The cars of the eighties and nineties embellished the childhood of 30 to 40-year-olds. Next year, they will take center stage at Retromobile, especially the sports cars of the French brand Renault.
Forty years ago
On July 16, 1977, the 1.5 L V6 turbo engine in the Renault RS 01 monoposto made its first appearance at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille. At the time, this was a sensation, as the others were driving three-liter naturally aspirated engines with eight or twelve cylinders.
Initially, the car was chronically unreliable, which earned it the nickname "yellow teapot", as the yellow car kept emitting a cloud of smoke.
Turbo models from Renault
Two years later, thanks to constant improvements made by Renault, the Renault Turbo won the French Grand Prix. As a result, turbochargers were integrated into the current models. The final design of the R8820 was presented at the 1978 Paris Motor Show. This mid-engined compact car was the starting point for the Renault 5 Turbo, which was presented at the Brussels Motor Show in 1980.
One by one, Renault began to use turbo engines on all models - R5 Alpine Turbo, R5 GT Turbo, R9 and R11 Turbo, R18 Turbo, R21 2 L Turbo, R25 V6 Turbo, Alpine V6 Turbo, etc.
The magazine "Youngtimers" and Rétromobile are dedicating a special exhibition to Renault Turbo models at the next Rétromobile (February 2017) in Paris.
