowing the stowage of the spare wheel under the bonnet/hood, an arrangement freed more space for passengers and luggage within the cabin. Other versions of the first generation included the Renault 5 Alpine (Gordini in the United Kingdom), Alpine/Gordini Turbo, and a four-door sedan version called the Renault 7 and built by FASA-Renault of Spain.

Technical data:
- engine: 4 cylinders
- capacity: 1289 cc
- horsepower: 64 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 151 km/h